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As the leading provider of comprehensive food safety services for the food, beverage, animal feed, and packaging industries, NSF-Cook & Thurber announces the availability of three new manuals for food processing, storage, and distribution facilities.
The three manuals include: the 2006 Food Processing Expectations Manual, the 2006 Warehouse & Distribution Expectations Manual and the 2006 Packaging & Nonfood Items Expectations Manual. The new manuals are available at no cost on the NSF Cook & Thurber website.
The 2006 Expectations Manuals outline safe and secure food manufacturing practices for food processing, storage and distribution facilities. Replacing the 2005 manual, the 2006 manual further clarifies specific audit criteria and expectations so that product safety and quality are never compromised. A summary of changes from the 2005 Expectations to the new 2006 Expectations is available on the NSF-Cook & Thurber website. The manuals are also available at no cost on the website.
The new manual includes a variety of key changes addressing HACCP requirements and Foreign Material Control. The section entitled Product Security has been updated with current industry practices to avoid deliberate food contamination.
The NSF-Cook & Thurber auditing team defined the "Best Industry Practices" using years of international auditing expertise. The manuals are used as a guide by leading food processors to ensure their manufacturing programs are up to par with other leading food producers. Auditors use the manual to evaluate individual facilities in providing consistently safe food products. NSF-Cook & Thurber auditors use eleven evaluation categories including administration, facility construction, HACCP Control, cleanliness, product handling, processing, product storage and security measures to characterize each individual facility and to help identify areas for continuous improvement.
The stated criteria and expectations are based on the following:Customer specifications and requirements Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (21 CFR) and appropriate amendments Food Code, 2001 edition (FDA/USPHS) and appropriate supplements Federal Meat Inspection Act (9 CFR) and amendments Poultry Products Inspection Act (9 CFR) and amendments Egg and Egg Products Inspection Act (EPIA) and amendments.