Operations
Transportation, Purchasing/Receiving/Shipping and Storage
Transportation covers broad range of subjects including purchase of incoming materials, ingredient approval and risk assessment, as well as receiving procedures, storage of ingredients, packaging and finished products, and shipping of finished products.
Premises
Premises includes the exterior, interior and common areas of the processing facility. Common areas can include parking lot, shipping/receiving areas, entryways, washrooms, common cleanup areas, shared kitchen and/or preparation areas.
Equipment
Equipment includes processing equipment, installation, equipment maintenance program and records, and training. A challenge in a shared facility is to develop a blame-free environment in which users can inform management when equipment needs maintenance or is defective.
Personnel Training
Personnel training of HUB management and users is ongoing process. This section includes specific training topics, requirements to ensure food safety, and personal safety. Periodic reinforcement and updates of basic training reinforces the concept of a shared facility.
Sanitation and Pest Control
Sanitation includes activities required to ensure the Food Hub is always ready to prepare food in a food safe environment, ensuring food contact surfaces are free of microbiological and other foreign contaminants by appropriate cleaning and sanitation, as well as pests control.
Recall and Traceability
Recall affects everyone in the facility including the HUB Owner, participants, and product reputation. An effective measure of the Hub’s food safety record and compliance is to monitor customer complaints that the Hub Users receive.
Allergen Control
The presence of undeclared allergens and allergen cross contamination is the leading cause of recalls in Canada. This concern flows through all other sections identified, including ingredient selection, transportation, storage and segregation, cleaning, sanitation and labelling.
