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Dairy Products Safe and True
Part B Standards
| MRD Standard 7 | contents [prev][next] |
1.1 This standard specifies the intentions of MAF Reg and responsibilities of dairy companies when dairy companies' product safety programmes (PSPs) are audited by a MAF Reg recognised third party external auditing organisation, so that MAF Reg can reduce the intensity of its verification audits, taking into account the information provided by the external audit.
1.2 This standard satisfies Regulation 6, Approvals generally, of the Dairy Industry Regulations 1990. Product Safety Programmes (PSPs) conforming to this standard will be approved in respect to auditing management.
This standard applies to any PSP audited by a certification body as part of a quality audit, when the audit results are intended to contribute to the determination of conformity to statutory requirements and to the validity of export certificates for dairy products.
Quality audit: A systematic and independent examination to determine whether quality activities and related results comply with planned arrangements and whether these arrangements are implemented effectively and are suitable to achieve objectives. (This definition is from ISO 8402.) In the context of this standard, quality systems and quality audits are voluntary.
PSP audit: A systematic and independent examination to determine whether hygiene and product safety activities and related results comply with the approved PSP and whether these arrangements are implemented effectively. A PSP audit may be included as part of a quality audit.
Verification audit: A systematic examination by MAF Reg, not including a PSP audit, to determine whether the approved PSP complies with the regulations and is suitable and effective, and whether safe dairy products are being produced as a result. A verification audit will include checks of the accuracy of status and exception reports.
Certification body: A body that conducts certification of conformity. (This definition is from ISO Guide 2.) In the context of this standard, it refers to certification of quality systems to a standard for quality systems such as ISO 9002.
- Dairy Products Safe and True, MAF Regulatory Authority, 1993,
- EN 45012: 1989. General criteria for certification bodies operating quality system certification,
- ISO 8402: 1994. Quality management and quality assurance - Vocabulary,
- ISO 9002: 1994. Quality systems - Model for quality assurance in production, installation and servicing,
- ISO 10011-1: 1990. Guidelines for auditing quality systems. Part 1: Auditing,
- ISO Guide 2: 1991. General terms and their definitions concerning standardization and related activities,
- MRD-Stan 1: Standard for Inspection, Audit and Approval Services,
- MRD-Stan 2: Standard for Reporting Information to MAF Regulatory Authority,
- MRD-Stan 6: Standard Procedure for Auditing Dairy Product Safety, and Guidelines for an Audit Checklist.
MAF Reg:
- evaluates and reviews all PSPs annually for approval, based on performance, against the requirements of the Dairy Industry Regulations;
- conducts annual verification audits to ensure that the PSPs continue to be effective in producing safe products and that the reporting is complete and accurate (see Section 6 for details);
- monitors monthly reports from dairy companies on the performance of the PSP, including any problems encountered (see MRD-Stan 2 for details);
- reviews the competency of individual recognised PSP auditors and recognised inspectors annually, or less often based on performance, by on-site observation;
- checks recognised audit and inspection organisations' operations (which includes on-site auditing of recognised audit and inspection bodies) annually, or less often based on performance;
- enforces the Dairy Industry Act and Regulations, including acting on nonconformances with PSPs if necessary; Food Safety Auditors have the right of entry, right of access to information, and enforcement (issuing orders, inspecting, sampling, condemning product, etc.);
- provides routine product certification and, as market access requirements dictate, written certificates of conformance to specified requirements.
Note: A commentary on the role of MAF Reg is contained in Newsletter 24, of 25 January 1995.
6.1 A verification audit includes a review of the complete PSP, including its conformance to the regulations, its coverage of all the necessary elements for farm dairies, factories, transport, laboratories and stores, and its effectiveness as shown by the product safety results.
6.2 An annual visit to factories, laboratories, stores and a small sample of farms is essential to sample the data summarised in the reports received from the dairy company and to give a context to them. The on-site audit focuses primarily on product safety, covering all aspects from milk production through to product shipment, and including any elements not covered by the quality systems audit, or not reported.
6.3 MAF Reg will verify that the certification body has
- conducted an annual full audit of the PSP to the standard of MRD-Stan 6, and
- reported satisfactorily (as per ISO 10011.1, 5.4.2) to the company.
