GHP

Section 3 of the // Recommended International Code of Practice – General Principles of Food Hygiene, // CAC/RCP 1-1969 ** Milk should not contain any contaminant at a level that jeopardizes the appropriate level of public health protection, when presented to the consumer. **   The important influence of primary production activities on the safety of milk products, potential microbiological contamination from all sources should be minimized to the greatest extent practicable at this phase of production. It is recognized that microbiological hazards can be introduced both from the farm environment and from the milking animals themselves. Lack of good agricultural, animal feeding and veterinary practices and inadequate general hygiene of milking personnel and equipment and inappropriate milking methods may lead to unacceptable levels of contamination with chemical residues and other contaminants during primary production. ** Contamination of milk from animal and environmental sources during primary production should be minimized. **   A contaminant could be any biological and chemical agent, foreign matters or other substances not intentionally added to food which may endanger food safety or suitability. Measures should be implemented at the primary production level to reduce the initial load of pathogenic microorganisms and micro-organisms affecting safety and suitability to the extent possible to provide for a greater margin of safety. The microbial load of milk should be as low as achievable, using good milk production practices, taking into account the technological requirements for subsequent processing. ** 1.1 ** ** Environmental hygiene ** ** Water and other environmental factors should be managed in a way that minimizes the potential for the transmission, directly or indirectly, of hazards into the milk. **   Contaminated water, and for example pests (such as insects and rodents), chemicals and the internal and external environments where the animals are housed and milked, may contaminate feed, equipment or milking animals leading to the introduction of hazards into milk Water used in primary production operations should be suitable for its intended purpose and should not contribute to the introduction of hazards in milk. Section 8 of the // Recommended International Code of Practice – General Principles of Food Hygiene, // CAC/RCP 1-1969 // Code of Hygienic Practice for the Transport of Foodstuffs in Bulk and Semi-Packed Foodstuffs //. (CAC/RCP 47 – 2001). ** 1.2 Handling, storage and transport of milk ** ** With consideration given to the end use of the milk, handling, storage and transport of milk should be conducted in a manner that will avoid contamination and minimize any increase in the microbiological load of milk. **   Proper handling, storage and transport of milk are important elements of the system of controls necessary to produce safe and suitable milk and milk products. Contact with unsanitary equipment and foreign materials are known causes of milk contamination. Temperature abuse is known to increase the microbiological load of milk. ** 1.2.1 **** Collection, transport and delivery procedures and equipment ** This section also covers the activities of personnel involved in the transport of milk. Milk should be collected, transported and delivered without undue delay, and in a manner that avoids the introduction of contaminants into milk and minimizes the growth of micro-organisms in the milk. Milk transport tankers and cans should be designed, constructed, maintained and used in a manner that will avoid the introduction of contaminants into milk and minimize the growth of micro-organisms in milk as well. **__ Procedures __** – Personnel and vehicular access to the place of collection should be adequate for the suitable hygienic handling of milk. In particular, access to the place of collection should be clear of manure, silage, etc. – Prior to collection, the milk hauler or collection/chilling centre operator should check the individual producer’s milk to ensure that the milk does not present obvious indications of spoilage and deterioration. If the milk shows indications of spoilage and deterioration, it should not be collected. – Collection and chilling centres, if employed, should be designed and operated in such a manner that minimizes or prevents the contamination of milk. – Milk should be collected under hygienic conditions to avoid contamination of milk. In particular, the milk hauler or collection centre operator should, where appropriate, take samples in such a way to avoid contamination of the milk and should ensure that the milk has the adequate storage/in-take temperature prior to collection. – The milk hauler should receive adequate training in the hygienic handling of raw milk. – Milk haulers should wear clean clothing. – Milk hauling operations should not be performed by persons at risk of transferring pathogens to milk. Appropriate medical follow-up should be done in the case of an infected worker. – Milk haulers should perform their duties in a hygienic manner so that their activities will not result in contamination of milk. – The driver should not enter the stables or other places where animals are kept, or places where there is manure. – Should driver clothing and footwear be contaminated with manure, the soiled clothes and footwear should be changed or cleaned before work is continued. – The tanker driver should not enter the processing areas of the