Food safety programs for produce are shared at summit
Food safety programs for produce are shared at summit
WASHINGTON " Produce buyers for restaurant chains must understand the produce growing process, visit the fields and know that suppliers are watching the growing process everyday in order to build confidence in their products, John Milwater of Yum! Brands Inc. said at a food safety meeting held here March 18.
?You must understand the process," said Mr. Milwater, who is quality assurance produce manager for the company that runs KFC, Long John Silver?s, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. It's like taking your car to a mechanic without knowing what was broken, he said.
Restaurant chains must learn about crop conditions, how fresh produce is transported, where suppliers are buying from and other variables to assure that safe produce is being deliverd to establishments. "As a customer, you can?t treat produce like cheese, dairy or meat," he said. Fresh produce is a "unique animal."
First, Yum! Brands treats every commodity differently by looking at the safety history of each vegetable and fruit, including past outbreaks associated with the product. Taco Bell relies on green onions, which were under increasing scrutiny after a hepatitis A outbreak, but the company was able to work with its supplier to ensure the safety of its onions.
The company also looks at how a commodity is harvested, packed and shipped, as well as whether it is a high-volume product for the fast-food chains. With high volume comes more visibility and more exposure, Mr. Milwater said. Finally, the company considers whether the item is cooked or eaten raw in its restaurants.
Mr. Milwater said that the large restaurant chain chooses suppliers by weighing their reliability and reputation. Much is at stake for Yum! Brands Inc., one of the world?s larger restaurant companies with more than 33,000 restaurants in over 100 countries.
When mistakes happen, it's important for suppliers to be honest and quickly inform the customer, he said. The supplier also should know what?s happening in the fields and be able to trace its products through the distribution channels. Once suppliers are selected, the restaurant chain monitors them.
The QA manager said that he visits the fields not to monitor the growers but to double-check the supplier?s program. When suppliers have people in the field watching that operation every day, it builds confidence in the product, he said.
Keith Kefsnider of Driscoll Strawberry Associates said that all its growers must meet the same food-safety standard for all crops in all regions. The company contracts with independent berry growers worldwide to produce Driscoll?s berries.
In response to past cyclospora and hepatitis A outbreaks, Driscoll developed an extensive food-safety program, which is verified through multiple third-party audits. These include yearly audits of ranches, harvest crews, coolers, irrigation water microbial assays and pre-harvest residual pesticide assays. The company also requires weekly pesticide use reporting and random pesticide residue and harvest crew checks. "We won?t allow harvests until the irrigation water tests for clean levels," he said.
Mr. Kefsnider stressed the need to train workers on proper handwashing techniques, and he said that if Driscoll finds inadequate facilities, then the company stops the harvest.
In 2003, Driscoll began requiring EurepGap certification of its growers, said Mr. Kefsnider, the company?s food safety director. Customers in the United Kingdom asked for the new certification and Mr. Kefsnider said that his company is trying to get all the growers certified, which requires more extensive documentation than the U.S. GAPs and includes worker welfare assurances.
Although some growers were not planning to export berries to Europe, the company policy is one food-safety program for all berries, he said.
Les Lischutz of Food Safety Inc. said that the fresh-cut produce business has boomed in part because of significant strides to make the products safer. Improved raw materials, managing the cold chain process to point of purchase and a stable workforce have helped the industry to grow, along with better processing equipment, sanitation interventions and foreign-object detection.
?You must understand the process," said Mr. Milwater, who is quality assurance produce manager for the company that runs KFC, Long John Silver?s, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. It's like taking your car to a mechanic without knowing what was broken, he said.
Restaurant chains must learn about crop conditions, how fresh produce is transported, where suppliers are buying from and other variables to assure that safe produce is being deliverd to establishments. "As a customer, you can?t treat produce like cheese, dairy or meat," he said. Fresh produce is a "unique animal."
First, Yum! Brands treats every commodity differently by looking at the safety history of each vegetable and fruit, including past outbreaks associated with the product. Taco Bell relies on green onions, which were under increasing scrutiny after a hepatitis A outbreak, but the company was able to work with its supplier to ensure the safety of its onions.
The company also looks at how a commodity is harvested, packed and shipped, as well as whether it is a high-volume product for the fast-food chains. With high volume comes more visibility and more exposure, Mr. Milwater said. Finally, the company considers whether the item is cooked or eaten raw in its restaurants.
Mr. Milwater said that the large restaurant chain chooses suppliers by weighing their reliability and reputation. Much is at stake for Yum! Brands Inc., one of the world?s larger restaurant companies with more than 33,000 restaurants in over 100 countries.
When mistakes happen, it's important for suppliers to be honest and quickly inform the customer, he said. The supplier also should know what?s happening in the fields and be able to trace its products through the distribution channels. Once suppliers are selected, the restaurant chain monitors them.
The QA manager said that he visits the fields not to monitor the growers but to double-check the supplier?s program. When suppliers have people in the field watching that operation every day, it builds confidence in the product, he said.
Keith Kefsnider of Driscoll Strawberry Associates said that all its growers must meet the same food-safety standard for all crops in all regions. The company contracts with independent berry growers worldwide to produce Driscoll?s berries.
In response to past cyclospora and hepatitis A outbreaks, Driscoll developed an extensive food-safety program, which is verified through multiple third-party audits. These include yearly audits of ranches, harvest crews, coolers, irrigation water microbial assays and pre-harvest residual pesticide assays. The company also requires weekly pesticide use reporting and random pesticide residue and harvest crew checks. "We won?t allow harvests until the irrigation water tests for clean levels," he said.
Mr. Kefsnider stressed the need to train workers on proper handwashing techniques, and he said that if Driscoll finds inadequate facilities, then the company stops the harvest.
In 2003, Driscoll began requiring EurepGap certification of its growers, said Mr. Kefsnider, the company?s food safety director. Customers in the United Kingdom asked for the new certification and Mr. Kefsnider said that his company is trying to get all the growers certified, which requires more extensive documentation than the U.S. GAPs and includes worker welfare assurances.
Although some growers were not planning to export berries to Europe, the company policy is one food-safety program for all berries, he said.
Les Lischutz of Food Safety Inc. said that the fresh-cut produce business has boomed in part because of significant strides to make the products safer. Improved raw materials, managing the cold chain process to point of purchase and a stable workforce have helped the industry to grow, along with better processing equipment, sanitation interventions and foreign-object detection.
