The hospital’s Dietetics and Catering
(D&C) Department has done CGH proud by achieving the Hazard
Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) certification by Spring
(PSB) on 6 January 2004. D&C made a noteworthy effort in attaining
the HACCP certification in just 6 months when the recommendation
duration is usually 1 year or longer.
CGH’s D&C department is ISO 9001/2000 and
14001 certified. It is also subject to Medical Audit and Accreditation
Unit (MAAU) audit on a regular basis. The Muslim section is certified
by MUIS annually to ensure that all meals served are acceptable
to our Muslim customers. CIAS (Changi International Airport Services)
conduct monthly hygiene audits at D&C department. Internal hygiene
audits are also conducted daily to ensure that all meals served
are of acceptable hygienic standards.
Not one to rest on its laurels, D&C came up with
eDiet, an innovative way of ordering patients’ meals electronically
using a palmtop, also won the Hospital Management Asia’s Runners-Up
award under the “IT or E-commerce Project, Product or Service”
Category in October 2003. As part of its quality journey, it was
necessary to install a management system for D&C’s food
processing and catering operations.
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| The HACCP team led by Mrs
Magdalin Cheong, Senior Manager, D&C Depar tment. (first
row, extreme left.) |
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| Mrs Magdalin Cheong, Senior Manager
of D&C Department, said,” Provision of balanced and hygienic
meals is essential and a basic requirement for all our customers.
By aligning our practices with HACCP, we are assured that our system
meets the international requirements and is therefore effective
in ensuring meals that meet high hygiene standards most of all safe
for our customers.”
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point or HACCP is
a quality assurance tool that has been specifically developed for
the food industry to enable management to achieve food safety all
the way from “the farm to the fork”. It ensures food
safety through biological, chemical and physical hazard identification
and control in the production process.
HACCP is the food safety management system of
choice for most countries throughout the world. The HACCP is supported
& recognised by Food Control Department of the Ministry of the
Environment, the Agri-food Veterinary Authority (AVA) and the World
Health Organisation (WHO).
The HACCP management system covers the operational
stages commencing from the receiving of raw materials to the distribution
of meals in the wards. HACCP also enables defects that have an impact
on food safety to be readily detected and corrected at specific
points in the manufacturing process instead of relying on end product
inspection and testing. By applying HACCP, food processing establishment
can better control hazards, and thus provide a higher and more consistent
assurance of safety.
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| Food products in the D&C
storeroom are consumed in the FIFO (first-in-first-out) method
to ensure freshness. |
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D&C department developed a HACCP Plan consisting of 11 flows
(procedures). Some of the changes implemented include temperature
monitoring on food production both during cooking and plating, personal
hygiene and hygiene of visitors are also monitored by ensuring that
all who enter the catering department are properly gowned up. This
is to help reduce any contamination that may occur due to close
contact with food.
| The HACCP approach
consists of the following stages: |
- Forming of HACCP Team multidisciplinary members with appropriate
knowledge and expertise.
- Food description and method of distribution
- Intended use and consumer of products
- Flow diagram and on-site verification
- Hazard analysis and control measures
- Identify critical control points
- Establish critical limits
- Establish monitoring procedures
- Establish corrective actions
- Establish verification procedures
- Establish record keeping and documentation procedure
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With the HACCP system in place, staff in D&C is more aware of
the need to have good quality control of every item of food prepared
and served to our patients. Procedures like proper hand washing,
temperature recording during and after cooking becomes an essential
part of their responsibility. The department is proud to have a
dedicated and committed team who worked extremely hard in order
to achieve the HACCP standard.
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| The pastry chef taking the temperature
of a freshly prepared cake, which should be at least 74°C for
15 seconds, to ensure that it is thoroughly cooked. |
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