dairy plant. Conditions should be arranged to allow necessary communication with the staff of the dairy, delivery of milk samples, dressing, rest breaks, etc. without direct contact taking place with the dairy processing areas or with staff members involved with processing milk and milk products. **__ Equipment __** // Code of Hygienic Practice for the Transport of Food in Bulk and Semi-Packed Food // (CAC/RCP 47-2001). – Milk transport tankers and cans should be designed and constructed such that they can be effectively cleaned and disinfected. – Milk transport tankers and cans should be designed and constructed to ensure complete drainage. – Milk transport tankers and cans should not be used to transport any harmful substance. If milk transport tanks and cans are used to transport foods other than milk, precautions such as the implementation of adequate cleaning protocols should be taken to prevent any subsequent milk contamination. – Surfaces of milk transport tankers, cans and associated equipment intended to come into contact with milk should be easy to clean and disinfect, corrosion resistant and not capable of transferring substances to the milk in such quantities as to present a health risk to the consumer. – Milk cans and transport tankers (including the milk discharge area, valves, etc.) should be cleaned and disinfected with sufficient frequency in order to minimize or prevent contamination of milk. – After disinfection, tankers and cans should be drained. – Lorries, trucks or other vehicles which carry the tank or cans should be cleaned whenever necessary. ** 1.2.2 **** Storage equipment ** Milk storage tanks and cans should be designed, constructed, maintained and used in a manner that will avoid the introduction of contaminants into milk and minimize the growth of micro-organisms in milk. Milk storage equipment should be properly installed, maintained and tested in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions and in accordance with any available technical standards that have been established by appropriate technical standards setting organizations for such equipment (e.g., IDF, ISO, 3A) in order to assist in assuring that the equipment is functioning properly. Surfaces of milk storage tanks, cans and associated equipment intended to come into contact with milk should be easy to clean and disinfect, corrosion resistant and not capable of transferring substances to milk in quantities that will present a health risk to the consumer. Storage tanks and cans should be cleaned and disinfected regularly and with sufficient frequency to minimize or prevent contamination of milk. ** 1.3 Documentation and record keeping ** Records should be kept, as necessary, to enhance the ability to verify the effectiveness of the control systems. ** 2 Specific process steps ** ** Extrinsic factors ** refer to factors impacting the product from the environment in which the food is placed. Examples include temperature, time, and relative humidity of the air. ** Intrinsic factors ** refer to internal factors in the product itself (food matrix), influenced by or as consequence of extrinsic factors, that have an impact on the growth and/or survival of micro-organisms. Examples include water activity, pH, nutrient availability, competition of micro-organisms, and bacteriocins or other growth inhibitors. ** 2.1 Microbiological and other specifications ** // Principles for the Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria for Foods //, CAC/GL 21-1997 // Guidelines for the Conduct of Microbiological Risk Assessment, // CAC/GL 30-1999. ** 2.1.1 **** Incoming milk ** Manufacturers should establish incoming milk criteria that take into account the end use of the milk and the conditions under which the milk was produced.Corrective action taken for non-compliance with incoming milk criteria should be commensurate with the potential risks presented by the non-compliance. Incoming milk that is out of compliance with established criteria indicates that the control measure system is not working properly and corrective action should be taken to identify and resolve causative problems. ** 2.1.2 **** Microbiological criteria ** Microbiological criteria may be necessary to be established at different points in the process for carrying out the design of control measure combinations and for the verification that the control system has been implemented correctly. Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005 Microbiological //criteria for foodstuffs// (as amended by Regulation (EC) No. 1441/2007) bacteriaceae |||||||||||||||| For enforcement purposesn = number of units comprising the sample;c = number of sample units giving values between m and M.e.g. For enforcement purposes, pasteurised milk shall comply with the following Enterobacteriaceae standard - 5 tests per sample shall be carried, up to 5 can have Enteros of up to 10 cfu/ml, and no sample can have an Entero level greater than 10 cfu/ml.Sites can determine their own testing regime and standards but must be able to demonstrate compliance with the above. || 1. n = number of units comprising the sample; c = number of sample units giving values between m and M. 2. For point 2.2.7 m=M 3. The most recent edition of the standard shall be used. 4. The criterion does not apply to products intended for further processing in the food industry. 5. E. coli is used here as an indicator for the level of hygiene. 6. Only ice creams containing milk ingredients.
