Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
tracting with suppliers who have certifi ed food safety management processes in
place such as the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety (BRC
2013
) or other Global
Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarked standards (
http://www.mygfsi.com/
)
,
auditing suppliers to ensure they meet any additional specifi c requirements, holding
detailed specifi cations defi ning the ingredients and conformance parameters, i.e.,
analytical checks and the routine monitoring of products at intake to ensure they are
safe and fi t for purpose prior to use, and ongoing monitoring of product and supplier
key performance indicators, e.g., customer complaints.
7.4
Transportation and Distribution
Effective and effi cient storage and distribution are a key part of any retail operation.
Goods may be shipped over very large distances from different continents and may
also be stored for long periods and the potential for food safety to be compromised
during these stages is an important consideration, with suitable mitigation strategies
being necessary. In the case of large retailers, this generally involves the delivery
and consolidation of products in warehouses appropriate to the location of the retail
outlets. Product suppliers deliver to these warehouses, usually in their own vehicles
and the retailer then assembles orders for transportation in their own vehicles to
their retail shops. In many cases, and especially for smaller retailers, the manufac-
turer may deliver direct to the store or there may be an intermediary distributor who
supplies products to the retailer.
Distribution centres can vary widely in size and complexity with some modern
day depots reaching 100,000 m
2
(>1 m sq. ft.). No matter what the size of the opera-
tion, the key principles for effective food safety management are essentially the
same and focus particularly in the areas of temperature control, shelf life manage-
ment, pest control and contamination (chemical, microbiological and physical).
The potential for foods to be contaminated during storage and transport presents
a signifi cant risk from a variety of microbiological, chemical and physical hazards,
including pest infestation. In general, most foods being stored in depot or trans-
ported to stores are enclosed in packaging or may be in bags, boxes and containers.
This presents an important barrier to contamination and packaging integrity is an
important element in maintaining this barrier.
For environmental and sustainability reasons, products may be transported in
open crates, although in most cases the product itself is usually in primary packag-
ing to prevent damage or contamination. Occasionally, items may be distributed
loose and open such as for some types of produce, but even in these instances the
product is protected during transportation with protective sheets.
In addition, while larger retailers and distributors may have suitable facilities to
keep cleaning chemicals, non-food items, raw and RTE foods separate, this is not
necessarily the case for many smaller retailers where storage is more constrained.
