GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES AND INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES FOR PEANUT PRODUCT MANUFACTURERS Revised October 2009 The American Peanut Council 1500 King Street, Suite 301 Alexandria, Virginia _____________________________________________________________ Any reproduction of the information contained in this document requires the express written consent of the American Peanut Council, 1500 King Street, Suite 301, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. Contents DEFINITION OF TERMS .............................................................................................................................. 3 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 5 GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES ................................................................................................... 7 Personnel Practices ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Establishing a Training Program .............................................................................................................. 8 Educate workers on the importance of proper hand washing techniques ................................................. 8 Building and Facilities ................................................................................................................................. 9 Plants and Grounds ................................................................................................................................... 9 Sanitary Operations ................................................................................................................................ 10 Pest Control ............................................................................................................................................ 13 Sanitary Facilities and Control ............................................................................................................... 14 Equipment .................................................................................................................................................. 15 Production and Process Controls ................................................................................................................ 16 Raw Materials ......................................................................................................................................... 16 Peanut Storage ........................................................................................................................................ 23 Manufacturing Operations ...................................................................................................................... 23 Warehouse and Distribution ................................................................................................................... 45 INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES .................................................................................................................. 46 Microbiological Control ............................................................................................................................. 46 Prevention ............................................................................................................................................... 46 Hygiene Practices and Control ............................................................................................................... 48 Hygienic Design of Buildings and Equipment ....................................................................................... 55 Moisture Control and Minimizing Growth ............................................................................................. 60 Raw Material Program ............................................................................................................................ 67 Validation of Control .............................................................................................................................. 67 Verification of Controls and Corrective Action ..................................................................................... 67 AFLATOXIN CONTROL ......................................................................................................................... 68 ALLERGEN CONTROL ........................................................................................................................... 70 HAZARD ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL CONTROL POINT SYSTEMS (HACCP) ................................. 71 Principles of HACCP ................................................................................................................................. 71 Conduct a Hazard Analysis .................................................................................................................... 72 Determine Critical Control Points .......................................................................................................... 72 Establish Critical Limits ......................................................................................................................... 72 Establish Monitoring Procedures ............................................................................................................ 72 Establish Corrective Actions .................................................................................................................. 72 Establish Verification Procedures ........................................................................................................... 72 Establish Record-Keeping and Documentation Procedures ................................................................... 72 MODEL HACCP PROGRAM FOR THE PEANUT INDUSTRY ........................................................... 73 EXAMPLE PEANUT BUTTER PROCESSING FLOW DIAGRAM .................................................. 75 HAZARD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET EXAMPLE ............................................................................. 76 Example Critical Control Point Decision Tree ....................................................................................... 77 Appendix I Sanitizers .................................................................................................................................... 78 Content on this page from American Peanut Council 2 DEFINITION OF TERMS: Adulterated - food manufactured under such conditions that it is unfit for food or prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with filth, or whereby it may have been rendered injurious to health. Aflatoxin - a naturally occurring mycotoxin that s produced by many species of Aspergillus, a fungus, which are toxic and carcinogenic. Allergen - a substance which causes an inappropriate and sometimes harmful response of the immune system in at least some individuals. ATP Test - a technique used to monitor overall hygiene levels Aw - Water Activity, a unit of measure reflecting the amount of moisture that is readily available for the metabolic activity of microorganisms. Buffer/Vestibule Area - a separated area that is set aside to be used for appropriate hygiene procedures prior to entering a controlled area. CCP - Critical Control Point, a step in a process at which control can be applied and is essential to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level. COA - Certificate of Analysis, a document that reports and attests to the quality of a material or product. D-value - the time required at a certain temperature to kill 90% of the organisms being studied. FDCA - the United States Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. GMA - Grocery Manufacturers Association GMP - Good Manufacturing Practices, often refers to the United States Good Manufacturing Practices which are regulations promulgated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration covering the manufacture of food, drugs, and cosmetics. The term is also used by some to describe a set of practices they use for their specific industry. HACCP - Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, a systematic approach to food safety Hazard - a potential physical, microbiological, or chemical problem with a food that could have a negative impact on human health if consumed. Hygiene - a condition promoting sanitary practices and cleanliness. ICMSF - International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods Content on this page from American Peanut Council 3 Log Reduction - The log reduction is given in base 10 (i.e. multiples of 10), and refers to killing target microorganisms in increments of ten. One log is 101 or 10 bacteria cells per gram; two log is 102 or 100 cells per gram; three log is 103 or 1000 cells per gram and so on. So reducing by one log if you start with say 103 cells you would end up with 102 cells (1000 reduced to 100). In other words, a 3 – log population equals 1,000 cells of the bacteria per gram of food. If one log is killed, the new population equals 100 cells / gram of materials, and the log reduction equals one. Thus, a six – log reduction means starting with a population of one million cells per gram, and killing all of them. NACMCF - National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods Pheromone - a chemical secreted by an animal, especially an insect, that influences the behavior or development of others of the same species, often used in traps to attract and remove pests.