food hygiene certificate

[jenkinsbrynmair]

So there Doug,if i pick a strawberry, and give it to my missus to eat, i do not need a certificate,it is primary agriculture...lol

I wish my strawberries had been successful last year - I could have given the wife one then.

I think i need a lend of your coat again DrS

 

[yeogi75]

do you need a clean environment to produce honey for sale, ie ,clean units wash facility's bottle sterilization etc, or can you produce honey in your shed or garage both cleaned out only for production of honey, (minus paints brushes in turps in old honey jars)

 

[BBG]

do you need a clean environment to produce honey for sale, ie ,clean units wash facility's bottle sterilization etc, or can you produce honey in your shed or garage both cleaned out only for production of honey, (minus paints brushes in turps in old honey jars)

Must be clean and free from dust especially in the bottling area.

Clean hands clean surfaces clean equipment sterilise jars and lids. Food hygiene course might be a good idea.

 

[susbees]

I would appreciate a quick reply to my posts Rosti. Just in case I'm barking up the wrong tree. Thanks.

 

[Poggle]

My understanding is that: “Registration of premises does not apply to the direct supply by the producer of small quantities of primary products to the final consumer or to local retail establishments directly supplying the final consumer”. If premises used for 5 days or less in a 5 week period registration is not required.

Hygiene regulations still apply & the standard expected for honey handling is as for High Standard Domestic Premises. Safety requirements state that the process must be managed to protect customers and comply with the law. Hygiene rules require a procedure to be in place showing effective food safety management.

Nowhere have I read you need a certificate, just that you need to have thought about what can go wrong and have procedures in place and keep everything clean.

And thius is what we have here in Dorset specifically Wareham. Unless one is going into large productiuon of food (Honey?) then what is above is true, also, if one only sells ones honey ONE day a week at a local market, the rules are the same ALSO, if one joins a local market to sell food(honey?) then that market is covered by a general certificate that the market MUST uphold and make sure its producers keep to the rules. This is what Louise and I have to do at our local market............BUT, with all this said. there are new rules coming in from Europe some time this year, although they are aimed at the LARGE producer and mobile food suppliers, we small producers need to keep an eye on the DEFRA web site for possible changes.

 

[Rosti]

Susbees, I have reviewed your posts and would advise as follows:
1. Registration. I work within technical & compliance roles in the short shelf life, high risk end of the food industry, as such I have not had to consider minimum criteria for registration. I haven't heard of the criteria you quote, but then I haven't looked either. I would always default to registration. Local Food safety teams tend to be pragmatic and supportive in my experience. If you need registration you are covered, if not then you are supporting your due diligence position anyway.
2. Training. See responses to Veg
3. Demonstrating knowledge, competence and pre-considered contextual risk assessment. HACCP is the standard 'model' used by the food industry (and expected by law). There are 7 key principles (stages). Best place to start with regard understanding the system is here Codex Alimentarius HACCP. See also notes to Veg on using the HACCP and formating as a demonstartion of knowledge to justify 'internal training' model.

Background:
HACCP evolved from the US space missions of the early 60's. Nasa realised that there was no point having a reliable vehicle if it failed because the astronauts were taken out through food borne disease. Nasa originally applied the zero defects program created as part of the nuclear weapons race. Principle was make sure no defects in components and assemblies and final unit will be defect free. Great for engineering, fundamentally flawed for biological systems. Nasa turned to one of the big US food producers - Pilsbury, the core principles of HACCP were established at that point'

Codex for HACCP http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/more_info.jsp?id_sta=23 - section 22 principles of the HACCP system plus principles of application.
Codex for Honey http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/more_info.jsp?id_sta=310

Not withstanding general and specific regulations like the honey regs that cover legal and packing requirements as well.

Overview:
Establish context
Ensure appropriate knowledge
Risk assess
Modify process / ingredients to eliminate risks where you can
Establish control, acceptable limits, monitoring and non-compliance responses where you cant
Verify and review as process / ingred matrix changes.

 

[BBG]

I would appreciate a quick reply to my posts Rosti. Just in case I'm barking up the wrong tree. Thanks.

