Association of producers and operators of certified food ice
Association of producers and operators of certified food ice
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Why we use a MARK ON THE ICE?

The mark is a distinguishing feature that helps the consumer to make the right choice quickly and easily. It confirms that the package contains a completely safe product made by a responsible manufacturer verified by an independent certification body.
Let us take a look at everything in detail. See how is the food ice industry in Poland. Ice can be found in almost every shop or market and in every bar or restaurant. At first glance, ice production is simple and undemanding and this is probably why small ice cube manufacturers 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. Hence the idea to introduce a mark to be placed on trustworthy ice cube packaging. The mark is used by ice cube manufacturers who adhere to certain standards, are regularly audited by external certification bodies, and have the relevant documents to prove the safety of the product. Only manufacturers authorised to use the mark know how important it is to regularly test the raw material (water), and the final product, continuously train their 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.
In summary, for the sake of health and safety, choose wisely and select products in packaging bearing the Certified Food Grade Ice mark.

The table below specifies guidelines that ice manufacturers must meet to use the mark and display it on product packaging. For comparison, the first column shows the guidelines imposed by law and applicable to Polish manufacturers. It is not difficult to see that manufacturers who wish to use the mark have to make considerable changes in their approach to producing consumer-safe ice.
We hope that the bar we have set will become a benchmark for the ice-making process and common practice in the future, as it is for other food products.

Areas of risk identification
Polish law requirements
znak-certyfiku-maly
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.
Product safety for consumers shall be continuously monitored 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.
Raz w miesiącu, oraz po każdym przestoju technologicznym
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 finished product shall be tested once a month and after each process downtime.
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.

Stowarzyszenie Producentów i Operatorów Certyfikowanego Lodu Spożywczego, (Association of producers and operators of certified food ice) KRS [National Court Register] No. 0000784552, REGON [National Official Business Register] No. 383424111, NIP [VAT] No. 7010927104 
00-630 WARSZAWA, ul. POLNA 24/7

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