Food Safety Inspection For Honey Packers
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- Опубліковано 28 гру 2021
- Each year we have to pass a "Third Party Food Safety Audit And Inspection" in order to do business with larger grocery store chains. If you are considering growing your honey packing business you may want to watch this.
www.nsf.org/
www.ehagroup.com/food-safety/ - Домашні улюбленці та дикі тварини
This industry, from the back yard bee keepers to the commercial ones is the most publicly transparent that I’ve ever seen in any industry and you are at the front of the pack.
A sign of a good operation, steps of professionalism
Thanks.👍
O wow.
And people complain about high prices and how much money business owners make. I always tell them, you are so smart, go ahead and show us how it is done!
Congrats! Very interesting video. Very informative. I'm in VA thinking about going Corporate and it gave me a good idea of what I need to do
Working in production plants for 8 years, eventhough I haven't worked with food all that time, I'm not supprised at all the paperwork. Lots of people don't ever think what it really takes to run a buisness. I have respect for anyone that can hold it all together on a large scale, no matter what the buisness is.
I can relate. I’m a ISO 9001 Qualty Managment Systems Auditor. I do manufacturing facilities. Believe it or not, you’re actually getting off pretty easy compared to what I look for in manufacturing facilities.Sounds to me like you got your ducks well in a row.👍
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Ugh. Nuff said.
Yes sir. I’m currently still in a beekeeper lawsuit. It’s not something anyone wants to think about. But I think you could make a video to explain the importance of having liability insurance. I have mine through the bee co-op. Life saver. Anyone can be sued for anything. You have to defend yourself. That’s expensive.
Good luck with your lawsuit.
All the regulations to pack honey and yet adulterated import honey seems to make it's way into our stores and food with little oversight.🤔 Great information your insights about the industry are always priceless.
Your point is very good. I especially like the "Organic Honey" coming in.
The US honey, or your local state honey suppliers should get together and chip in on marketing that promotes buying local. :)
As far as beekeeping and honey production goes that is the most frightening video I've ever seen.!
Happy to see your "incident log book" is the smallest binder on the table. Interesting info; thanks for posting and congrats on a successful audit.
Makes you kind of wonder what happened in the past to have all these regulations. Good video. Cured me from wanting to do business with big companies.
Lawyers.........................
Some of the problems is when companies get real big and owners are not running it. One day of production in some big processing facilities can hurt a lot of people real quick. Regulations should be set according to size. This would allow small businesses to come into existence but not over regulate them until things are going good for them and they are growing and then need more or the regulations
We just got through a Safe Quality Foods audit at my dad’s snack food manufacturing facility. I feel your pain, Bob! SO MUCH PAPERWORK
Thanks for sharing, I'm glad to be a hobbyist bee keeper
Any slight thought I ever had of becoming a commercial beek just disappeared by watching this😂. Thanks Bob.
I am a beekeeper (75 hives) in Ohio and also own a home in Blairsville, GA. My wife and I visited your store in Georgia last summer and was very impressed. You were not there the day we visited and I regret not being able to meet you. As a farmer in Ohio (corn and beans) we don't have the inspections associated with retail sales to corporations, but increasingly, we are required to do more record-keeping and registrations. Food safety is important, but what you are required to do for your business is over-whelming. If you happen to get an inspector that is in a bad mood or has some sort of "Napoleon Complex", he can put you out of business, or at the very least, cost you thousands of dollars. Thanks for doing the videos. I have been a beekeeper for a lot of years, but always learn something from watching them.
Thanks. We have been lucky to have had reasonable inspectors. I had one tell me that he wasn't here to put me out of business but that he was just here to help me do business better.
@@bobbinnie9872 Makes me wonder how my grandparents survived into their 90s without all of the so-called "help" we get today. Whatever happened to a free market system where bad vendors are weeded out because their product is substandard and good ones survive because they have time tested, trusted and satisfactory products....
Congratulations on your high scores. I had no idea how much was involved. Thank you for sharing.
Nobody's tests are all perfect. Our usda inspector tells us they have to find something. This is really good to show people the amount of documentation required for any food processing plants.
The world of liability protection, on the upside this should put every consumer of US food products at ease.
