each day's operation. If he observes decomposed fish, he can collect samples. If he notices insanitary conditions, he will record it with his camera. The sealing operation is critical. The can and cover are aligned in the lidder machine where the flared top of the can and the lid are loosely joined in the first step in making the top can seam. These cans are then conveyed into the sealer where the seam is completed under a vacuum. This final seaming operation presses out the seam and forces the sealing compound into the contact areas. The cans emerge from this machine with an internal vacuum and a seam that will maintain the contents commercially sterile. The old method of producing a vacuum was to punch a hole in the hot can after processing. Juice and steam would squirt high in the air. Then before the can cooled a drop of solder was placed over the hole. This primitive method was eliminated by a system of exhaust boxes which heated the open top cans. The invention of vacuum closing machines replaced the exhaust boxes. Employees are required by the cannery rules to examine can seams at regular intervals and to keep records on their findings. The FDA inspector visually inspects seams on sealed cans by running a finger around the edge to detect roughness, unevenness, or sharpness. He examines different code lots and determines if there are any defective cans. Gondolas or stacks of trays transport the sealed cans into large retorts for processing under steam pressure. The National Canners Association recommends processing times based on time-temperature studies designed to establish optimum conditions for producing a safe product. Half-pound cans are processed at 240° F. for either 75 or 80 minutes depending on whether they are to be air cooled or water cooled. Processing times are long to destroy any food poisoning organisms that might be present and also to soften the bones. Each canning retort is equipped with continuous recording time-temperature thermometers and a standardized mercury thermometer. Retorting records and can-seam examination records for code lots are kept on file two years. The FDA inspector carefully reviews retort records because under-cooked salmon may result in serious spoilage. Another check point for the FDA inspector is to ascertain if an employee is reviewing and endorsing all records at the end of processing Joan Bergy, consumer specialist, Seattle District, joined FDA in that position at Seattle in 1965. of each code lot. Cooling of the cans may be done in the retort with cold water or by air cooling outside the retort. All water used for cooling must contain one part per million residual chlorine to prevent possible recontamination of the sterilized cans. Generally, cans are not labeled but are stored to await shipment from Alaska to ports in the contiguous States via barge or steamship. In cannery lingo, cans are shipped "bright" (unlabeled). Depending on the cannery and the holding procedures used prior to canning, such as storage in ice, refrigeration, or freezing, it takes eight hours to several days for the salmon to make its way from the water to the inside of a can. Some canneries generate their own electrical power and provide a water system, and all develop pest control measures and engineer waste disposal. The inspector is concerned with the operation of these systems as they affect the quality of the food produced. The potability and constancy of the water supply is crucial because water is in contact with the fish throughout processing. The recommended practice is to use fresh water for the entire operation. In areas where water is in short supply, sanitized sea water is permitted during the preliminary operations in the fish house. After fish are butchered, fresh sanitized water must be used. The inspector reviews the kind of water used, the operations of the chlorinator unit, the daily records on the level of chlorine residual in the water, and the construction of the water system. Pests are controlled by several means, but screens, closed doors and windows, and buildings in good repair are the best deterrents of all. Inspections include review of the measures taken to exclude pests and a check for evidence of bird and vermin activity both inside and outside the plant. Sewage disposal is checked for routes of possible contamination. Discarded fish parts, referred to as "gurry," attract pests when disposed of close to the shoreline. To solve this problem one cannery has a barge that collects solid gurry and several times a week the barge tows it out to sea and unloads it. Others grind it up and pump it out into the bay area. This problem of solid waste disposal is a major one the industry must solve before 1972 to meet Federal and State standards for water quality that go into effect at that time. It's been a long day. The inspector and the plant superintendent sit down to discuss the inspection report. Because FDA's job is to assure that the food is processed under