GMPs and GHPs Edible Oil Plant
Location and Surrounding:
- The edible oil plant should not be located in areas with high risk of floods.
- You should always check that the plant premise is free from stagnant water, scattered garbage and scrap to maintain the plant surroundings pest free and hygienic.
- You should have residential areas away from the manufacturing area.
- You must report any pest sighting in the surrounding areas like insects, rats, snakes, animals, birds etc. immediately to the factory manager and take all possible preventive steps for pest control.
Infrastructure and Layout:
- Walls and floors of the raw material storage area, production and packaging section and the warehouse should be well maintained without any cracks or holes to prevent rodents like rats, cockroaches, etc. from hiding and to prevent dirt from accumulating.
- Leave free space in between and around the machines especially in the packaging section to allow easy movement and cleaning.
- It is preferable that the walls and floor should be of light color so that any pests or dirt can be easily seen and cleaned.
- Cover the lights on the walls and ceilings with shatter-proof plastic/ fiber covering to prevent broken glass pieces from falling into the processing area.
- Get all the windows screened with wire mesh and the drain holes covered with metal grills to prevent pests from entering the processing area. Clean the dirt and food dust from these wire mesh and grills every day.
- Place air curtains or strip curtains on the doors/ entrances to prevent entry of pests and dust/ dirt from outside.
- Warehouses should have proper ventilation and illumination. See that there are adequate lights and windows/ exhausts for the same.
- You should periodically check that the equipment and containers are not damaged (corroded, rusted, broken) to avoid metal particles chipping off and entering the product stream.
- Place the equipment in the processing areas with sufficient free space such that they are easy to clean and maintain.
- Label the equipment and mark the pipelines (color coding) for easy identification.
- You should label the vessels/ containers used for storage of wastes and by-products (Sooji, Maida etc.) for easy identification.
- Always cover all vessels and containers containing flour with a proper fitting cover/lid to protect the wheat flour completely from dust, dirt and flies and other insects as well as air.
- Check the machines regularly. For e.g.
- all steam supply valves and steam traps for leakage
- weighing equipment and temperature gauges for errors
- all oil pumps and pipelines for leakage
- equipment calibration
Drainage and Waste Disposal:
- You must cover all the openings of the drains with metal grills to avoid garbage from entering the drains leading to blockage and also to prevent entry of insects and rodents.
- Keep a check that the waste generated like stones, extraneous matter, spilled oil etc. is stored away from the raw material storage or food processing areas and in covered containers.
- You must dispose off the waste/scrap periodically to avoid accumulation and breeding of pests.
- The waste generated shall not be disposed into the open areas outside the factory, on roads or into the drains to avoid environmental contamination. You must ensure that the waste disposal is carried in eco-friendly manner at designated sites.
- Place waste collection bins in all the manufacturing sections of the plant for efficient collection of waste. Number of bins should be based on the average amount of waste generated in that particular area.
- Different kind of wastes like paper, food waste, plastic waste and hazardous waste can be collected separately for easy disposal.
Cleaning and Maintenance:
Regular cleaning and maintenance of the infrastructure and the equipment is necessary to maintain good hygiene in the premises and you must take all the necessary actions to keep the premises clean.
- Develop a daily house-keeping & sanitation schedule that specifies-
- the instructions for cleaning,
- time scheduled for cleaning, and
- person responsible for cleaning
- You should store house-keeping chemicals at dedicated places to avoid mix-up and/or mis-use by workers.
- Handle the cleaning chemicals with care and use them as per the instructions given on the label.
- You must clean all the equipment used at the end of day’s operations.
- Clean the ceilings, walls, floors, doors and windows, the wire mesh and grills periodically to remove any accumulated dust, dirt, spider webs etc.
- Maintain a record of all the cleaning activities in the factory.
Pest Control System:
- Pests like rats, cockroaches, worms, lizards and their droppings, feathers or wings of birds etc. are a common source of contamination in the plant and should be prevented from entering the premises to ensure food safety.
- You must keep a check for any rats, cockroaches, spiders, lizards, or stray dogs, if seen in the premises.
- Clean the spider webs on the ceilings, walls, doors, grills etc. regularly.
- Do not allow any stray animals like dogs or cats to enter the premises. Keep the doors of the area closed for this reason.
- You can use strip curtains, air curtains to limit the entry of insects into the working area.
- Screen the windows and exhaust/ ventilation openings with wire mesh to control the entry of birds from outside.
- You may use glue pads, traps, insectocutors, and insecticides/ pesticides to get rid of the pests but do not forget to cover the food items and the equipment used for oil manufacture before you spray the chemicals in the area.
- Use the 4D system as mentioned in the general section for pest control management.
Personnel Hygiene:
Hygiene of the workers is important for food safety as the workers are in direct contact with the food. It includes the cleanliness of clothes, shoes, hands, toilets used by the workers, as well as the health of food handlers. You must take precautions to maintain the personal hygiene.
Training of Food Handlers:
Personnel, especially the food handlers, need to be trained on GMPs and GHPs so that they follow these practices while working in the manufacturing and storage areas.
- Provide the workers with technical training about the use of machines, time and temperature requirements for oil manufacture at each stage, and also the hygiene practices that they must follow, once in every 6-8 months.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of these training programs through periodic assessment of workers by through questionnaire, quiz, discussion and reviews.
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