Recall Plan

A Recall Plan is a written document that explains in detail the procedures a sponsor will follow when conducting a recall.

Conducting a product recall

There are three primary objectives in any food recall:

• stop the distribution and sale of the affected product;
• inform the statutory authorities (all recalls) and the public (consumer recalls only)
of the problem; and
• effectively and efficiently remove from the marketplace any product, which is
potentially unsafe.

The key steps in conducting a successful recall are:

1. convening of a recall committee;
2. hazard/risk assessment;
3. determining the level of the recall;
4. determining who should be notified of the recall;
5. determining the mechanics of notification and recovery; and
6. post recall reporting.

Responsibilities

Sponsors who are manufacturers, wholesalers or importers have the following general responsibilities in relation to food recalls:

• to maintain records and establish procedures that will facilitate a recall. Records should be in a form that can be quickly retrieved;
• to have a written recall plan;
• to initiate the action for implementing a recall; and
• contact overseas supplier/manufacturer when initiating recall action.

Distributors play an important role in food recalls. The sponsor is dependent on the assistance and cooperation of these bodies to ensure the effectiveness of the recall process.

Distributors should also develop procedures for recall action that are tailored to their own operations. All senior personnel should be familiar with their responsibilities in connection with a recall and with the records system for products.

Distributors have the following general responsibility in relation to food recalls:

• to maintain distribution records and establish procedures that will facilitate a recall. Records should be in a form that can be quickly retrieved.

Product Recovery

Products may be recovered by returns to supermarkets, returns via distribution chains or direct returns from consumers.

The recovered product should be returned to a central site or, in the case of a widely distributed product, to major recovery sites.

The recovered product must be stored in an area that is separated from any other food products.

Accurate records must be kept of the amount of recovered product and the lot identification details of that product.

After recovery, a product may be corrected or reprocessed so it is fit for human consumption. Corrective action or reprocessing should only be conducted after full consultation with the Home State or Territory health authority.

If it is unfit for human consumption and is stored in an isolated country area it may be destroyed or denatured under the supervision of the store management or the local health authority. If the product is stored in a metropolitan area it should be destroyed or denatured as directed by the State or Territory health authority.

Handling Seafood

Control Measures:

- Campylobacter species
Hazards from C. jejuni can be controlled by thoroughly cooking seafood and by stressing the importance of proper (and frequent) hand and equipment washing and sanitary food-handling practices. Since the infective dose of C. jejuni is thought to be small, time/temperature abuse of food products could result in this illness.

- Listeria Monocytogenes
Hazards from L. monocytogenes can be prevented by thoroughly cooking seafood and by preventing cross-contamination once the seafood is cooked. Since the infective dose of L. monocytogenes is thought to be small, time/ temperature abuse of food products may not be necessary to result in illness.

- Salmonella
Hazards from Salmonella can be prevented by heating seafood sufficiently to kill the bacteria (e.g., 24 s at 165ºF), holding chilled seafood below 4.4ºC (40ºF), preventing post-cooking cross-contamination and prohibiting people who are ill or are carriers of Salmonella from working in food operations.

- Staphylococcus aureus
Hazards from S. aureus can be controlled by minimizing time/temperature abuse of seafood, especially after cooking, and requiring that food handlers engage in proper hygiene.

- Vibrio spp.
Hazards from Vibrio can be prevented by cooking seafood thoroughly and by preventing cross-contamination once the seafood is cooked. Freezing is ineffective in killing the bacteria.

Storing:

- Store live oysters, clams and mussels in the refrigerator. Keep damp by placing in shallow bowl with a wet paper towel draped over them.

- Keep fresh shucked oysters, scallops and clams in their own container and store in the refrigerator. For best results, surround the container with ice.

- Store live lobster and crab in the refrigerator in moist packaging, but not in airtight containers.

- Just before opening and cooking scallops, mussels, clams or oysters in the shell, they should be scrubbed under cold water.

- Handle all seafood with care. Seafood with bruises or punctures will spoil more rapidly.