optimal conditions, the discussion focuses on deficiencies in the operation and plant improvements noted since the last inspection and other satisfactory conditions. The inspector supplies a list of his observations to the plant manager and invites discussion on any questions about his findings. The inspection is over but the effort to provide the consumer with a quality product continues. The Canned Salmon Control Plan, grandfather of all FDA voluntary compliance programs, made its debut 34 years ago. In the words of the National Canners Association, it is "an expression of a desire on the part of the salmon industry to improve the quality of its product and to restrain from the market any portion of its pack considered unmerchantable from any cause." The plan represents a cooperative effort on the part of the Food and Drug Administration, the salmon canners, and the National Canners Association whereby the canners agree to submit their product to the scrutiny of the NCA for a determination of its fitness for food and FDA grants an exemption from technical requirements of the law by permitting unlabeled cans to be shipped to facilitate buyer labeling at distribution points. Under the leadership of Franklin D. Clark, Regional Food and Drug Director, Seattle, and Walter Yonker, Director, Northwest Research Laboratory, National Canners Association, the plan calls for a minimum of one annual inspection of all member plants by FDA and NCA. Plants must meet minimum requirements as described concerning raw materials, plant sanitation, water supply processing, finished product, waste disposal, and sanitary and operational procedures. If a plant is operating under conditions that do not meet these requirements as reported by the NCA or FDA inspectors, the Regional Food and Drug Director confers with NCA and the packer on the problems and if conditions warrant it the firm is suspended from the plan. A follow-up inspection is made to determine if improvements have been made. A plant may be reinstated if it meets the requirements of the plan; if not, the suspension continues and the product is subject to regulatory action by FDA. The consumer benefits from the twofold protection of the plan and the law. This year, 78 canneries who produce more than 99 percent of the Nation's canned salmon are participating in this voluntary plan. The FDA's Seattle District expects to expend a total of six man-years of inspectional, analytical, and administrative time in carrying out its responsibilities under the plan and inspecting canneries that are not participating in the program. Quality is the goal of the Canned Salmon Control Plan. In addition to inspections the Northwest Research Laboratory of the National Canners Association at Seattle examines representative samples of every code lot of canned salmon. Check points in this evaluation include decomposition, can seams, measurement of vacuum, net weight of contents, ratings on color and amount of oil and liquid, presence of water markings and bruises or other handling marks, and evidence of poor cleaning or filling. The code lot is given a rating which serves as a "report card" to the cannery and to companies buying the product for their labels. Is the plan working? Over the years significant improvements have been made in the Canned Salmon Control Plan. Within the past three years the NCA has placed increased emphasis on finished product examination to pick up conditions, such as decomposition, that would make the code lot unmerchantable for any reason. Statistics on the results of the NCA examination of every code lot demonstrate that the quality of the pack has improved. FDA inspection reports indicate that the general level of sanitation has risen with the increased emphasis on cleanup schedules and procedures. Inspectors report a change in plant attitude: they say there is more awareness of the need for sanitation in all phases of the operation. An estimated half-million dollars has been spent by industry on improvements in the past four years. Processing plants, once burdened with worn wooden equipment in years past, have become showplaces of the industry. The record is still not perfect, but in the words of Mr. Clark, "We have a lot less trouble now than before." During 1970 some 65 to 75 million salmon are expected to be harvested from the waters of Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. If the catch materializes, 3.75 million cases of canned salmon will be produced to stock the shelves of every grocery store in America. RESULTS OF NORTHWEST RESEARCH LABORATORY'S EXAMINATION OF CANNED SALMON NUMBER OF CANS TOTAL PACK IN CASES 1967 3,225,000 167,272 1968 4,100,000 303,040 1969 3,250,000 167,393 NUMBER OF CASES 12,448 18,642 6,395 NUMBER OF CASES 2,324 each day's operation. If he observes decomposed fish, The sealing operation is critical. The can and cover Employees are required by the cannery rules to Gondolas or stacks of trays transport the sealed the