5 Records
Michael Hrycay
Learning Objectives
List types of records.
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
Standard Operating Procedure dictates the types of records required at all production stages, with consideration given to the acceptance of deliveries of raw materials and packaging, and dispatch of finished products.
The following table highlights documents that may be required at each point of production. There are a huge number of potential records, but there only certain types of records your employer will keep, based on their type of production.
| Raw material intake checks and checks against specification | Label checks and date code records | CCP (Critical Control Point) records |
| Daily production plan | Metal Detection Records | Line cleaning records, chemical usage log |
| Product recipe | Weight records | Shelf life |
| Line start-up checks, including foreign body checks and hygiene/cleaning checks | Cooking/ cooling records | Finished product assessment records |
| Process Control Records | Cold store temperature records | Organoleptic/ taste panels |
Traceability Documentation
The traceability documents must:
- identify the food: the common name of the food, the name and address of the person who manufactured, prepared, produced, stored, packaged or labeled the food, and a lot code or other unique identifier to trace the food.
- lot code refers to a code that can be used to identify a lot that was manufactured, prepared, produced, stored, graded, packaged or labeled, under the same conditions. A lot code can be numeric, alphabetic or alphanumeric.
- unique identifier refers to a code that can be used to identify a defined quantity of food. This may include a lot code, purchase order number, or a bill of lading number.
- trace the food one step back to the person who provided you with the food, including the date on which the food was provided to you
- trace the food one step forward to the person to whom you provided the food, including the date on which you provided the food
- if applicable, identify and trace back the ingredients you use to make the food, including the date on which they were provided to you
- if applicable, identify and trace back the food animals you slaughter
Clear and readable records are to be maintained for two years, be accessible in Canada, and provided to CFIA upon request. Where electronic records are used, they need to be provided in a single file and in a format that can easily be opened and used in standard commercial software.
This information was gathered directly from the Government of Canada website. More information is available for free from https://inspection.canada.ca/food-safety-for-industry/toolkit-for-food-businesses/traceability/eng/1427310329573/1427310330167
Other sources for this section include:
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jfp/2014/421648/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00769-018-01370-8
https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/foodlaw/processingsector/rules-and-standards-for-food-processing
https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/about-website/website-policies
