HOW DO
WE DO IT?
WHY A MARK ON THE ICE?
The mark is a distinguishing feature that enables quick and easy decision-making. It confirms that the package contains a safe product made by a responsible manufacturer and verified by an independent certification body. But let’s start from the beginning... Let’s take a closer look at the ice industry in Poland. In nearly every shop or supermarket, and certainly in every bar or restaurant, you’ll find ice. At first glance, it seems like a simple, low-effort production process, which is likely why the number of small ice cube producers spring up like mushrooms. At the moment, there are about 100 ice cube manufacturers in Poland! In addition, almost every restaurant or bar has an ice cube maker, either large or small, in the back room, as do hotel corridors. Ice is ubiquitous, needed, and used by millions of people. But is all ice the same? Certainly not. Most manufacturers, not being, or not wanting to be, aware of the potential risk, focus solely on meeting minimum sanitary requirements. As a result, they do not have to increase their costs, invest in equipment, and increase the quality and safety of their products. While this is understandable in industries where products require less care and do not pose an immediate risk, this is unacceptable in the food industry.
Only at first glance is the product undemanding and simple to create and only a conscious and responsible manufacturer releases the safe product on the market. This is why we have made ice cube packaging stand out by adding our mark to it. We know how important it is to regularly test the raw material (water) and the final product. We continuously train our staff, regularly clean and check the ice production and packaging equipment, properly store and transport it, and ensure the food contact safety of all components used in production.
Please, refer to the table below. The first column lists the legal guidelines applicable to Polish manufacturers, while the second column outlines the standards we have set for ourselves to make our ice stand out.
| Areas of risk identification | Polish law requirements | Certified Food Grade Ice requirements |
|---|---|---|
|
Packaging |
Marking shall meet the requirements of current legislation. |
Unit and collective packages shall be marked in accordance with the requirements of current legislation and designed to attract the attention of consumers. Unit packages shall be made of film approved for food contact as confirmed by migration and specific migration tests and the manufacturers’ declaration of conformity. Packaging shall provide adequate strength to prevent spontaneous and uncontrolled unsealing. |
|
Testing of the main component (water) |
Intake water shall be tested once a year prior to production. |
Intake water shall be tested four times a year (once a quarter) prior to production. The water’s pH shall be constantly monitored. |
|
Preparation of water for ice production |
No requirements. |
Multi-stage filtration with mechanical filters, including reverse osmosis, is required. The water pH and conductivity shall be constantly monitored. All water shall be sterilised by high-performance UV lamps before freezing. |
|
Microclimate in the production area |
No requirements. |
Controlled temperature and humidity in the production area are required. Sensitive areas shall be sterilised with UV lamps. |
|
Supervising the sanitary safety of the production line and the production area |
No requirements. |
Dirty and clean areas shall be separated with a disinfection lock before entering the production area. It is also required to wash and disinfect hands each time, disinfect footwear, and provide clean protective clothing, shoe protectors, and caps for those entering the area. Machinery and equipment shall be kept microbiologically clean (disinfection of industrial ice machines: once a month; disinfection of ice cube makers: once a week; ongoing disinfection of packaging lines in direct contact with the open product: once a fortnight and after any downtime lasting more than 96 hours; disinfection of other equipment in the production area: once every two months and after any downtime lasting more than 96 hours; thorough disinfection of all machinery in the production area: once a quarter). The effectiveness of the measures shall be confirmed by internal random swabs of equipment in direct contact with the product (once a fortnight) and swabs from all equipment in direct contact with the open product – testing of swabs for bacteria from the production line (four times a year/once a quarter). |
|
Supervising the safety of ice for consumers during production |
No requirements. |
Continuous surveillance of product safety for consumers with a metal detector in the production line and a system to identify glass and plastic in the production area |
|
Testing of the finished product (ice) |
No requirements. |
The finished product shall be tested once a month and after each process downtime. |
|
Control of the net weight of the contents of unit packages |
The weight shall be tested using the reference method (e.g. testing ten unit packages from one pallet of 500–1000 units). |
The weight of each product unit package shall be monitored on an ongoing basis. |
|
Full traceability system for all parts of the finished product; traceability and recall of defective products |
No requirements. |
Materials, raw materials, and finished products shall be tracked in the chain, from supply, to production, warehousing, and onward logistics of final products, with full traceability of each unit package. The Traceability and Recall system allows for immediate suspension and recall of defective products at any stage of the logistics chain. To control the correct functioning of the system, full traceability and recall tests are carried out four times a year. |
|
Sanitary inspections of manufacturers and operators |
Inspection prior to approval of the plant for production and marketing and ongoing inspections by local Sanitary Inspectorates on average once every three years shall be carried out in accordance with the HACCP checklist. |
Inspections shall be carried out at least once a year by independent accredited certification bodies according to a checklist with all identified areas and check points included in the Certified Food Grade Ice requirements. |
| Recommended additional areas of risk identification | Polish law requirements | Recommended solutions to increase control over product quality and sanitary safety |
|---|---|---|
|
Ice calibration (separation) |
No requirements. |
Irrespective of the method of production, ice cubes shall be constantly separated (calibrated) from fines and ice snow prior to packing in unit packages. |
|
Drying |
No requirements. |
Ice cube blow drying from surface water and final freezing before packaging reduce crystallisation of dew and water in unit packages and reduce risk of product caking and frosting. |
CRITICAL POINTS
With safety and high product quality in mind, we have focused on critical points that have a major impact on the final product.
| Raw materials: | ||
|---|---|---|
|
WATER |
PACKAGING |
PACKAGING MARKING |
|
– Osmotic water |
– Packaging approved for food contact, confirmed by current migration and specific migration test results and the manufacturers’ declaration of conformity |
– Durable designation ensuring product traceability from conception to retail sale |
|
– UV water sterilisation immediately before freezing for the final product |
– Providing adequate strength in sub-zero temperatures to prevent spontaneous and uncontrolled unsealing |
– Full traceability system for all parts of the finished product; traceability and recall of defective products |
|
– Production with a system to prevent water stagnation, which is conducive to the development of microorganisms |
| Safety and hygiene: | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Air: |
Premises: |
Clean machinery and equipment: |
|
– UV air sterilisation in sensitive areas of the open product – controlled temperature of <5 °C in the product transport and collective packaging area – controlled humidity of <60% in the packaging storage areas |
– Separate clean production area with a disinfection lock to protect against external hazards |
– Industrial ice machines:
• Regular disinfection (at least once a month and after any downtime lasting more than 96 h) – Ice cube makers: • Regular disinfection (at least once a week and after any downtime lasting more than 48 h) – Conveying and packaging lines in direct contact with the open product: • Ongoing disinfection (once a fortnight and after any downtime lasting more than of 96 hours) • Thorough disinfection of the production area (four times a year/once a quarter) – Cleanliness check: • Random swabs from surfaces of machinery and equipment in direct contact with the open product (once a fortnight) • Swabs from all equipment in direct contact with the open product: testing of swabs for bacteria from the production line (four times a year/once a quarter) |
Ongoing monitoring of the weight of each product unit package
Laboratory testing of the product (at least once a month and after each process downtime)
Testing of raw and production water (at least once a quarter)
1 – Water filtration
2 – Production of ice
cubes in the ice machine
3 – Ice discharge
into containers
4 – Ice drying
on carriers
5 – Ice packaging using
unit and collective
packages
