The Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene – Primary Production

Good Hygiene Practices along the coffee chain

The Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene –

Primary Production

Module 3.1

Slide 2 Module 3.1 – The Codex

General Principles of Food Hygiene – Primary Production

Objectives

Introduce trainees to the importance of identifying and controlling food safety hazards in primary production with specific reference to the coffee chain

To identify steps in the primary production of coffee where control can prevent food safety hazards

To establish the role of government and the importance of Codex Alimentarius in the control of contaminants and other undesirable substances in foods



Content

Scope, outline and objectives of Section III of Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene, ‘Primary Production’

Application of food hygiene principles to the primary production of coffee

Regulatory guidelines and measures to promote safe primary production



Section III – Primary production

Codex definition of primary production:

‘...those steps in the food chain up to and including, for example, harvesting, slaughter, milking, fishing.’

Growing HarvestingTransport to location for further processing

Dry or wet processing of coffeeSteps being covered in this presentation



Section III – Primary production

Objective of Section III Primary production should be managed in a

way that ensures that food is safe and suitable for its intended use

Identify steps in the primary production where food safety hazards could be introduced. Emphasise controls at points most at risk



Outline of Section III Codex GPFH – Primary Production

3.1 - Environmental hygiene 3.2 - Hygienic production of food sources 3.3 - Handling, storage and transport 3.4 - Cleaning, maintenance and personal

hygiene at primary production

Remember it is a general code and certain provisions may not be relevant in any given

situation



Environmental hygiene

Food production should not be carried out in areas where the presence of potentially harmful substances would lead to an unacceptable level of such substances in food

CAC/RCP 49-2001 deals with environmental chemical contamination

Emphasises avoidance of contaminated areas and measures to control environmental pollution



Environmental hygiene

Environmental contaminants that could potentially become food-borne hazards Heavy metals in soil, naturally present or through

environmental degradation, can be assimilated into plant tissues (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, etc)

A 1996 survey in France showed no unacceptable levels of heavy metals in coffee

No reported problems of other environmental contaminants, such as persistent organohalogens, in coffee

Moulds producing OTA are widely distributed and cannot be avoided but we can avoid practices that increase

likelihood of contamination...



Hygienic production of food sources

Includes identifying points in primary production activities where a high probability of contamination exists and taking specific measures to minimise that probability

Codex Code of Practice for the reduction of mycotoxin contamination in cereals provides further useful guidance in building prevention programmes for coffee, covering Planting, pre-harvest, harvest, storage, transport Incorporation of HACCP principles



Growing coffee (cropping systems)

Open coffee field Coffee intercropped with banana

Coffee and groundnut

Coffee grown under permanent shade



Growing coffee (cropping systems)

No relation has been established between contamination and cropping systems

Such relations are difficult to establish due to the large number of variables and degree of natural variation

Coffee intercropped with pepper



Farm management practices

Drop system fertilisation and

irrigation

Weeding

Mulching Spraying



Agricultural practices in OTA reduction programmes

The farm survey did not reveal any significant correlation between contamination and Inter cropping Fertilizer or other soil treatments Weed management practices

The global project focussed mostly on post-production practices in the control of OTA contamination

Correlations with production practices may exist. This can be the subject of future research. Capacity building activities within the global project allow national centres to continue applied research components of their coffee development programmes




Effective pest management may play a role in OTA prevention

Preliminary evidence that CBB can spread OTA-OTA producing fungi

Further investigations are being conducted

Preliminary work has shown higher levels of OTA contamination in out-sorted CBB damaged beans than in sound beans from the same batch

Sound Damaged

2,2 ppb0,2 ppb

24,5 ppb1,0 ppb



Pest management

Good practices in the control of CBB can also help prevent OTA contamination Trapping Biological control with

parasitoids and fungi Spraying Removal and sanitary disposal

of fallen cherries




Only use well composted pulp for mulching and manuring - including earthworms gives a superior compost

Remove by-products from processing / drying areas Assure run-off from processing does not create a

pollution problem

By-products from processing:

Pulp and HuskGood medium and source of spores

‘Elimination of fungal vectors in the vicinity of crop’




Further work completed to investigate impact of composting procedures on propagation of

OTA-producing mould

Composting in a pit

Use of worms in composting

‘Elimination of fungal vectors in the vicinity of crop’



Good practices in coffee production

OTA content in samples after 12 days of drying (Uganda, July

2002)

Some indications regarding stage of maturity

Maturity stagesOTA (ppb)

Beans

Husk

Immature cherriesRipe cherriesOverripe cherries

0.30.62.1

2.626.759.3



Maturity at harvest: quality and safety implications

Some indications regarding stage of maturity

From a ‘coffee quality’ perspective, the use of immature cherries should be avoided

Removal of over-ripe cherries during sorting might be useful OTA-prevention measure

Avoid harvesting of cherries from the soil

‘Tree dried’ cherries in arid zones do not appear to increase risk



Maturity at harvest: quality and safety implications

Use picking mats To avoid collection of old cherries

from the ground To reduce contamination with soil

Sweep ground to remove old fallen cherry before harvesting

Select cherries at optimal stage of maturity

Sort out and dispose of unsound fruit

Selective picking

Use of harvesting mats



Impact of harvesting practices

Cherries harvested from the ground can be

highly contaminated by OTA-producing mould

XWinnowing of fallen

cherries



Impact of ‘storage’ of cherries

Delays between harvesting of cherries and drying should be kept to a minimum

‘Common examples of BAD practice on many farms’

Heaping in the orchard Storage on the farm



Impact of ‘storage’ of cherries

Heaping in the orchard

Storage on the farm

Unintentional No room for drying or

processing Lack of labour for transport Poor organisation of harvest

Reasons often given for fresh cherry storage Drying is faster Easier to pulp and to ferment

‘Fresh cherries should NEVER be stored’



Cleaning, maintenance and personnel hygiene at primary production

Any necessary cleaning and maintenance is carried out effectively Clean bags for the transport of fresh

cherries (avoid bags used previously to transport dry cherries or husks)

Elimination of fungal vectors in the vicinity



Role of government

Provide guidance to primary producers Direct training Preparation of risk-based

guidelines Development and dissemination

of educational materials



Role of government

To establish regulatory and control programmes Coffee quality and safety standards and codes of

practice Regulations concerning distribution and use of

pesticides and other chemicals in coffee production Regulations to ensure compliance with required

standards and practices Financial and human resources to effectively

implement regulations Monitoring and surveillance programmes for

proactive control



Summary

Guided by Codex GPFH we have identified points in primary production of coffee where hazards might be introduced

We have identified means of controlling the food safety hazards

We have considered government’s role is ensuring that safe coffee is produced

Growing of coffee

Harvesting of coffee

Transport to place of further

processing

Dryprocessing

Wetprocessing

Pulping Drying



Next steps…

Reflect, discuss, ask questions... Next module - Establishment: design and

facilities

Documents

The Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene – Primary Production