Handling Seafood - Temperature Control

Seafood Spoilage

Bacteria are the major cause of seafood spoilage. Millions of bacteria are on the surface, on the gills, and in the gut of living fish and shellfish. After harvest, bacteria invade the flesh of fish and shellfish through the gills, along blood vessels, and directly through the skin and belly cavity lining. These bacteria grow and multiply in the flesh. They produce the "fishy" smelling and tasting compounds associated with old seafood. If food-poisoning bacteria are present, they can multiply and cause illness.
Enzymes also cause spoilage. Enzymes in living seafood help build tissue, contract and relax muscles, and digest food. After harvest, enzymes continue to work and start to digest or breakdown the flesh. This causes the flesh to soften and lowers the quality. Enzymes also produce more food for bacteria which increases the rate of spoilage.

Temperature Spoilage & Shelf Life

Temperature control is the most effective way to slow bacterial growth, delay seafood spoilage, and maintain seafood quality.

High temperatures increase rates of bacterial growth, enzyme activity, and chemical reactions. Low temperatures slow bacterial growth and chemical activity. For many seafoods, increasing the temperature from 32°F to 40°F doubles the rate of spoilage and cuts the shelf life in half.

Seafood shelf life relates directly to storage time and temperature. Your supplier cannot guarantee a shelf life for a seafood product without knowing the catch date and the temperature history.

Temperature Recommendations:

1. Inspect seafood shipments at the central warehouse before distribution to local stores.

2. Train store personnel to conduct seafood delivery inspections. They should have the ability and authority to accept or reject any shipment. Rejection may be for odor, appearance or temperature.

3. Have store personnel meet the delivery truck. They should record the temperature of the vehicle and each individual seafood container. Reject seafood products above 35°F and return them to the supplier.

4. Time-temperature monitors should accompany all seafood shipments. Monitors can be color changing temperature sensitive badges, recording thermometers, etc.

5. Require a statement indicating when the processor attached the time-temperature monitor to the product.

6. Reject products when temperature records are not available from suppliers.

7. Thaw frozen seafood under refrigeration. Thaw only enough seafood to sell in a 24 hour period.

8. Store fresh seafood at 29-32°F. A double pan system using ice will help maintain the temperature.

9. Do not display red meat and seafood in the same display case. These products have different storage temperature requirements.

10. Display unpackaged fresh seafood at 29-32°F. Use a mechanically refrigerated display case equipped with an accurate thermometer. Refrigeration coils should be at the top of the case, not at the bottom.

11. Routinely check display case and seafood temperatures. Check seafood with a sanitized accurate thermometer.

Recipe Of Chicken Pie

Ingredients:

Filling
· 1 1/2 cups chicken stock (made from chicken cubes)
· 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken meat
· 3/4 cup green peas
· 1/3 cup diced celery
· 1/3 cup diced carrots
· 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
· 2 tablespoons cornstarch
· 1/4 cup milk

Pastry
· 2 cup all purpose-flour
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 cup butter, softened
· 5 tablespoons cold water

Method:

In large bowl sift flour and salt. With a pastry blender cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of water over the mixture until moistened. Form the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate while making the filling. In a medium saucepan combine the stock, chicken, peas, celery and carrots. Bring to a boil. Mix cornstarch with milk and stir into stock mixture. Cook stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (175 degrees C). Roll out pastry dough and ease into pie plate. Stir cheese into filling mixture. Pour into a pie crust. Top with second crust, seal edges and cut slits in top crust. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until top crust is golden brown. Cool. Pack into pie container.

Local Legislation - AVA

One of the local legislation includes the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) which was established to ensure a resilient supply of safe food, to safeguard the health of animals and plants and facilitate agri-trade for the well-being of the nation. Their work builds on the foundations developed by the Primary Production Department (PPD).

The Legislations enforced by the organization with regards to food is namely the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) Act, the Control of Plants Act, the Fisheries Act, the Sale of Food Act, lastly, the Wholesome Meat and Fish Act.

The Veterinary Public Health Laboratory (VPHL) provides a comprehensive range of analytical services of food and feed testing. They provide analyses for Chemical contaminants and food additives, Drug residues, Pesticide residues, Foodborne microbes, Foodborne parasites, Foodborne toxins, Food and feed nutritional components, Physical quality and food authenticity, and Genetically Modified Organisms.

They use rapid test kits, selective media, immunoassays and gene technology to detect food-borne pathogens. Their state-of-the-art equipment includes spiral plater and laser colony counter for enumeration of micro-organisms, Bactometer system, VITEK automated microbial identification system, VITEK Immuno-Diagnostic Assay System and molecular biology systems using Polymerase Chain Reaction techniques with Pulse-field Gel Electrophoresis, DNA Sequencer and Riboprinter.