Yearbook 2013/2014 - ehedg

European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group
Integrated hygienic tamper-free production
The challenge for producers is to secure food safety in their production line, profitably. It is
important to secure against operator mistakes, inconsistent product quality, and even against
manipulation of the product. Adopting a holistic view on the entire production is the answer.
Stefan Åkesson, Tetra Pak, Lund, Sweden, e-mail: stefan.akesson@tetrapak.com
Today, production is integrated: The product flows continuously
through the plant, from raw material intake to distribution,
without stopping. This means that producers must control
every step, both individually and as part of the whole.
However, recurring problems with hygienic issues are
reported from all over the world. Inconsistent food quality,
manipulation of product, wilful tampering, human error – all
of these reports have a huge impact on brands, profitability,
and consumer confidence in the food industry as a whole.
Securing tamper-free production is essential.
Hygienic design
It all starts with hygienic design. Hygienic design ensures that
every material that will ever come in contact with food – from
components right down to connections and welds – is designed
and constructed for cleanability. Using and following the
European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG)
guidelines ensures state-of-the-art hygienic design. It is also
important to conduct a hygienic risk assessment during the
development and engineering phases of a project to analyse
and evaluate hazards in order to eliminate or reduce hygienic
risks. Following hygienic design principles means that the
production process is designed with quality control functions
that ensure food safety from start to finish.
With quality assurance operations in place, substandard
products can be handled at an early stage, which minimises
product losses and increases product quality. One way
to secure food safety is to use guidelines – structured
procedures – as an important aid in the daily work of a food
processing plant. Furthermore, the control system not only
should monitor the procedures, but it should also actively
provide hygienic functionalities that help the producer avoid
operator mistakes, ensure quality control and secure a
tamper-free production environment.
To assist the producer’s food safety management system,
it is important that the quality control system monitors the
implementation and attainment of good manufacturing
practices (GMP) and identifies measures to correct any
failure to achieve GMP.
Integration of hygienic, aseptic and control systems is shown
in EHEDG Guideline 24.
Tamper-free production solution
Advanced control systems with recipe handling, production
monitoring and production analysis access information
about the ongoing process. To secure consistent product
quality and avoid intentional tampering, the optimal tamperfree
solution should involve all phases of production, with
multiple levels of security (e.g., automated material handling
that secures the mixing accuracy, even of manual ingredient
additions or monitoring of the cleaning sequence through
clean-in-place [CIP] sensors, and automatic adaption of
the cleaning procedure, depending on the information
received and analysed). The control system also ensures
that the product and cleaning agents are not mixed. In
the warehouse, recipe handling functions should ensure
that the right material and amounts are stored, and stock
management should show continuous inventory information.
The recipe handling also helps the operator to create the
batches according to the recipe and production schedule,
and a unique batch identification (ID) number is generated
when ingredients are being prepared for different batches to
ensure that the right ingredients and amounts are added into
the right tanks (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Cabinets containing the different ingredients have
automatic locking system integrated with the recipe handling
system. The operator is prompted by the system to add ingredients
in a preset order, and through the cabinet locking system, the
operator can pick only the correct mixture, securing product quality.
Another security function is in the mixing area. A stock-inand-out
solution is integrated with the weighing system and
a scanner device that the operator uses to keep track of
all additions. In the process area next to the mixing tanks
the operator scans the generated batch ID barcode on the
prepared bin and the barcode on the tank. If the codes
match the automatic tank locking system the tank will open.
The interlocking function makes sure that the right mix
goes into the right tank. Locks on both tanks and ingredient
containers secure the integrity of the system and this ensures
consistent product quality while reducing waste and product
loss. Another feature of an automated control system is the
availability of reports: Batch reports, stock reports, journals