Course Title:- Food Quality Control and Safety

Management

Course Number:- FEng5176

Prepared By:- Mengist K.

 Outlines of Presentation
 Introduction to the concept of quality
 Food Quality Parameters
 Concepts of quality control, quality assurance and food
safety
 Overview of food quality and safety management

Prepared by:- Mengist K.

1. Introduction to the concept of quality
 Food quality is a sensory property that includes
appearance, taste, nutritional value (nutrient content),
health benefit (functional ingredient) or safety (chemical,
physical, biological).
 It includes those attributes which affect consumer’s choice
for a product
 Major challenge for food industry is to maintain the food
quality ; the reason being well aware consumers.
 For this reason food industry has to adopt certain
techniques in order to meet the growing need of
maintaining food quality; this is known as food quality
control.
 The main issue which is considered while quality control
process is to deteriorate the level of microbes and other
contaminants in food.
 Food quality control is a mandatory regulatory activities of
enforcement by national/International or local authorities
to provide consumer protection and ensure that all foods
during production, handling, storage, processing and
distribution are safe, wholesome and fit for human
consumption.
 At the same time, it must conforms to safety, fulfill quality
requirements and are honestly & accurately labelled as per
the standards / specifications prescribed in food laws.
 Consumer movement across the globe has also increased in
recent past and as a result export / import of food products
has become more vulnerable in complying safety
requirements of the consumers.
 The challenges for food control authorities include:
1. Increasing incidences of food borne illness and emergence of new
food borne hazards
2. Rapid growth of advanced technologies in food production,
processing and marketing
3. Application of science-based food control systems with a focus on
consumer protection
4. Global increase in food trade and harmonization of food safety and
quality standards
5. Changes in education standard awareness and lifestyles including
rapid urbanization
6. Growing consumer awareness of food safety and quality issues
and increasing demand
for better information.
Farm to Consumer
 What is quality..?
It is the degree to which a set of inherent
characteristics fulfills requirements.
“Fitness for use”
Quality is excellence that is better than a
minimum standard.
“Conformance to requirements”
The ability of product or service to
satisfy
 Quality control is the evaluation of a final product prior to
its marketing, i.e. it is based on quality checks at the end
of a production chain aiming at assigning the final product
to quality categories such as "high quality", "regular
quality", "low quality" and "non-marketable".
 Since, at the end of the production chain, there is no way
to correct production failures or upgrade the quality of the
final product, the low-quality products can only be sold at
lower prices and the non-marketable products have to be
discarded.
 Quality control has only a limited potential to increase the
quality and efficiency of a multi-step production
procedure.
 Quality Assurance
“Planned and systematic activities implemented
within the quality system that can be
demonstrated to provide confidence that a
product or service will fulfill requirements for
quality”.
Quality assurance is a system for evaluating
performance, service, of the quality of a product
against system, standard or specified requirement
for customers.
Planned activity or systematic approach to provide
adequate confidence of product and service.
 Quality Assurance
 Quality assurance can be defined as "part of quality
management focused on providing confidence that
quality requirements will be fulfilled."
 The confidence provided by quality assurance is two
fold—internally to management and externally to
customers, government agencies, regulators, certifiers,
and third parties.
 An alternate definition is "all the planned and systematic
activities implemented within the quality system that can
be demonstrated to provide confidence that a product or
service will fulfill requirements for quality."
 Quality Control
 Quality control can be defined as "part of quality
management focused on fulfilling quality requirements."
 While quality assurance relates to how a process is
performed or how a product is made, quality control is
more the inspection aspect of quality management.
 An alternate definition is "the operational techniques and
activities used to fulfill requirements for quality."
Quality Assurance vs Quality Control
 Food Safety

