Product Sampling, Inspection, and Analysis
Edition 9 Guidance Document
Product Sampling, Inspection, and Analysis
Definition
A check in the system to determine if the raw material, work in progress, or finished product
meets the specification or ideal result.
Applicable Code Requirements Review Glossary Terms
1. 2.1.1 1. Proficiency Testing
2. 2.2.3
3. [Link]
4. 2.4.4
5. [Link]
6. 11.2.3
Implementation & Audit Guidance
What does it mean?
During the normal course of food production and manufacturing, product must be sampled
and analyzed either before, during or after production, to ensure that it meets specifications
and to verify food safety aspects.
Why is it in the Code & why is it important?
The site shall document a procedure outlining the methods established to test finished product,
work-in-progress and/or raw materials to ensure they meet specification in relation to food
safety. Inspections, test, or analysis of finished product must be finalized before delivery to a
customer. Finished product testing may be defined by the supplier and their customer.
The site must identify those with responsibility for sampling, inspecting, and testing finished
product, work-in-progress and/or raw materials and identify the methods used to collect
samples and complete these tests, inspection, and analyses. These individuals are to be trained
in the appropriate sampling or testing techniques relevant to their responsibility.
The types of testing that are conducted on finished product should be determined by the
finished product specification. Examples are varied, depending on the nature of the test for
food safety or quality and can include sensory analysis (e.g., taste, color, flavor, odor), physical
(e.g., count, weight, size, texture), chemical (e.g., fat, salt, moisture, Aw, brix, pH), or
microbiological (e.g., aerobic plate count, yeast and mold, coliforms, lactics). It should be
noted that if pathogens (e.g., Salmonella spp., E. coli (STEC), Listeria monocytogenes) are found
on finished product, that product should not be released into the marketplace until test results
are obtained and negative results are verified. If microbiological retesting is required, the
sampling plan and retesting must be more robust than the original sampling plan to ensure the
validity of results. It is not valid to simply retest a sample when results are obtained that are not
desired by the site.
If external laboratory analysis is used, the supplier must demonstrate that such analysis is
completed by a recognized laboratory that is accredited to ISO 17025 or an equivalent national
standard, and one that uses recognized industry standard methods. When checking the
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Product Sampling, Inspection, and Analysis
Edition 9 Guidance Document
accreditation status of the laboratory, be sure to check that the testing method is under the
laboratory’s scope of accreditation. These methods may be described in the specifications.
If in-house sampling and testing is conducted for raw materials, finished product and work in
progress of critical food safety tests, then the interpretation of the following code requirements
would be identified as meeting the applicable requirements to ISO 17025.
SQF Code
How the code applies to ISO 17025
Requirement
[Link] – Food The site should be able to demonstrate the available resources and
Safety Culture competencies to support the services necessary to manage and
perform its sampling and testing activities.
[Link] – Reporting Selection and job descriptions for personnel conducting sampling and
Structure testing methods should be included in the site’s organizational structure.
The reporting structure should ensure the impartiality of the laboratory
activities and shall not allow the commercial, financial, or other
pressures to compromise impartiality.
2.2.3 – Records The site shall demonstrate that the records of the results of the food
safety tests have been verified, maintained.
[Link] – Contract External laboratories, calibration service providers are to be included in
Service Providers the site’s contract service provider list.
[Link] – Product Identification and documentation of the appropriate tests respective to
Sampling, food safety when inspecting, and/or analyzing raw materials, work-in-
Inspection and progress, and finished product.
Analysis Testing and sampling methods are to be representative of the batch,
suitable to the environmental conditions and activities so that the results
are not adversely affected and completed at regulator intervals
according to specifications and legal requirements.
[Link] – Product Sampling and testing methods should be conducted following
analysis nationally recognized method or company requirement.
Proficiency testing should be conducted to calibrate the performance
of the laboratory personnel and/ or the test methods and checked
against an accredited external laboratory at least once per year.
External laboratories are be accredited to 17025 or equivalent.
[Link] – On-site Location of the internal or laboratory site shall not pose a risk to food
laboratories safety. Laboratories should include signage restricting access to
authorized personnel.
[Link] – Managing Proper containment and disposal of laboratory waste and good
laboratory waste laboratory practices are to be followed.
[Link] – Retention The site should store retention samples according to the typical storage
samples conditions of the product.
[Link] – Records Record retention for all inspections and analyses and reporting of results
are to be maintained.
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Product Sampling, Inspection, and Analysis
Edition 9 Guidance Document
2.4.5 – Non- When results do not meet specification or achieve the ideal result,
conforming action should be taken when test results do not meet identified
Product specification or regulatory requirements. The identified product should
be handled so that the non-conforming product does not enter
commerce.
[Link] – Positive If the event that the site uses a successful result prior to product release,
product release the site is to have in place methods to ensure that the product is not
released until al acceptable results have been received.
[Link] and [Link] – Training of personnel involved in sampling and test methods for food
Training of safety tests is to be conducted and training records maintained.
personnel
11.2.3 – Calibration Calibration of laboratory equipment should be included in the site’s
program calibration program. This shall include maintaining records of sampling
and testing equipment.
See RIO Chart on following page.
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Product Sampling, Inspection, and Analysis
Edition 9 Guidance Document
RIO Road to Audits (Records, Interviews, and Observations)
Records Interviews Observations
The following are examples of The following are examples of The following are examples of
records and/or documents to people to interview to assist in observations to assist in the
assist in the implementation the implementation and implementation and review
and review of this topic: review of this topic: of this topic:
Methods for sampling, Laboratory manager Sampling and testing of
inspecting, and/or QA technician an in-house test.
analyzing raw materials, Human Resources (or On-hold area for raw
finished product and work responsible department materials, finished
in progress. for training) product, and work in
Specifications for raw progress.
The following are examples of
materials, finished
product and work in questions to ask to assist in
progress. the implementation and
Training records of review of this topic:
relevant personnel.
What are the tests that
Accreditation records (or are conducted at the
equivalent) if outside site? What tests are
laboratories are used for critical to food safety?
food safety tests.
What is the reference
Test results and notable document used against
action. the test methods?
How are the results of the
tests analyzed? Are the
trends of the tests
analyzed?
Have there been micro
testing conducted? What
were the results?
Has there been
unfavorable results? What
was the action?
Additional References
ISO/IEC 17025: General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration
laboratories.
Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International – 18th Edition, Revision 3
June 2019 Learning Lunch Webinar: Proficiency Testing for your SQF Audit (Safe Quality
Food Institute YouTube Channel).
Guidance document for Proficiency Testing
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