Prerequisite Programs Food Safety in the Production of our Tequilas

por Iván Durán | Dec 21, 2021 4:49:05 PM

During my 8 months of experience working at Tequila Sauza, and thanks to the support of the staff, I have developed myself in the verification of compliance with the prerequisites in areas of production process and bottling of tequila in order to avoid contamination at each stage of the process. Such regulation is established in the 22002-1: 2009 NOM or standard which, as a whole, sets the prerequisites for the industry of a company dedicated to the preparation of food.

Some of the topics I will mention might be known to several people, but they will always share something of interest for others. It is important to bear in mind that it is everyone's responsibility to carry out the requirements in order to establish, implement and maintain Prerequisite Programs (PPR) to assist in the control of food safety hazards in our processes.

prerequisite program at casa sauza

 

Application Area

This standard is applicable to all organizations, regardless of their size or complexity, which are involved in the manufacturing stage in the food chain and wish to implement Prerequisite Programs to carry out the requirements specified in ISO: 22000: 2018. This standard establishes the obligation to implement these requirements in clause 8.2

What is the Prerequisite Program for Sauza?

It sets the basic conditions and activities that are necessary to maintain food safety in our tequila and at each stage of the manufacturing process. It's of utmost importance to apply the prerequisites on each of our processes, in the work activities that we carry out. Not only in this, but also in the daily life of each one of us who work in Tequila Sauza establishing, implementing and maintaining PPRs. By doing so, we help avoiding contaminants (including the risks for food safety) in products and in our work environment. This is how we ensure the quality of our produced and packaged Tequilas.

Construction and distribution of buildings

Buildings must be designed, built and maintained in such a way that they ensure food safety in the different phases of the process that are carried out. No potential sources of contamination should be present in the environment of the plant and the buildings should be of durable construction materials and not be of any danger to the product.

Design of facilities and work spaces

The internal distribution must be designed, built and maintained in a way that it provides the adequate space for equipment, materials, products or people as well as facilitate good hygiene and best manufacturing practices. Accesses to the transit of materials must be designed in order to minimize the entry of pests and foreign material.

 

 

casa sauza distillery

 

Services (air, water, electric power)

The supply and distribution routes for services to and around the processing and storage areas must be designed to minimize the risk of contamination of our Tequilas.

  • Water: The potable water supply must be sufficient to satisfy the needs of the production process and must circulate through disinfected pipes and have a separate and identified supply system. It must also meet the quality and microbiological requirements specified for its application.
  • Air: Tequila Sauza must establish the requirements for filtration, humidity and microbiology of the air that is applied directly to the producto or the process equipment. It must be free of oil, microorganisms or foreign particles.
  • Ventilation: Ventilation systems must be designed and built in such a way that air won't flow from a contaminated area to a clean process area. They must be accessible for their cleaning and maintenance in order to ensure that the accumulation of particles in the ventilation system is prevented.
  • Electric power: The lighting provided (natural or artificial) in process areas should allow our personnel to operate in a hygienic or appropriate to the nature of the operation manner. Lights in process areas must be protected to ensure that materials, products or equipment are not contaminated in the case of ruptures.
Disposal of waste

Waste containers must be designed and built of waterproof material; cleaned, disinfected, and identified for their intended purposes. They must be located in assigned areas and, after capturing waste, must be removed from our areas in order to prevent the contamination of our Tequilas in the production areas.

Drains (sewers and ducts) must be designed, built and located in a way that avoids the risk of contamination of materials or products and its flowing through the processing lines or from a contaminated area to a clean area.

Design of equipment, cleaning and maintenance

The equipment that will be in contact with our Tequilas must be designed and manufactured with hygienic design materials (waterproof, free of rust or corrosion), capable of resisting and not being affected by their cleaning, disinfection and by maintenance itself.

modern steam boilers sauza house

 

Entry requirements for materials

The purchasing of materials that affect the innocuousness of our processes must be controlled in order to ensure that the suppliers which provide us with materials can comply with our specific requirements and that we have the approval of the incoming materials, as specified in the purchasing order.

Steps taken to prevent cross contamination

There must be programs to prevent, control and detect pollution. Specific steps to follow in order to prevent physical, allergenic and microbiological contamination must also be set.

In areas where there is potential cross contamination (air or traffic), control measures (such as physical barriers, walls, separate buildings) should be available in the materials, equipment, tools, semi-finished or finished products areas, in order to reduce the risks of contamination of a food processing area.

Cleaning and disinfection

Cleaning and disinfection programs should be established to ensure that the equipment that's been in contact with the product and its environment, is kept in a hygienic condition. The programs must be monitored to ensure their cleanliness and effectiveness within the cleaning and disinfection program

Pest control

The buildings must be kept under good conditions by avoiding holes, drains, external doors, windows or external ventilation openings or other access points. The possible entry of pests should be sealed or minimized. Procedures and inspection of the hygiene and cleanliness of the materials should be implemented in order to avoid creating an environment that can propagate pest activity.

There should also be a program of documented pest management in which target pests, plans, methods, and control procedures are identified. There must also be a designated person in the facilities to manage pest control activities and to deal with the pest control experts.

Hygiene of personnel and facilities for employees

Hygiene facilities must be located near the sites where the requirement must be met and must be identified as such. There must be enough locations and hygienic washing means, enough for the whole personnel, visitors and contractors. All of this is carried out in order to guarantee that they don't become a source of danger to the product or process areas.

There should be assigned eating sites for personnel outside production areas to minimize cross contamination from storage and food consumption. Personnel should be in hygienic conditions (free of jewelry, accessories, food, dirty clothes) to prevent contamination of the product or food production areas.

Storage

The materials and products must be stored under appropriate conditions which consider the type of raw material, food, beverages or food supplements that are being handled. It must have clean, dry and well-ventilated spaces, protected from dust, fumes, odors or other sources of contamination.

In my next blog I will talk about Construction and Layout of Buildings Prerequisites at Tequila Sauza.

Do you want to know more about our tequila production processes? Come to our production plant and take a guided tour. Enjoy the experience of learning all about the production of tequila, at Tequila, Jalisco!

 

Click here for more information on Casa Sauza Guided Tours

 

 

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