bones. Each canning retort is equipped with continuous Joan Bergy, consumer specialist, Seattle District, joined FDA of each code lot. Cooling of the cans may be done in the retort with Generally, cans are not labeled but are stored to Some canneries generate their own electrical power The potability and constancy of the water supply Pests are controlled by several means, but screens, Sewage disposal is checked for routes of possible It's been a long day. The inspector and the plant The inspection is over but the effort to provide the consumer with a quality product continues. The Canned Salmon Control Plan, grandfather of all FDA voluntary compliance programs, made its debut 34 years ago. In the words of the National Canners Association, it is "an expression of a desire on the part of the salmon industry to improve the quality of its product and to restrain from the market any portion of its pack considered unmerchantable from any cause." The plan represents a cooperative effort on the part of the Food and Drug Administration, the salmon canners, and the National Canners Association whereby the canners agree to submit their product to the scrutiny of the NCA for a determination of its fitness for food and FDA grants an exemption from technical requirements of the law by permitting unlabeled cans to be shipped to facilitate buyer labeling at distribution points. Under the leadership of Franklin D. Clark, Regional Food and Drug Director, Seattle, and Walter Yonker, Director, Northwest Research Laboratory, National Canners Association, the plan calls for a minimum of one annual inspection of all member plants by FDA and NCA. Plants must meet minimum requirements as described concerning raw materials, plant sanitation, water supply processing, finished product, waste disposal, and sanitary and operational procedures. If a plant is operating under conditions that do not meet these requirements as reported by the NCA or FDA inspectors, the Regional Food and Drug Director confers with NCA and the packer on the problems and if conditions warrant it the firm is suspended from the plan. A follow-up inspection is made to determine if improvements have been made. A plant may be reinstated if it meets the requirements of the plan; if not, the suspension continues and the product is subject to regulatory action by FDA. The consumer benefits from the twofold protection of the plan and the law. This year, 78 canneries who produce more than 99 percent of the Nation's canned salmon are participating in this voluntary plan. The FDA's Seattle District expects to expend a total of six man-years of inspectional, analytical, and administrative time in carrying out its responsibilities under the plan and inspecting canneries that are not participating in the program. Quality is the goal of the Canned Salmon Control Plan. In addition to inspections the Northwest Research Laboratory of the National Canners Association at Seattle examines representative samples of every code lot of canned salmon. Check points in this evaluation include decomposition, can seams, measurement of vacuum, net weight of contents, ratings on color and amount of oil and liquid, presence of water markings and bruises or other handling marks, and evidence of poor cleaning or filling. The code lot is given a rating which serves as a "report card" to the cannery and to companies buying the product for their labels. Is the plan working? Over the years significant improvements have been made in the Canned Salmon Control Plan. Within the past three years the NCA has placed increased emphasis on finished product examination to pick up conditions, such as decomposition, that would make the code lot unmerchantable for any reason. Statistics on the results of the NCA examination of every code lot demonstrate that the quality of the pack has improved. FDA inspection reports indicate that the general level of sanitation has risen with the increased emphasis on cleanup schedules and procedures. Inspectors report a change in plant attitude: they say there is more awareness of the need for sanitation in all phases of the operation. An estimated half-million dollars has been spent by industry on improvements in the past four years. Processing plants, once burdened with worn wooden equipment in years past, have become showplaces of the industry. The record is still not perfect, but in the words of Mr. Clark, "We have a lot less trouble now than before." During 1970 some 65 to 75 million salmon are expected to be harvested from the waters of Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. If the catch materializes, 3.75 million cases of canned salmon will be produced to stock the shelves of every grocery store in America. RESULTS OF NORTHWEST RESEARCH LABORATORY'S EXAMINATION OF CANNED SALMON NUMBER OF CANS NUMBER OF CASES TOTAL PACK IN CASES EXAMINED 1967 3,225,000 167,272 1968 4,100,000 303,040 1969 3,250,000 167,393 RECONDITIONED 12,448 18,642 6,395 NUMBER OF CASES 2,324 |