FOOD SAFETY SUPPLEMENT: FGL


distributed to. Supporting the traceability of products will coincide with the product documentation a facility will maintain as well and will support the compliance in both of these key areas. In some instances, importers may develop stringent supplier verification programs, which will include questionnaires for the suppliers and maybe even include supplier audits. All of these components will provide the end user with the traceability that they are looking for when they are deciding on sourcing a product.


Nonfood Compounds Registration Program in 1999 to re-introduce the previous authorisation program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The scope of this program is to evaluate products for compliance to the former USDA Guidelines for Obtaining Authorisation of Compounds to be Used in Meat and Poultry Plants. By registering these products, NSF is upholding its mission to protect public health and safety. Once a product has been approved, the applicant includes


ISO 21469 – product certification To achieve certification to ISO 21469, lubricant manufacturers must develop a strategy specifically to preserve the hygiene of the lubricant product during all phases of production including formulation, blending, packaging and transport. In developing a hygiene strategy, the manufacturer must consider and mitigate the introduction of all potential physical, chemical and biological contaminants through a docu- mented risk assessment process. In addition, a


5. Sourcing decisions Every product that is brought into a food facility from lubricants to cleaners needs to be evaluated to prevent the risk of cross- contamination. When making these sourcing decisions key personnel must support their existing food safety plans by ensuring that the product is of the utmost quality. There are many points throughout


the food-processing cycle at which risk can be managed. Using nonfood compounds in conjunction with a properly implemented HACCP plan provides food facility operators with a highly effective mechanism for managing chemical risks. Nonfood compounds are products that are used during the food production process, but are not intended to become part of the food itself (e.g., water treatment compounds, lubricants, cleaners). Using products that have been evaluated by a third-party will help to strengthen a facility’s quality system.


NSF product registration NSF International launched its voluntary


newfood Volume 15 | Issue 1 | 2012


the NSF Mark on their product label that includes the category code and registration number.


The category code highlights


the product’s intended use and the registra- tion number is established to create a designating factor for traceability and verification purposes. In all, more than 75 individual product evaluation categories have been developed under the NSF Registration Program includ ing lubricants, cleaners, laundry products, sanitisers, pest control agents, water treatment chemicals and other chemical processing compounds. The product list, also known as the NSF


White Book™, is searchable by various factors such as trade name, company name, NSF Registration number and/or NSF category code. The NSF White Book™ can be reached from the website (www.nsfwhitebook.org). Once a product is found, a copy of the registration letter can be downloaded. The registration letter details what end use the product has been registered for and any limitations associated with its use.


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qualified, accredited third-party certifier, such as NSF International, conducts a compre - hensive facility inspection to verify risk management policies, verify batch records and collect production samples for testing analysis. Product certifi cation to the ISO 21469 standard provides end-users with the assurance that the quality, safety and hygiene of the lubricant formula have been inde - pendently verified by a qualified certification body, such as NSF. The value of ISO 21469 certification for end-users is that it provides added assurance that the lubricant formula is safe, label information is true, accurate and traceable, and lubricant manufacturing and packaging conditions are hygienic. Although ISO 21469 is a voluntary standard, the food industry has already recognised the value of these benefits and companies are proactively adopting ISO 21469 into their lubricant procurement specifications. NSF is pleased to announce that we currently have over 300 products certified in this program, with over 75 per cent of them being added in 2010 alone.


Copyright: Klüber Lubrications


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