 Food safety provides an assurance that food will not cause

 harm to the consumer when it is prepared and/or eaten
according to its intended use.
 Safety is a component of quality.
 Safety differs from many other quality attributes since it is
a quality attribute that is difficult to observe.
 A product can appear to be of high quality, i.e. well
colored, appetizing, flavorful, etc. and yet be unsafe
because it is contaminated with undetected pathogenic
organisms, toxic chemicals, or physical hazards.
 On the other hand, product that seems to lack many of the
visible quality attributes can be safe.
 Salmonella contagion of peanut butter in the US,
melamine contamination of milk in China and high
pesticide content of aerated drinks manufactured in India
has significantly enhanced the concern for food safety
and its impact on health, marketing and foreign trade.
 Protecting consumer health from food borne hazards has
become a compelling duty for policy makers across the
globe.
Specific concerns about food hazards have usually focused on:
1. Microbiological hazards;
2. Xenobiotic residues including synthetic (manmade)
pesticides, drugs, antibiotics, plastics etc.
3. Misuse of food additives
4. Chemical contaminants, including biological toxin
5. Adulteration, artificial foods; and
6. Genetically modified organisms, allergens, veterinary drug
residues, radio nucleides and growth promoting hormones
which are used in the preparation of animal prod
 Responsibilities of QA
The QA department is responsible for ensuring that the
quality policies adopted by a company are followed.
It helps to identify and prepare the necessary SOPs related
to the control of quality.
It must determine that the product meets all the applicable
specifications and that it was manufactured according to
the internal standards of GMP.
QA also holds responsibility for quality monitoring or
audit function.
QA functions to assess operations continually and to advise
and guide them towards full compliance with all applicable
internal and external regulations.
 QC is responsible for the day-to-day control of quality
within the company.
 This department is responsible for analytical testing of
incoming raw materials and inspection of packaging
components, including labelling.
 They conduct in-process testing when required, perform
environmental monitoring, and inspect operations for
compliance.
 They also conduct the required tests on finished dosage
form.
Control of Quality Variation 1. Raw material
control
 Good raw material specifications must be written in precise
terminology, must be complete, must provide specific
details of test methods, type of instruments, and manner of
sampling must be properly identified.
 Each raw material is sampled according to standard
sampling procedures and is sent to the quality control
laboratory for testing according to written procedures.
 If acceptable, it is moved to the release storage area, after
being properly stickered to indicate the item no., material
name, lot no., release date, reassay date and sign of QA
inspector.
 QA personnel should keep preservation samples of active
raw materials that consists of at least twice the necessary
quantity to perform all tests required, to determine whether
the material meets the established specifications.
 Approved material should be rotated so that the oldest
stock is used first. Raw materials may be classified into
two groups:
 Active or therapeutic Inactive or inert
 In-process Items Control
Conformance to compendial standards as the sole basis for
judging the quality of a final dosage form can be grossly
misleading. As the final dosage forms are produced in
millions of units, the no. Of units assayed at the end is not
likely to be representative of more than a small fraction of
the actual production.
The regulations emphasize environmental factors to
minimize cross- contamination of products and errors,
however, they do little to minimize within-batch and batch-
to- batch variation. Therefore, it is important to follow a
programme which help to ensure that the final products
have uniform purity and quality.
QA before start-up: - Environmental and microbiologic
control and sanitation - Manufacturing Working Formula
Procedures - Raw Materials - Manufacturing Equipment
QA at start-up: - Raw Material Processing - Compounding
- Packaging Materials Control - Labels Control - Finished
Product Control
 Manufacturing Variation Control
Monitoring environmental conditions under which
products are manufactured/stored
 Monitoring of air and water systems to prevent
contamination Air Handling Units
 Monitoring of personnel
Feedback and follow-up
 2. Food Quality and Safety Management
It seeks to develop India's capability to meet the global
food safety and quality requirements and enhance the
competitiveness of food products.
In long term perspective, it would contribute to ensure
consumer safety with in and outside the country.
Food Safety refers to practices and conditions that
preserve food quality to prevent contamination and food-
borne illnesses during preparation, handling, and storage.
The correct Food Safety practices assure that food will not
cause harm to the consumer when it is prepared and/or
eaten according to its intended use.
**Food should be safe for human consumption and free
from hazards that may compromise the health of the
consumer**
 Examples of Food Safety procedures and policies:
Personal hygiene
Personal presentation and preparation
Pest control
Waste management
Cleaning and sanitising
Temperature control and measurement
Food Safety hazard identification
These are only a few examples of Food Safety procedures
