1. Implementing Food Safety Principles
in SMEs: an Engineer’s Perspective
P. Sunjka, V. Orsat, and G.S.V. Raghavan

2. OUTLINE
 SMEs? Are they important?
 Food Safety for dummies
 Does a B.Eng. make a difference?
 Hurdles to jump over
 Conclusion (if there is one)

3. SMEs
Small to Medium-sized Enterprises
Au Canada, une "petite ou moyenne
entreprise" (PME) ne doit généralement pas
employer plus de 500 personnes, ne pas avoir
un actif supérieur à 25 millions de dollars et
ne doit pas être détenue à plus de 25 % de
son capital par une entreprise de plus grande
importance.

4. SMEs
Small to Medium-sized Enterprises
SMEs are defined as enterprises with
fewer than 500 employees. However,
firms range from one-person consulting
shops to larger, publicly traded
companies. Moreover SMEs are present
in almost every industrial sector.

5. SMEs

6. SMEs

7. SMEs

8. Food Safety
There is an increased concern about
food safety in the agri-food sector.
• Customer concerns
• Government regulations
• Client-driven

9. Food Safety
Food Safety is not a trend, it’s a necessity

10. We can be killers
2009 :
•Salmonella in peanuts, 9 dead, 700 hospitalized
2008 :
•Salmonella in salsa, 1 dead, 1400 hospitalized
•Listeria in cold cuts, 26 dead, 57 hospitalized
•Listeria, Ravine Mushroom Farms inc., ON (no
hospitalized persons since CFIA acted quickly)

11. Food Safety
Food Safety management is usually
organized through HACCP principles
Hazard
Analysis and
Critical
Control
Point

12. Food Safety
• HACCP is not an exact science, it is based on
exact science
• It is a logical and common sense approach to
food control
• The step-by-step approach makes it very
powerful

13. Food Safety
Originated in the early 1960s by the Pillsbury Company
working with NASA and the US army laboratories.
Based on the engineering concept of failure,
mode, and effect analysis (FMEA).
FAO & WHO: HACCP is the most effective
means of controlling food-borne diseases.

14. Food Safety
1. Conduct a hazard analysis
2. Determine the Critical Control Point(s)
3. Formulate critical limit(s)
4. Set up a monitoring system for CCPs
5. Determine a corrective action(s)
6. Designate verification procedures
7. Establish record keeping

15. Who should use it?
HACCP is applicable throughout the food
supply chain:
Primary
producer Processor(s)
Caterer Retailer
Consumer

16. Who writes the HACCP plan?
The multidisciplinary team with
knowledge in:
1. Quality Analysis/technical: microbiological, chemical,
and physical hazards
2. Operations or production
3. Engineering

17. HACCP team
1. Hired professionals (expensive)
2. From within the company (requires
appropriate training)

18. How is HACCP written?
Stage 2
Studies and plan
development
Stage 1
Preparation Stage 3
Implementation
and planning
Stage 4 Verification and
maintenance

19. HACCP plan
• Process flow diagrams
• HACCP control chart
• HACCP team list
• Product(s) description
• Hazard analysis charts

20. HACCP plans
• Linear: Small companies, simple production line(s)
• Modular: Big companies, multiple products with
several basic processes
• Generic: For similar operations carried out at
different locations

21. Managing Food Safety
Who should be in charge of HACCP?
• Engineer
• QC/QA technician
• Dietician
• Epidemiologist
• Food scientist
• Microbiologist
•___?_______

22. Managing Food Safety
What degree is required?
• High school
• DEC/AEC
• B. Eng
• B. Sc.
• M. Sc.
•___?___________

23. Managing Food Safety
Increased concern among
engineers as well…

24. Managing Food Safety
Someone was faster…

25. Managing Food Safety
The advantages of having an engineering
background:
• Thorough understanding of the
complete production process
• Systematic approach
• Developed analytical thinking
• Easiness of acquiring new information
and adapting to new situation

26. Managing Food Safety
Food safety is usually managed by food-only
experts, lacking multi-disciplinary strengths,
and/or are linked to a specific commodity group.

27. Managing Food Safety
None of the university-based food safety centers
include engineering as an essential component.*
*Center for Food Safety Engineering

28. Managing Food Safety
Engineering is necessary to develop physical and
chemical mechanisms for detection of microbial
and chemical hazards to the food supply.
For example, the non-engineering scientist may understand what
biological agent is present and at what level the agent needs to be
detected in a food system. However, the non-engineering scientist
may need collaboration with engineers to build the most effective
and accurate system of measurement.

29. Managing Food Safety
The expertise of engineers also becomes critical in process control. All
foods are subject to several different processes from the farm gate to
consumption. Each process affects food safety and quality. Engineers
help to measure important parameters of process control and predict
and/or control the effect of the processes on food safety and quality.

30. Managing Food Safety in SMEs
SMEs are usually understaffed, and hire
multitalented candidates
•engineering
•food safety
•QC/QA
•OHS
•managerial skills
•personnel training
•repairs/maintenance

31. Problems
Management/
owners
Engineer
Inspectors/auditors
Employees

32. Problems
Management/owner commitment in SMEs?
Problematic at least.
“Just do your job, don’t interfere with
production, take care of CFIA
inspector, and you’ll do just fine”
“Why should I send water for analysis
if I never had any problems with it?”
“Of course that I can smoke in my
office, it’s my company…”
“HACCP? It’s just a form-filling, you
copy the same completed form every
day and just change the date…”

33. Problems
Experienced or not, an engineer will be
the only one knowledgeable in this area
External inspectors/auditors will assume you have a
complete control of food safety issues in your
company, an assumption that is not always correct

34. Problems
Employees are
reluctant to accept any
novel ideas or
suggestions, even if
they are mandatory

35. Conclusion…
• All levels of government should encourage
food safety in SMEs through tax cuts,
rigorous inspections, etc.
• Having an engineering degree is a definite
asset
• Being a good communicator is often more
important than being knowledgeable

36. Questions