Quality Manual

Cover page and sections 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 included

Table of contents: major sections and all the sub-sections

New page for each section, so sections can be replaced as revised.

Documentation control information on every page of your Quality Manual (ie. company name, date, revision number, sign-off), plus Section/page number details on each page.

Define the scope of the Food safety management system for your company; describe your product, process, site of production, extent of HACCP implementation for your product.

4.2 Documentation requirements

List of documents used to produce this manual (include codex, other standards, references)

Describe procedure for managing and updating documents, such as document approval process, managing revisions and latest version.  Describe the procedure for identification, storage, retrieval of records

This my section:

Section 5

Short statement about type of management commitment to quality for this company

5.2 Food safety policy

Statement on the Food safety policy of your company. Include objectives which should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-framed.

5.3 Food safety management system planning

Short general statement

5.4 Responsibility and authority

Describe how responsibility and authority is organised in your company. Present a diagram of management for your company (CEO, production, engineering, QC lab, etc)

5.5 Food safety team leader

Position description for Food Safety team leader – tip find a typical job advertisement QA manager.

5.6 Communication

Give examples of some key contacts for both external and internal communication

5.7 Emergency preparedness and response

Cross reference to emergency procedures

5.8 Management review

Statements on review frequency, inputs and outputs

Statement on the management commitment to provide resources.

List the departments responsible

6.2 Human resources

Management of Staff – qualifications and training as required for management of a food safety system

6.3 Infrastructure

Provide brief statements on buildings, equipment, utilities, etc.

6.4 Work environment

Resources for the establishment, management and maintenance of the work environment. Use creative licence to set the work environment framework for your company. Also refer to AS 4804 OH&S Standard.

Brief introductory statement on the application of HACCP principles in the manufacture of your product.

7.2 Prerequisite programmes (PRPs)

Description of each of the prerequisite programmes applied to achieve a safe product in your company.

7.3 Preliminary steps to enable hazard analysis

7.3.1 General

Brief introductory statement

7.3.2 Food safety team

Description of food safety team

7.3.3 Product characteristics

7.3.3.1 Raw materials, ingredients and product-contact materials Specifications for each of the raw materials

7.3.3.2 Characteristics of end products

Specifications for end product

7.3.4 Intended use

Expected handling, storage and preparation of the end product. Any unintended but reasonably expected mishandling and misuse of the end product. Consumer groups known to be especially vulnerable to specific food safety hazards considered here.

7.3.5 Flow diagrams, process steps and control measures

Flow process diagram illustrating the process steps and process conditions used in the manufacture of your product

7.3.5.2 Description of process steps and control measures

Description of each step in the process and the control measures used

7.4 Hazard analysis

7.4.1 General Overview of HAW

7.4.2 Hazard identification & determination of acceptable levels

Identify all the particular hazards in your product; microbiological, chemical and physical. Refer to the relevant FSANZ  & codex standards to specify tolerances

7.4.3 Hazard assessment

Risk assessment to determine the severity and likelihood of the occurrence, and whether the reduction of the hazard is essential to produce a safe product.

7.4.4 Selection and assessment of control measures

Control measures shall be reviewed to determine whether the hazard will be controlled by Operational PRP or CCP.

Present this information for 7.4 in a Hazard Assessment Worksheet (HAW) in the report in this section.

7.5 Establishing the operational prerequisite programmes (PRPs)

Present the information for 7.5 in a Hazard Audit Table for oPRPs, if any have been identified for process.

7.6 Establishing the HACCP plan 

Present the information for 7.6 in a Hazard Audit Table for CCPs, covering the following aspects as listed in the standard:

Identification of critical control points (CCPs)

Determination of critical limits for critical control points

System for the monitoring of critical control points

Actions when monitoring results exceed critical limits

7.7 Updating of preliminary information and documents specifying the PRPs and the HACCP plan

Brief documented plan for review and updating documents

7.8 Verification planning

That is, audit planning. Define the purpose of verification, what is going to be audited, the frequencies, who is responsible for the auditing, both internal and external audits, cross ref to 8.4.

7.9 Traceability system

Include a few examples of lot coding, control sheets, to demonstrate your understanding but otherwise keep pretty brief

7.10 Control of nonconformity

Brief review of nonconformities, assessing monitoring records (eg. process records and consumer complaints). Disposition of nonconforming products if not acceptable for release

Withdrawals – Briefly Describe Product withdrawal sequence, refer to FSANZ Food Industry Recall Protocol

Write a short general statement about the science underpinning your quality manual.

8.2 Validation of control measure combinations

Describe the science behind the critical control points used in your process, eg. decimal reduction of microorganisms for particular time/temp combinations, or why a particular pH is important. Cover both oPRP & CCPs, provide references.

8.3 Control of monitoring and measuring

Specify monitoring equipment used in your process, eg. pH meter, metal detector, thermometer. Describe how it needs to be maintained and calibrated.

8.4 Food safety management system verification

Outline audit procedures, frequency. What will be audited and required actions from audit.

8.5 Improvement

Brief for this mini manual, acknowledge improvements that will be made through the manual [8.5.1] and revisions required arising from the Verification audit [8.4], any need to review 7.4, 7.5 & 7.6