Food Quality Control

Chapter 1: Introduction
by Dr. Eddie Tan, UiTM
Chapter learning outcomes

• At the end of this chapter, students should be able to

– Define the concept of quality
– Differentiate quality control and quality assurance
– Understand the importance of quality control
Definition of the concept of quality

• Quality should make a product what it is, conforming to

requirements or specifications.

• Quality may be defined in different manners depending on

the interest of the manufacturers, or how they want to
impress it upon their customers.
• One difficulty in using this approach is that the definition of
quality is neither precise nor consensual.

• Quality-like terms such as effectiveness, satisfaction, and

leadership, are descriptors rather than concepts, and no
objective reference exists.
• Its definition is in the minds of the definers, so no single
definition is correct for every circumstance.

• In each case, quality has always been used as a qualifier

in describing some product or service: high-quality product,
high-quality education, high-quality art, high-quality health
care, etc.
• Thus, in industrial manufacturing practices, quality can
have several definitions, as follows:
• Product-based. Based on features or attributes of the product
that enhance quality, e.g., organically manufactured food
products as opposed to regular products.
• User-based. The user determines the quality of the product.
e.g., ready to-eat microwaveable dinners as opposed to other
forms of manufactured dinners.
• Manufacturing-based. Conformance to specifications.
Manufacturing engineering specifies the product characteristics
• Value-based. Quality is the degree of excellence at an
acceptable price and the control of variability at an acceptable
cost.
• In summary, the term quality, without being defined by
some standard, means very little.

• Industry defines quality as a measure of purity, strength,

flavour, colour, size, maturity, workmanship and
conditions, or any other distinctive attribute or
characteristic of the product.
• Nevertheless, food quality is always associated with:
– Sensory quality
– Nutritional value
– Product keeping quality
– Freshness of the product
– Product safety and wholesomeness

• Food processors have learned that consumers recognise

brands that maintain their quality at the standard set for
that particular product, and on this basis, high-quality
products never fail to sell.
Importance of quality control

1. Safety and reliability

The most important quality factor of processed food is safety

and reliability followed by “deliciousness” and “appropriate
price” The colossal loss a food industry will record if defective
products were rejected or recalled, as well as the damaging
effect on the company’s image and public trust justifies the
need for food quality control.

2. Satisfaction of consumers:

Consumers are greatly benefited as they get better quality

products on account of quality control. It gives them
satisfaction.
3. Reduction in production cost:

By undertaking effective inspection and control over production

processes and operations, production costs are considerably
reduced. Quality control further checks the production of inferior
products and wastages thereby bringing down the cost of
production considerably.

4. Encourages quality consciousness:

It develops and encourages quality consciousness among the

workers in the factory which is greatly helpful in achieving desired
level of quality in the product.

.
5. Effective advertisement:

Organisations producing quality products have effective

advertisement. They win the public confidence by supplying
those better quality products.

6. Increased sales:

Quality control ensures production of quality products which is

immensely helpful in attracting more customers for the
product thereby increasing sales. It is greatly helpful in
maintaining existing demand and creating new demand for
the product.
Questions for discussion

• Name 4 other “standards/ attributes” associated with food

quality. Give an example for each “standard”.
Definition of quality, quality
control, quality assurance and total
quality management
• Quality is expressed by the ISO definition: "The totality of
features and characteristics of a product or service that
bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs".

• In simpler words, one can say that a product has good

quality when it "complies with the requirements specified
by the client".

• When projected on analytical work, quality can be defined

as "delivery of reliable information within an agreed span
of time under agreed conditions, at agreed costs, and with
necessary aftercare".

• The "agreed conditions" should include a specification as

to the precision and accuracy of the data which is directly
related to "fitness of use" and which may differ for different
applications.
• In principle, three levels of organisation of the activities of
maintaining the production quality can be distinguished.
From the top down these levels are:
– 1. Quality Management (QM)
– 2. Quality Assurance (QA)
– 3. Quality Control (QC)
• Quality Management is the assembly and management of
all activities aimed at the production of quality by
organisations of various kinds.

