Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) in the Food & Beverage Industry

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). A previous Industrialinfo.com news article described good manufacturing practice (GMP) mainly focusing on the manufacture of drug and pharmaceutical products. See related November 2, 2004, new article - Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) in the Pharmaceutical and Food Industries. This report focuses on, and provides details in practicing GMP for human food production. The Food and Drug Administration regulates production practices and quality standards for food to assure that the food is safe for consumption and to meet label requirements. Such regulations govern production of 69 types of food products. Examples are canned vegetables, bakery products, infant formulas, and margarine.

The GMP that is applicable to making all these foods is referred to as " GMP in Manufacturing, Packing, or Holding Human Food." These guidelines are available at the same website cited above.

Industrialinfo.com has identified more than 4,500 major operational plants within the Food & Beverage Industry in the U.S., which are affected by GMP guidelines. Click on the image at right to view a breakdown of these operational food & beverage plants in the U.S. by market region.

The headings for practicing GMP in food products industry are; Definitions, Sanitary Facilities and Controls, Current GMP, Equipment and Utensils, Personnel, Processes and Controls, Exclusions, Warehousing and Distribution, Plant and Grounds, Defects in food that present no health hazard, and Sanitary Operations.

Under the category "Equipment and Utensils" the main emphasis is given to the cleanability of the equipment, so that there is no adulteration of foodstuff. For example, equipment used in these plants, such as valves, pumps, and piping has to be specified to meet strict guidelines for cleanability. Most are made out of special steel alloy or are Teflon lined and have no pockets or surface area that cannot be easily cleaned and sanitized. Control of undesirable microorganisms in the food is also emphasized by suitable controls for measuring temperatures, pH, acidity, and purity of water.

The FDA does not issue engineering standards for equipment used in food manufacturing. It is up to the individual plants to meet GMP, but the FDA GMP guidelines contain enough specificity to closely define the required equipment. Equipment specifications are issued for all segments of the dairy industry, such as pasteurization, cheese production, or butter production, by a private group - the AAA - which issues detailed specifications for 70 different equipment items. The website for this group is www.3-a.org. The specifications are referred to as 3-A sanitary standards.

It is advisable for equipment vendors wishing to sell to food manufacturing plants and to appear on the qualified bidder's list that the equipment 1) has buyer's vendor endorsement and 2) meets FDA GMP standards for the intended service.

Food plants are regularly inspected by the FDA to ascertain that GMP is being practiced. There can be penalties if the standards are not met. It is in the interest of the plant to build the mandated facilities containing equipment that meets the guidelines.

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