that should be in place in a food-handling environment.
Food Safety procedures vary from company to company
and industry to industry.
It is important to know what your company’s Food Safety
procedures and policies are.
 Food Quality refers to the features and characteristics of a
food product that is:
acceptable to consumers and meet their expectations;
value for money;
conforms to the required specifications, and
profitable to the company.
 Examples of Food Quality Attributes:
External factors such as appearance (size, colour, shape
and consistency).
Texture
Flavour (odour and taste)
Correct labelling with the ingredients, nutritional
information and supplier/manufacturer details listed.
Products must be properly packaged and sealed.
Ingredient standards are maintained.
Food quality also deals with product traceability, should a
recall of the food product be required.
 Food Safety and Food Quality are two of the most
important aspects of any food-handling environment.
 It is important to know the difference and have a proper
Food Safety and Food Quality management system in
place.
 It will keep your customers healthy and happy, and you out
of trouble.
 10 Facts on food safety, WHO
1. More than 200 diseases are spread through food
 Millions of people fall ill every year and many die as a
result of eating unsafe food.
 Diarrhoeal diseases alone kill an estimated 1.5 million
children annually, and most of these illnesses are attributed to
contaminated food or water.
 Proper food preparation can prevent most food borne
diseases.
2. Food borne diseases are increasing worldwide
 Disease-causing organisms in food are transmitted far and
wide by today's interconnected global food-chains -
escalating how often and where food borne illnesses occur.
 Rapid urbanization worldwide is adding to risks, as
urban dwellers eat more food prepared outside the home
that may not be handled or prepared safely - including fresh
foods and fish, meat and poultry.
3. Food safety is a global concern
 Globalization of food production and trade increases the
likelihood of international incidents involving
contaminated food.
 Imported food products and ingredients are common in
most countries.
 Stronger food safety systems in export countries can
reinforce both local and cross-border health security.
4. Emerging diseases are tied to food production
 About 75% of the new infectious diseases affecting
humans over the past 10 years were caused by
bacteria, viruses and other pathogens that started in
animals and animal products.
 Many of these diseases in people are related to the
handling of infected domestic and wild animals
during food production.
5. Minimize the risk of avian influenza
 The vast majority of avian influenza cases in people follow
direct contact with infected live or dead birds. There is no
evidence that the disease is spread to people by eating
properly cooked poultry.
6. Preventing disease starts at the farm
 Preventing animal infections at the farm level can reduce
foodborne illnesses. For example, reducing the amount of
Salmonella
7. Chemical hazards can contaminate food
 Acrylamide, which may cause cancer, is formed from
natural ingredients during the cooking of some foods at
high temperatures (generally above 120 °C), including fried
potato products, baked cereal products and coffee.
 The food industry is working to find methods to lower
exposure to such chemicals.
8. Everyone plays a role in food safety
 Food contamination can occur at any stage from farm to
table.
 Everyone on the food delivery chain must employ
measures to keep food safe - farmer, processor, vendor
and consumer.
 Safety at home is just as vital to prevent disease
outbreaks.
 Women are primary targets for food safety education as
they are responsible for household meals in many societies.
9. School is a place for food safety
 Educating children on safe food handling behaviors is key
to preventing food borne diseases today and in the future.
Integrating food safety lessons into school curricula gives
children essential life skills that can help to keep them and
their families healthy.
10. Consumers must be well informed on food safety
practices
 People should make informed and wise food choices and
adopt adequate behaviors. They should know common
food hazards and how to handle food safely, using the
information provided in the food labeling.
 Hazard Identification
 Transport to the central distribution or retail outlet
 Fresh produce supplier control
 In the store
 Packaging
 Retail sale
 Fresh produce traceability and recall
 Fresh produce shelf-life
 The Benefits
 Reduce the risk of customers being food poisoned.
 Reduce the risk of going out of business by preventing
food poisoning.
 Reduce the risk of prosecution.
 Increase the chance of winning a case if you are
prosecuted.
 Increase the quality of products.
 Promote teamwork in an organization.
 Reduce the amount of end product testing.
 Save money in the long term.
 Ensure compliance with the law.
 Q. How sick can some one get from eating contaminated
food?
 Cost of poor food safety
Disciplinary / black-listed
Poor staff morale / high staff turnover
Food poisoning or death
Food contamination and wastage
Legal action/closure
Compensation claims
Bad publicity
Loss of profit - jobs!!
 Quality vs. Safety
Q. What is the difference? Similarity?
• Food quality
Organoleptic acceptance of the product
Product homogeneity
Physical properties (texture, viscosity)
Chemical properties (% salt, acidity)
• Food safety
The consumer’s health will not be damaged as a result
of the product’s consumption
Biological Deterioration of foods
Chemical / Bio- Chemical Deterioration of foods

Physical Deterioration of foods