 * GHP **
 * PRINCIPLES APPLYING TO THE PRIMARY PRODUCTION OF MILK **
 * Food category ||  Microorganisms  ||||  Sampling plan1  ||||  Limits2  ||  Analytical reference method3  ||  Stage where the criterion applies  ||  Action in case of unsatisfactory results  ||
 * ^  ||^   ||  n  ||  c  ||  m  ||  M  ||^   ||^   ||^   ||
 * EXAMPLE Pasteurised Milk Entero-
 * Pasteurised milk and other pasteurised liquid dairy products4 ||  Entero-   bacteriaceae  ||  5  ||  0  ||  10 cfu/ml  ||  10 cfu/ml  ||  ISO 21528-2  ||  End of the manufacturing process  ||  Check on the efficiency of heat- treatment and prevention of recontamination as well as the quality of raw materials  ||
 * Butter and cream made from raw milk or milk that has undergone a lower heat treatment than pasteurisation ||  E. coli5  ||  5  ||  2  ||  10 cfu/g  ||  100 cfu/g  ||  ISO16649-1 or 2  ||  End of the manufacturing process  ||  Improvements in production hygiene and selection of raw materials  ||
 * Milk powder and whey powder4 ||  Enterobacteriaceae  ||  5  ||  0  ||||  10 cfu/g  ||  ISO 21528- 1  ||  End of the manufacturing process  ||  Check on the efficiency of heat treatment and prevention of recontamination  ||
 * ^  ||  Coagulase-positive staphylococci  ||  5  ||  2  ||  10 cfu/g  ||  100 cfu/g  ||  EN/ISO 6888-1 or 2  ||  End of the manufacturing process  ||  Improvements in production hygiene. If values > 105 cfu/g are detected, the batch has to be tested for staphylococcal enterotoxins.  ||
 * Ice cream6 and frozen dairy desserts ||  Enterobacteriaceae  ||  5  ||  2  ||  10 cfu/g  ||  100 cfu/g  ||  ISO 21528- 2  ||  End of the manufacturing process  ||  Improvements in production hygiene  ||

The flow of the product and of the ingredients within equipment and through the processing facility should maintain a forward progression from raw material receipt to finished product packaging so as to avoid cross contamination. The flow of the water, air, effluents, and milk should be carefully evaluated to ensure that the potential for cross-contamination does not occur. Similarly, the flow of personnel should be evaluated to ensure that their actions couldn’t contaminate milk. There should be adequate separation of areas with different levels of contamination risk. Milk products that have been returned from other locations should be identified, segregated and stored in a clearly designated area. Where there is the potential for cross-contamination between end products and raw materials or intermediate products, and from contaminated areas such as construction and rebuilding areas, consideration should be given to a physical separation, such as by the application of barrier hygiene (the application of physical or mechanical barriers to prevent or minimize the transfer of contaminants or potential sources of contaminants) and wet/dry area segregation. ** 2.3 Physical and chemical contamination ** Preventive measures should be implemented to minimize risks of contaminating milk and milk products with physical and chemical hazards and foreign substances. Avoiding physical and chemical contamination of milk and milk products during processing requires the effective control of equipment maintenance, sanitation programmes, personnel, monitoring of ingredients and processing operations. Preventive measures should include those that will minimize the potential for cross contamination of allergenic components and/or ingredients that may present in other products to a milk product in which these components and/or ingredients are not supposed to be present. ** 3 ** ** Incoming material (other than milk) requirements ** Ingredients used for the processing of milk products should be purchased according to specifications, and their compliance with these specifications should be verified. Contaminated ingredients have been known to lead to unsafe/unsuitable milk products, since these ingredients are often added during processing where no further control measures are applied. Preferably, specifications for raw materials should be established such that their use will result in a safe and suitable product. No raw material should be accepted if it is known to contain chemical, physical or microbiological contaminants that would not be reduced to an acceptable level by normal sorting and/or processing. Raw materials should, where appropriate, be inspected and sorted before processing. Any claims that raw materials meet safety and suitability specifications should be verified periodically. ** 4 ** ** Water ** Dairy processing establishments should have potable water available, which prior to its first use, should meet the criteria specified by the competent authorities having jurisdiction and should be regularly monitored. Water recirculated for reuse should be treated and maintained in such a condition that no risk to the safety and suitability of food results from its use. Proper maintenance of water conditioning systems is critical to avoid the systems becoming sources of contamination. For example, filter systems can become sources of bacteria and their metabolites if bacteria are allowed to grow on the organic materials that have accumulated on the filter. ** 5.1 ** ** Maintenance and cleaning ** ** Processing areas should be kept as dry as possible. **   Use of dry cleaning methods, and limiting the use of water in processing areas, helps to avoid the spread of contamination by water. Wet cleaning (other than Cleaning-in-Place) has been known to lead to milk product contamination due to the production of aerosols. All food product contact surfaces in piping and equipment, including areas that are difficult to clean such as by-pass valves, sampling valves, and overflow siphons in fillers should be adequately cleaned. ** 5.2 ** ** Cleaning programmes ** ** A routine programme to verify the adequacy of cleaning should be in place. **   All equipment and utensils used in processing should, as necessary, be cleaned and disinfected, rinsed with water which is safe and suitable for its intended purpose (unless the manufacturer’s instructions indicate rinsing is not necessary), then drained and air dried where appropriate. ** Reference: ** CODE OF HYGIENIC PRACTICE FOR MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS, CAC/RCP 57-2004 Section 3 & 8 of the Recommended International Code of Practice – General Principles of Food Hygiene, CAC/RCP 1-1969 Code of Hygienic Practice for the Transport of Foodstuffs in Bulk and Semi-Packed Foodstuffs. (CAC/RCP 47 – 2001). Principles for the Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria for Foods, CAC/GL 21-1997 Guidelines for the Conduct of Microbiological Risk Assessment, CAC/GL 30-1999. Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005 Microbiological criteria for foodstuffs (as amended by Regulation (EC) No. 1441/2007)
 * 2.2 Microbiological cross contamination **