GMP Good Manufacturing Practices

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)

Good Manufacturing Practices* (GMPs) are the basic operational & environmental conditions required to produce safe foods. They ensure that ingredients, products and packaging materials are handled safely and that food products are processed in a suitable environment. GMPs address the hazards associated with personnel and environment during food production. They provide a foundation for any food safety system. Once GMPs are in place, processors can implement a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system to control hazards that may affect the ingredients and packaging material during food processing.

What GMPs Address ?

1. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL (premises):
location, design and construction of the building and its interior, equipment, water supply

2. PERSONNEL PRACTICES:
personal hygiene, hand washing, clothing/footwear/headwear, injuries and wounds, evidence of illness, access and traffic patterns, chemical use

3. SHIPPING, RECEIVING, HANDLING, STORAGE:
Inspection procedures for transport vehicles; loading, unloading and storage practices; inspection procedures for incoming products; shipping conditions; returned and defective products; allergen control; chemical storage; waste management

4. PEST CONTROL:
Monitoring procedures for the exterior and interior of the building (ex: surveillance, fumigation) and the use of pesticides.

5. SANITATION:
Cleaning and sanitizing procedures and pre-operational assessment.

6. EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE:
Procedures describing preventive maintenance and calibration of all the equipment and instruments that can affect food safety (ex: thermometers, thermocouples, metal detectors, scales, pH meters).

7. RECALL AND TRACEABILITY:
Procedures that ensure final products are coded and labelled properly; incoming materials; in-process and outgoing materials are traceable; recall system is in place and tested for effectiveness (ex: procedures for mock recalls).

8. WATER SAFETY:
Water safety monitoring procedures for water, ice and steam, and water treatment procedures that ensure it is potable for use in food processing Components.