It's a voluntary process. The companies that go thru this are the bigger people in the industry. They use the certificate of compliance as a way of getting there product into bigger chain grocery stores.
While it does show that the grower/farmer/producer/pscker is trying their best to assess risks, and set up ways to mitigate those risks, it is not a guarantee. Me personally, I'd feel pretty safe about buying honey.
In think something like 70% of an food born illness is from fruit and vegetables.... and I think it's mostk6 from the wash water process of leafy greens at the packing facilities, or in the field, if they're field packing.
Really really incredible and important information. As someone planning a business (not honey), it’s amazing to see what other producers are required to do, have set up to do, and expect to do. Excellent planning and execution. Love this channel. Thanks, Bob
There are plenty of requirements, however a 3rd party audit such as this is voluntary.
....voluntary, except the big grocery stores and distributors probably won't do business with you if you don't get one.
Hello Bob there are a few things to say about these inspection. The way I look at it it shows how great your company is and that proven true because of the person you are and how much you care about doing everything correct. Also how much you care about the health an well being of the people that eat your products that is pass thru your company every day AND how much the people that work for you . That means they care about there job and how much they care about you . I do not know the people that work for you but it sound like you have a great work family also . Bob thanks for all the video’s and the time you have put into doing these video’s so we can learn also . Thanks
Hi Kathy. Thanks for the comment.
Good information Bob, thank you.
My goodness it's a lot of crap to go through!!!! Thanks Bob!!!
It's one of the reasons why the food supply is so safe in the US, because this is how commercial operations are prevented from cutting corners.
ya that is crazy ...thanks for the vids Bob ...cheers
🎙Great Information Bob Binnie ✍️ thanks 🙏🏻 Lots of work 🍯
Bob, I’ve been wondering how the big inspection went. I’m glad you had that off your chest before Christmas. Congrats!
Thanks 👍
Yep, Honey house after it was built has a State inspection.
Amazing in depth requirements, thanks for sharing Bob 👍🇺🇲
Best Wishes , Happy New Year !
Happy New Year. 👍🇺🇲
It's all about assessing and identifying risks to food safety.
Then, creating policies and implementing ways to mitigate or minimize those risks.
Lastly, keeping documents that demonstrate you're following your own SOP's and meeting whatever standard you're being audited to.
Bob, you will NEVER have to worry about me being a competitor in the honey business! lol Before I retired I was a software developer for the payroll system for a Healthcare Company and believe me when I say “I’ve dealt with my share of auditors”. It can be frustrating but you have to do it to keep the wheels rolling. Happy New Year!
Thanks Don, Happy New Year.
Amazing the food safety maze one has to navigate, all while Chinese product sits on grocery shelves.
Very good video Bob. I appreciate the detail and extent shown to ensure you have a very good product. It is well documented and independently verified. Congrats on the successful passing of the audit. I believe you are right in the importance of paying attention to the details. As I am a small beekeeper, I think many of the same things applies to us as well - cleanliness, ensuring we maintain a quality product (hive to bottle), etc. These details mean we care about what we do to ensure each bottle of honey is the best. Building trust - building repeat business. Thanks for sharing Bob.
Thanks. 👍
That's a lot of paperwork but, I guess they want you to be safe & honest. Good Luck ☘️ with it all.
Question Bob: Do you have similar 3rd party type inspections for selling packages, Queens or Nucs?
Thankfully no.
I'd rather be dealing with pissy hives instead of all that paperwork. 😀
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Good luck bro we know your are a stand up buisness man. They better work with you. Not the other way around GOD BLESS 🙏
Thanks,🙏
Bob: thank you very much for including videos like this - it is really enlightening for those of us who are considering growing our businesses. I hope you were able to make the most of the holidays, and didn't have to spend too much of it buried in those binders!
Hi Robert. It's always a relieve to have it behind me before Christmas.
Thanks for sharing and being honest about everything you definitely have a difficult job it’s way more work than just putting honey in a jar lol 😂 thank you and all the bee keepers for everything god bless you all
Thank you.
I retired from the Navy as the ships only medical person and this video reminds me of all the things I had to do from pest control to industrial hygiene to immunizations to physicals to hearing and sight conservation, galley and berthing inspections etc..all of which had to be logged, documented plus administrative paperwork I had to have on hand just like what you showed. I’m probably going to have nightmares now. 😬. Congratulations on your passing the “inspection “
Thanks. Sleep well.
