SQF Code 7 - Control of Foreign Matter Contamination
Hello Everyone - Food Packaging Printer here implementing SQF Code 7 Level 1 - 13.7 speaks to glass and other like materials. Our production equipment is chock full of plastic items - Can anyone provide any guidance on Level 1 if we need to include brittle plastics in our glass register? Doing so seems to fall out of the scope of Level 1. Any comments would be appreciated.
Absolutely. A piece of sharp brittle plastic poses the same hazards as one composed of glasws, wouldn't you agree?
Should add: that's not to say that you can't have any brittle plastics )or glass for that matter) in your production area(s), but you have to have a glass and brittle plastic register and do a regularly scheduled audit (up to you; daily in your pre-op inspection plus weekly, monthly or quarterly) to account for everything on your register. You also need to have documents in place to state your policy, procedures and responsibilities in case of breakage.
Hello Everyone - Food Packaging Printer here implementing SQF Code 7 Level 1 - 13.7 speaks to glass and other like materials. Our production equipment is chock full of plastic items - Can anyone provide any guidance on Level 1 if we need to include brittle plastics in our glass register? Doing so seems to fall out of the scope of Level 1. Any comments would be appreciated.
Just so I understand this correctly, your company acts as a printer or do you actually manufacture the packaging material itself that you print on? That's my first question, the second one is if your company does not manufacture the packaging exactly what FSC codes applies to your operation? Next up and regardless of these two questions.... Are you saying the production equipment is chock full of plastic items because the plastic items are the actual packaging pieces or that the equipment itself is made out of plastic parts that are brittle? Something sounds backwards to me here. If the plastic you are talking about is the packaging itself that does not constitute foreign material -- I mean, really - it is your product. If you are talking about parts, things are make up the equipment then yes that would need to be on the list.
Glenn
Thanks for the comments Glenn - We are a food packaging printer - chip bags, snack bags etc. the printing and laminating production equipment has brittle plastic dial covers, safety shields, sensors, etc. SQF Code 7.1 Modules 2 and 13 apply to our operation as we have many customers requesting that we have a food safety program and that we pass a 3rd party audit.
We're still confused about 13.7 in the SQF Code 7.1 Module 13 - no where in the section does it mention plastic or brittle plastic - only glass objects or similar material - it seems that similar materials would be ceramics, porcelain, etc. The inspection of these items is also noted to inspect glass instrument dial covers - we're just wondering if we are over doing it for level 1 by including non-glass items in a glass register......
Tony
In our audits, we had to include any clear plastics as 'like materials'. We don't have anything in the way of "brittle" plastics in our facility, but any clear plastics are included in our glass records.
Note, we are certified level 2 in modules 2 and 11.