Packaging, Storage, Quality Control and Food Safety
What this domain tests
This domain tests packaging material choice, storage practice, the seven HACCP principles, food hazards, certification marks and mandatory labelling.
Packaging and storage
Packaging contains, protects, preserves, informs and gives convenience. Glass is inert but heavy; tinplate needs lacquer against corrosion; PET, HDPE, LDPE and PP suit different products; laminates make retort pouches; aseptic cartons combine UHT processing with sterile filling. Store with FIFO, in a cool dry place at about 50-60% relative humidity, off the floor and away from sunlight.
Quality control and food safety
Control raw materials, in-process steps and finished products. GMP covers facilities and practices, GHP covers hygiene, and HACCP is a preventive system with seven principles: hazard analysis, CCP identification, critical limits, monitoring, corrective action, verification and record keeping. ISO 22000 is a food safety management standard. FSSAI licensing is mandatory; Agmark and BIS marks are voluntary quality marks; Codex provides international reference standards.
Hazards are biological (Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli), chemical (pesticide residues, aflatoxin, cleaning agents) and physical (glass, metal, stones). FSSAI labels need the product name, ingredients, nutrition information, net weight, veg/non-veg mark, batch, date and licence number.
Worked example
For mango juice, raw mango may carry Salmonella. Pasteurization is the CCP; the critical limit is 90°C for 1 minute; the temperature recorder provides monitoring; under-processed juice is re-pasteurized or rejected; micro testing and record review verify the system.
Traps that cost marks
HACCP is not end-product testing. Agmark is not mandatory. A CCP is a step, not a hazard, and "best before" is not the same as "expiry".