• A statement of objectives and policy to produce quality

should be made for the organisation or department
concerned (by the institute's directorate). This statement
also identifies the internal organisation and responsibilities
for the effective operation of the Quality System.

• A wider concept of quality management is presently

coming into vogue: "Total Quality Management" (TQM).

• This concept includes additional aspects such as

leadership style, ethics of the work, social aspects, relation
to society, etc.
• Total Quality Management (TQM) is a theory of
management based on the principles of quality assurance.

• It consists of the integration of all functions and processes

within an organization in order to achieve continuous
improvement of the quality of goods and services.

• As such, TQM is described as a process for managing

quality; a philosophy of perpetual improvement.

• TQM relies on the fundamental principle that is the core of

any business: maximise productivity while minimising
costs.

• Its goal/objective is customer satisfaction by involving

customers
Questions for Discussion

• TQM and ISO 9000 (International Organisation for

Standardisation)

• TQM is a philosophy of perpetual improvement while ISO

9000 is a Quality System Management Standard.

• ISO 9000 vs 9001?

• Evolution of ISO 9000:1987 to ISO 9001:2015

• Contents of ISO 9001:2015

• Advantages and criticisms

• What is ISO22000
• Quality Assurance. The ISO definition reads: "the
assembly of all planned and systematic actions necessary
to provide adequate confidence that a product, process, or
service will satisfy given quality requirements."

• The result of these actions aimed at the production of

quality, should ideally be checked by someone
independent of the work: the Quality Assurance Officer.

• If no QA officer is available, then usually the Head of

Laboratory performs this job as part of his quality
management task. In case of special projects, customers
may require special quality assurance measures or a
Quality Plan.
• Quality Control defined by ISO as "the operational techniques
and activities that are used to satisfy quality requirements”

• An important part of the quality control is the Quality

Assessment: the system of activities to verify if the quality
control activities are effective, in other words: an evaluation of
the products themselves.
• Quality control is primarily aimed at the prevention of
errors. Yet, despite all efforts, it remains inevitable that
errors are be made. Therefore, the control system should
have checks to detect them. When errors or mistakes are
suspected or discovered it is essential that the
"Five Ws" are trailed:

• - what error was made?

- where was it made?
- when was it made?
- who made it?
- why was it made?

• Only when all these questions are answered, proper action

can be taken to correct the error and prevent the same
mistake being repeated.
• Quality control is a program established around a
processing operation to regulate a resulting product by
some standard,

• The function of QC is associated with the production line,

i.e., with specific processes and unit operations.

• QC activities are the operator’s tools that help him to

maintain a production line in accordance with
predetermined parameters for a given quality level.
Difference between quality control
and quality assurance
Objectives of quality control

• To protect the customers/consumers from dangers (e.g.

contaminated foods) and to ensure that they get the weight
and quality of food that they pay for.

• To protect the business from cheating by suppliers,

damage to equipment (e.g. stones in raw materials) and
false accusations by middlemen customers or suppliers.

• To be sure that food laws operating in a country are

comply with.

• To obtain adequate information on all factors or

characteristics of a product affecting the quality of the
product.
• Serves as the ‘nerve’ centre’ for management and each of the
separate departments.

• Control over raw materials through setting of specifications.

• Improvement of product quality.

• Improvement of processing methods which resulting savings in

cost production and greater profits.

• Standardisation of the finished product according to the label

specifications.

• Increased order and better housekeeping of a sanitary plant.

• Greater consumer confidence in the uniformity high quality of

the product.
Responsibility of a quality control
department in the organisation
Fill up the box
Food safety management system

• 5S, GMP, HACCP, ISO9000, ISO22000

• Note: pre-requisite programmes (PRP)

Good Manufacturing Practices
(GMP)
• Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) sets regulations,
codes and guidelines that control the operational
conditions within a food establishment allowing for the
production of safe food. This practice can assists
manufacturers of food products and food related products
to provide assurance that their products are manufactured
in a hygienic manner as well as complying to the best
manufacturing practices.

