Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Prerequisite programs
Prerequisite programs are also referred to as support programs, such as Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) and Good Hygienic Practice (GHP).
Prerequisite programs can be divided into two categories:
Infrastructure and maintenance programs. These may include:
layout, design and construction of buildings and facilities
supplies of air, water, energy and other utilities
equipment, including sanitary design, preventative maintenance, calibration and cleaning and sanitation
support services, including waste and sewage disposal
pest control
Operational prerequisite programs. These may include:
personal hygiene
measures for the prevention of cross-contamination
packaging and labelling procedures
supplier assurance
chemical storage
employee training
document control
internal audit programs
traceability and recall programs
product integrity and security
cold chain management
preparation, maintenance and use of starter cultures (for fermented meat products)
inspecting and testing regimes, including analytical and microbiological testing
control of non-conforming product, processes and facilities
animal welfare
Manufacturing and related handling and storage processes
Manufacturing and related handling and storage processes to control food safety include:
heat treatment
fermentation and maturation
use of starter cultures
drying
cold storage
salting and other water activity related controls (e.g. hot smoking)
chemical additives to control water activity, pH and/or preservation (e.g. glucono-delta-lactone (GdL) and liquid smoke)
Microbiological food safety hazards
Microbiological food safety hazards that commonly occur in ready-to-eat meats include:
bacteria:
Campylobacter jejuni (poultry)
pathogenic Escherichia coli, including enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli
Clostridium perfringens and C. botulinum
Listeria monocytogenes
Salmonella spp
Staphylococcus aureus
Yersinia enterocolitica
viruses
moulds and fungi
parasites
algae
Ready-to-eat meat products
Ready-to-eat meat products refer to meat products intended to be consumed without further heating or cooking and include:
cooked, heat-treated or uncooked fermented meat, including cooked fermented meats (CFM), uncooked comminuted fermented meat (UCFM) and other salami-type products
pâté
dried meat
slow cured meat
luncheon sausage meat, including processed and manufactured
cooked muscle meat, including ham and roast beef
other ready-to-eat meat that is susceptible to the growth of pathogens or the production of toxins
Chemical food safety hazards
Chemical food safety hazards include:
cleaning chemicals
pesticides
veterinary residues
chemical additives and levels
allergenic substances
toxic metals
nitrites, nitrates and N-nitroso compounds and levels
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
plasticisers and packaging migration
Physical food safety hazards
Physical food safety hazards refer to objects not normally found in food that may cause illness or injury to the consumer, such as fragments of:
bone
glass
metal
plastic
wood
Validation
Validation refers to obtaining evidence to confirm that a HACCP-based food safety program is complete and effective and will deliver the expected food safety outcomes
Validation evidence
Validation evidence confirms that control measures are capable of being consistently effective and may include:
the application of:
existing Australian legislative requirements
challenge tests
peer-reviewed scientific papers
targeted scientific reports
validation already carried out in other jurisdictions and recognised by the responsible authority
mathematical modelling (e.g. predictive microbiology models)
industry codes of practice (where implementation by food business is verified during audits)
Verification
Verification refers to methods and procedures used to carry out monitoring, including sampling and testing to provide evidence that the specifications set by relevant legislation and codes of practice continue to be met
Equipment
Equipment may include:
fermentation rooms
filling machines
drying and maturation rooms
mixers and blenders
tumblers
cookers
injectors
mincing machines and slicers or dice machines
conveyors
packaging machines
cooking utensils and knives
equipment used for the purpose of conducting analytical tests
Business standards
Business standards refer to standards or technical specifications set by the system owner based on and in addition to regulatory requirements that relate specifically to food safety
Relevant legislation, standards, codes of practice and technical specifications
Relevant legislation, standards, codes of practice and technical specifications relating to requirements of ready-to-eat meat manufacture may include:
relevant sections of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code
relevant Australian standards, including the Australian Standard for the Hygienic Production and Transportation of Meat and Meat Products for Human Consumption (AS 4696:2002)
Australia Export Control Act, 1982
AQIS Export Control (Meat and Meat Products) Orders, 2005
international protocols, such as those of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
customer food safety requirements, including intended use
state or territory regulations, codes of practice and guidelines
Hurdle technologies
Hurdle technologies refer to the application of a combination of different processing methods or techniques or treatments to achieve safe food outcomes
Test methods
Test methods include methods used to measure:
E. coli, Salmonella, coagulase positive staphylococci, Listeria monocytogenes in raw materials and final product
pH
time and temperature of:
fermentation
maturation or drying
smoking
cooking or heating
weight loss or water activity
Packaging
Packaging refers to:
controlled atmosphere (CA) packaging
modified atmosphere (MA) packaging
Ingredients
Ingredients must comply with the requirements described in the Food Standards Code and may include:
raw materials (meat)
starter cultures
preservatives (e.g. sodium chloride and sulphites)
water
sodium and potassium nitrate and/or nitrite
nitrate
spices
binders
water and ice
phosphates and other additives
Additional reference material
Additional reference material includes guidelines for safe manufacture of smallgoods, Meat and Livestock Australia Ltd, September 2003

EVIDENCE GUIDE
The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment
A person who demonstrates competence in this unit must be able to audit manufacturing of ready-to-eat meat products.
Assessment must be carried out in a manner that recognises the cultural and literacy requirements of the assessee and is appropriate to the work performed. Competence in this unit must be achieved in accordance with food safety standards and regulations.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence that they can verify manufacturing processes for a range of ready-to-eat meat products to meet regulatory, industry and business standards. They must also demonstrate capacity to confirm that appropriate validation has occurred.
Evidence of the ability to:
identify product-specific risks and typical processing methods, including sources of information on processing parameters, for a range of products
participate in audits of HACCP-based food safety programs to demonstrate ability and knowledge of technical aspects of the manufacture, storage and transport of safe ready-to-eat meat products - audit scenarios must include at least one product in each of the following product categories:
uncooked fermented meat products, such as salami
smoked or cooked meat products, such as ham
slowly cured meat, such as prosciutto
pâté.
Cold ready-to-eat meat products may also have undergone further processing stages including slicing, shaving and packaging.
Audits of product type may be conducted concurrently or separately, according to production environment.

Context of and specific resources for assessment
Competency may be assessed in an actual workplace or simulated environment that provides access to the required resources.
Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints.
The following resources must be available:
relevant plant and equipment that would typically be used in the commercial manufacture of ready-to-eat meat products
food safety programs and related documentation
records for the purpose of verification
evidence to support validation.

Method of assessment
This unit only covers the technical skills and knowledge related to the specific area of risk. Generic food safety auditing skills and knowledge are covered in prerequisite units. While participation in audit processes should follow good auditing practice as specified by prerequisite units, formal assessment of generic food safety auditing competence does not need to be repeated when assessing this unit.
The following assessment methods should be considered to gather sufficient and valid evidence of competency:
observation and a report covering the audits specified in this
observation by an auditor competent to audit the manufacture of ready-to-eat meat
oral and written questioning to test the level and application of underpinning knowledge
workplace example or scenario to allow verification of records for food safety to be demonstrated.
The audits conducted for the purpose of assessment must be witnessed by an auditor competent to audit the manufacture of ready-to-eat meat.
Assessment methods must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of FDF10 Food Processing Industry Training Package.

Guidance information for assessment
To ensure consistency in one's performance, competency should be demonstrated on more than one occasion over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances, cases and responsibilities, and where possible, over a number of assessment activities.