 

[Rosti]

BBG you know as well as me that a 'quick' reply on here tends to be an invite to a smart arse to pick holes. QED

 

[For want of a better word]

One point that I always hammer home to prospective honey producers is that supers must never never ever be place on a dirty surface... ALWAYS use a clean board in the apiary and never ever ever put a super on the grass!

Grass / ground.....That is where Clostridium botuli etc likes to live

But of course everyone knows that !

 

[Hivemaker.]

One point that I always hammer home to prospective honey producers is that supers must never never ever be place on a dirty surface... ALWAYS use a clean board in the apiary and never ever ever put a super on the grass!
[/I]

And supply the bees with a clean cloth,and bowl of water,preferably with the addition of some dettol,so they can wash and dry their feet, after returning from the local sewer or dung heap on a urine collecting mission.

 

[For want of a better word]

And supply the bees with a clean cloth,and bowl of water,preferably with the addition of some dettol,so they can wash and dry their feet, after returning from the local sewer or dung heap on a urine collecting mission.

​

What can I say !​

 

[BBG]

One point that I always hammer home to prospective honey producers is that supers must never never ever be place on a dirty surface... ALWAYS use a clean board in the apiary and never ever ever put a super on the grass!

Grass / ground.....That is where Clostridium botuli etc likes to live

But of course everyone knows that !

Very good point to raise as it will only take one case to bring in onerous ramifications from those who have the power to do these things.

Rosti:

"BBG you know as well as me that a 'quick' reply on here tends to be an invite to a smart arse to pick holes. QED"

In this particular thread, you are right with that statement. It is well to have the legislation for readers though.

 

[MuswellMetro]

has anyone written their own HCCP for domestic extraction in a kitchen who would be prepared to publish it on here

Assume it should include
good beekeeping practices on chemicals (apivar and apiguard )
detail when treatment applied
clean clothes
Nitrol gloves ( ? hairnet...not me i am bald)
No pesticide used in hive paints etc
bacterial contamination from soil if super put on ground etc
( some of my bees are on a children's farm that had an Ecoli outbreak),
Illness and personal hygiene (ie wash in bathroom not in kitchen sink extraction area, no upset stomach)
exclude pets ( close the cat flap and doors windows)
80% /20% water ( refractometer or only capped honey)
wash floor and work surface,
clean extractor,
use clean jars visually inspected,
strain to remove bee bits
correct labels
trading standard Scales for weighing

anything else?

 

[Rosti]

Infant botulinum is a good point to raise in the context of this thread. As an environmental organism that can be present in honey through natural foraging characteristics (mainly for water as it happens). It is outside the scope of control for a beekeeper / honey producer.
Infant botulism can occur when a child ingests spores of Clostridium botulinum bacteria, typically affecting neonates upto 6 months old (90% of incidents), but incidents upto 12 months old have been recorded with a stat significant prevalence. It is not the same disease as the adult version but still relies on toxin production (infective dose varies since spore germination tends to happen in the small intestibe of the infant). Since a HACCP approach will not protect the producer/consumer, suitable consumer warnings are a recognised due diligence route (exactly the same as the principles of allergen labelling). I label "not suitable for infants below 18 months".

 

[Beezer]

In short:

Put

Not suitable for infants under 18 months.

on the label.

This is NOT a requirement.

 

[For want of a better word]

Not suitable for infants under 18 months.

Why not put ... not suitable for babies?

 

[Beezer]

Just do as you're told.

 

[susbees]

BHIPA members (honey packers and importers) have a voluntary labelling code for all honey on retail sale, that it includes “honey should not be given to infants under 12 months of age”.

The FSA supports this voluntary warning for infants under 12 months and although not obligatory the Agency recommends that other packers and suppliers should follow the example of the BHIPA initiative.

So that's good enough for me

 

[susbees]

Oh and good post MM...was just getting to that ....

 

[MuswellMetro]

Oh and good post MM...was just getting to that ....

something the bbka should have done in my opinion but they are about as proactive as a slug

should we try to produce a draft HCCP for the average hobbiest beekeeper extracting in the kitchen

we are not all the same but, lots would be similar...so a draft/generic HCCP would be very useful

this is the Argentinian!!!!! guidance c2005 so for EC read EU