Food Safety and Quality Policy

Purpose. States the commitment of CAQA Orchard Lane Foods to producing safe, legal and quality food and beverage products and the responsibilities of every person in achieving it.

1.Purpose and scope

This policy applies to every site, product, process and person involved in making, storing and distributing Orchard Lane food and beverage products. It sets the standard against which the food safety program, procedures and work instructions are written. The pharmaceutical site is governed by the Good Manufacturing Practice Policy in addition to this policy.

2.Commitment

The business will produce food that is safe to eat, complies with the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and the food laws of each state, and meets the specification agreed with the customer. It will maintain a HACCP based food safety program at each food site, verify it every shift and review it at least annually. Resources will be provided so that the program can be followed.

• Hazards identified and controlled at critical control points
• Allergens declared accurately and managed through segregation and changeover
• Traceability one step back and one step forward for every lot
• Suppliers approved before first delivery
• Non-conformances recorded and corrected

3.Responsibilities

The chief executive is accountable for food safety and will chair the monthly quality and safety review. The quality manager owns the food safety program and holds authority to place product on hold and to release it. Site and department managers must ensure their people are trained and follow procedures. Every worker must follow the food safety program, report anything out of limit and never release product on hold.

4.Food safety culture

Managers will spend time on the floor, listen to operators and act on what they hear. Operators will be trained on why a control matters, not only how to record it. Stopping a line for a food safety concern will always be supported.

5.Hold and release

Any product suspected of being unsafe, mislabelled or out of specification must be placed on hold immediately and recorded. Only the quality manager or a delegate named in the batch release procedure will release product from hold.

6.Review

This policy and the food safety program will be reviewed annually, after any recall or major non-conformance and whenever a new product, process or ingredient is introduced.