8.4 Freezing pork raw material

Found in:

Quality Assured Pork Sausages / Cold store and vehicle operating procedures

8.4.1 Pork raw material shall be labelled with a date of kill and not exceed kill +4 days at point of freezing.

8.4.2 The pork/bacon raw material and bacon shall be in good condition at the time of freezing and be effectively packaged to prevent contamination and degradation of quality.

8.4.3 Pork/bacon raw material to be frozen shall be placed into a freezer immediately following receipt.

8.4.4 Frozen pork/bacon shall be labelled with a date of kill (pork only), date of freezing, durability date and it shall not be stored for longer than 12 months.

8.4.5 Where frozen product is to be defrosted (tempered) the surface temperature shall not exceed +7°C and it shall be carried out to a documented and validated procedure in line with the charter participant’s processing specification.

8.4.6 Stock control and defrost records shall be maintained.

Guidance

The integrity of the packaging shall be appropriate for the product. The site may have procedures in place for the control of stock and this shall be supported by stock control checks.

Evidence

Visual inspection of storage area to verify integrity of packaging. Verification of product labelling in storage. Review documented protocol for tempering process. Examples of stock control and temperature control records since the last audit.