• MS1514:2009 (Malaysia)-Good Manufacturing Practice

(GMP) for Food lays a firm foundation on good
manufacturing practice (GMP) to ensure food hygiene and
safety. The standard follows the food chain from incoming
materials through to the customers, highlighting the key
hygiene controls at each stage.
• There are several guidelines outlining the GMP
requirements, e.g.
– Design and layout of premises
– Supplies of water, air and energy
– Management of waste
– Equipment suitability and preventive maintenance
– Cleaning and sanitation
– Management of purchased materials
– Pest control
– Prevention of cross contamination
– Personal Hygiene
• GMP video (15 minutes)
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wTIP-q2-sw
Hazard Analysis and Critical
Control Point (HACCP)
• 7 principles of HACCP
• 12 Steps to HACCP Implementation
– 1. Assemble a HACCP team with the appropriate product-specific
knowledge and expertise to develop an effective Food Safety Plan.
The team should comprise individuals familiar with all aspects of
the production process, plus specialists with expertise in specific
areas, such as engineering or microbiology. It may be necessary to
use external sources of expertise in some cases.

– 2. Describe the product in full detail, including composition,

physical/chemical structure, microcidal/static treatments,
packaging, storage conditions, and distribution methods.

– 3. Identify the intended/expected use of the product by the end

user. It is also important to identify the consumer target groups.
Vulnerable groups, such as children or the elderly, may need to be
considered specifically.
– 4. Construct a flow diagram that provides an accurate representation of
each step in the manufacturing process—from raw materials to end
product—and may include details of the factory and equipment layout,
ingredient specifications, features of equipment design, time/temperature
data, cleaning and hygiene procedures, and storage conditions.

– 5. Perform an onsite confirmation of the flow diagram to confirm that it

is aligned with actual operations. The operation should be observed at
each stage and any discrepancies between the diagram and normal
practice should be recorded and amended. It is essential that the flow
diagram is accurate, since the hazard analysis and identification of Critical
Control Points (CCPs) rely on the data it contains.

– 6. Conduct a hazard analysis for each process step to identify any

biological, chemical, or physical hazards. This assessment also includes
rating the hazard using a risk matrix, determining if the hazard is likely to
occur, and identifying the preventive controls for the process step.
– 7. Determine Critical Control Points (CCPs)—those areas where
previously identified hazards may be eliminated. The final HACCP
Plan will focus on the control and monitoring of the process at these
points.

– 8. Establish critical limits and develop processes that limit risk at

CCPs. More than one critical limit may be defined for a single step.
Criteria used to set critical limits must be measurable and include
rating and ranking of hazards for each step of the flow chart.

– 9. Monitor CCPs and develop processes for ensuring that critical

limits are followed. Monitoring procedures must be able to detect
loss of control at the CCP and should provide this information in
time to make appropriate adjustments so that control of the process
is regained before critical limits are exceeded. Where possible,
process adjustments should be made when monitoring results
indicate a trend towards a loss of control at a CCP.
CCP decision tree
– 10. Establish preplanned corrective actions to be taken for each
CCP in the HACCP plan that can then be applied when the CCP is
not under control. If monitoring indicates a deviation from the critical
limits for a CCP, action (e.g., proper isolation and disposition of
affected product) must be taken that will bring it back under control.

– 11. Establish procedures for verification to determine whether

the HACCP system is working correctly. Verification procedures
should include detailed reviews of all aspects of the HACCP system
and its records. The documentation should confirm that CCPs are
under control and should also indicate the nature and extent of any
deviations from the critical limits and the corrective actions taken in
each case.

– 12. Establish proper documentation and recordkeeping for all

HACCP processes to ensure that the business can verify that
controls are in place and are being properly maintained.
• HACCP Principles & Application Guidelines (Self-
reading)
– https://www.fda.gov/food/guidanceregulation/haccp/ucm2006
801.htm

• HACCP principles and implementation (29 minutes videos)

– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nbjd_TnU8o
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRJ7q_2Vkrc