6.4 MAF Reg will verify that the corrective actions identified as a result of audits and HACCP inspections (as noted in audit and inspection reports and management plans for corrective action) have been carried out. MAF Reg will, if necessary, verify corrective actions from previous verification audits.
6.5 The Food Safety Auditor, on the basis of the review and the on-site audit, forms a comprehensive overview of product safety and determines whether the company's performance is accurately reflected by its reporting and the regulatory requirements are satisfied.
7.1 Certification bodies provide written assurance that quality systems conform with a standard for quality systems, such as ISO 9002, and the quality system therefore has the capability to "control the processes that determine the acceptability of product supplied" (Section 1.1). In each case, the scope of the certified quality system is defined in terms of the operating unit(s) to which it applies, the functions, and the products or services produced.
7.2 Where the scope of the quality system includes the product safety programme, then the certificate of conformity means that the unit certified is capable of operating its PSP as documented, in accordance with the specified standard for quality systems.
7.3 A quality system is certified on the basis of a documentation audit, to verify that the documented quality system conforms to the specified standard, an on-site audit to confirm the unit's compliance to its documented system, follow-up as necessary on non-conformances, and on-going surveillance at intervals to verify continued satisfactory operation to the standard.
8. MAF Reg Recognition of Certification Bodies and Auditors
8.1 Organisations and individuals carrying out PSP audits must be recognised by MAF Reg. MAF Reg standards for recognition are given in MRD-Stan 6. If a third-party certification body or an individual satisfies these conditions, MAF Reg issues a letter of recognition to the party concerned.
8.2 In the case of auditing organisations which have JAS-ANZ accreditation as certification bodies, MAF Reg accepts the accreditation as covering the requirements of ISO 10011 and EN 45012. We will continue to monitor auditors, and will monitor the organisations at a reduced rate to satisfy ourselves that our particular requirements are being met.
8.3 Certification bodies must provide MAF Reg with an advance schedule of their proposed audit programme.
8.4 MAF Reg will withdraw recognition from organisations or individuals who do not comply with the standards for recognition, or who do not provide an advance schedule of their proposed audit programme.
8.5 Lists of recognised organisations and individuals, showing their status, are published in Dairy Products Safe and True every 6 months.
9. Dairy Company Responsibility
9.1 Dairy companies or stores which intend to use a certification body to audit their PSP must submit for MAF Reg approval a revised PSP which includes the following provisions:
- that audits of the PSP are to be carried out by a certification body recognised by MAF Reg and using MAF Reg recognised auditors;
- the name of the certification body, and the standard against which certification is assessed;
- the scope of audits by the certification body, and which parts (if any) of the PSP are not audited by the certification body;
- that MAF Reg is to be advised at least 10 days in advance that an audit is confirmed;
- that the audit of the PSP is to be conducted to the standard of MRD-Stan 6;
- that the audit findings, the audit report, and a plan of agreed corrective actions, are to be reported to MAF Reg in the next monthly status report following the audit;
- that corrective actions as completed and closed out are to be reported in the next monthly status report.
9.2 The PSP must continue to include:
- all the provisions required by the Dairy Industry Regulations, as detailed in Dairy Products Safe and True, Sections 4-8;
- inspection and approval services to the standard of MRD-Stan 1 and the name(s) of the inspection body(s);
- reporting to MAF Reg as required by MRD-Stan 2.
10.1 MAF Reg will approve a PSP that contains the provisions detailed in Section 9.
10.2 MAF Reg may take the following actions, as appropriate, if the approved PSP is not fully complied with:
- make additional visits to obtain or verify information;
- require reports to be provided directly by audit or inspection agencies;
- direct that the PSP be audited by a MAF Reg-recognised auditor;
- decline to supply MAF export certificates, and withdraw permission for the use of any MAF mark;
- take other action as provided under the Dairy Industry Act and Regulations.
Revision Status Rev Date Status By Approved 1 25 January 1995 Issued for use Chief Dairy Officer
Amendment and Control Procedure Amendments to this standard will be issued to holders of Dairy Products Safe and True, and to the MAF Reg address list for circulars and newsletters. Suggestions for improvements to this standard are welcomed. They should be sent to:
The Chief Dairy Officer
MAF Regulatory Authority
P.O. Box 2526
Wellington
New Zealand Food Safety Authority
68-86 Jervois Quay
PO Box 2835
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 2500
Fax: +64 4 894 2501
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