That would be enough for me to 👎 They should have an easier system for small business. That’s fine for Big corporations but crazy for the small guy. God bless you for the effort to keep your employees working!
This IS the easier system for small businesses lol
I know exactly what you went through I work for kraft Heinz foods we go through this on a monthly basis not fun not fun at all
Regulations will keep increasing each year to the point where it's not worth it for anyone to continue except the Chinese.
Regulation overkill. Not surprising
Up here in Ontario, us farmers have to keep those detailed logs for our broilers. If we don't or fail the audit, we are penalized in quota. Gosh we get penalized in quota if we go over quota. The paperwork is equally important as caring for the birds to begin with. I can only imagine what our processors go through. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
Here in Canada, our provincially registered producer/packers are not heavily regulated but in order to supply the large chains, Loblaws, Sobey's, Metro/Food Basics, you'll be needing a CFIA license which is almost identical to Bob's. They collect random samples and conduct unannounced inspections. My wife and I operate a CFIA licensed facility. It's a pain.
That is a lot of binders! How do you get anything else done?
Your more over regulated than Australia. You ever been fined for any of those rules. ??? "Regulation" one for the book.
Definitely one for the book. I've always passed inspection.
That's why they pay you the big bucks LoL 👍. Just kidding, you are a inspiration to us all. So much going on behind the scenes. Thanks for giving us a look into your business process 👍👍
Thanks. If I'm getting the big bucks I'd hate to see what the little bucks looks like.
@@bobbinnie9872 I heard that man. I'm sure you have a lot of overhead. Just like most things in beekeeping it always looks better on paper, LoL 👍 thanks for your time again 👍
Impressive tracking records sir. To bad these state inspectors don't inspect "generic" foreign honey on the big store shelves. As the lawyer says, follow the money.
Reason #247 why not to start a commercial food business!
Imagine what it would be like if you were handling temperature sensitive products, or something that could easily spoil if not packed properly...
But, you also just showed us why we almost never get sick from food we buy at the store, because we have these standards, and the teeth to verify them.
And I have a feeling that you will still be able to sell all your honey, even if you lose one customer!
And maybe they will have problems with the whoever they switch to that has a lab, and offer to help you set up a lab if you will supply them lol
Hi Ben. I have found through the years that when one door closes another one generally opens. Thanks.
Thank you again Bob for sharing ! Question: any chance you could discuss your cleaning system ( wash/ dry/ sterlise) for glass and plastic honey containers. I watch a lot of posts from honey producers on "their honey house" process but i never see a STEP where they clean the glass ware /plastic before filling.
We purchase "pre-washed" containers and as long as they do not get contaminated in some way we're good to go. Honey is considered a "safe food" and is not in need of an absolutely sterile container but just simply a clean container. This isn't just my opinion. I've not had one inspector or auditor say a word about our process.
Thanks Bob it's the same here in Australia just makes me wonder how nearly 3rd world countries get their food products on our shelves🤔 oh and Happy New Year to you and your family and your AWESOME team cheers Dan from Aussie land
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Happy New Year Dan. Thanks. 👍
Thanks for sharing Bob. Any of this apply to me buying honey from you and reselling it in NC?
Are they giving you the books of guidelines or are you required to write up your own policies,training and systems?
The audit company we deal with (NSF International) has online classes and will give you a copy of the audit well before inspection which I highly recommend doing.
What was that higher standard you mentioned, it sounded interesting.
There are three levels of audit. Basic, which we are, intermediate and advanced. The company I spoke of wants us to jump up too advanced.
I don't think anyone enjoys an audit except, as you said, when it's over.
Your comments did make me think of the processes (e.g. HACCP) you follow and the way everything is geared toward ensuring compliance. In financial audits, we not only look for compliance with the system as documented but seek evidence of comparison against the "best of breed" examples and evidence of change control to show a company is not only benchmarking itself against the best companies out there but improving its internal systems to improve. Do you have something similar?
We have not been exposed to anything like that although it would be interesting to see.
Perhaps a video on the relation between your suppliers. How does a honey farmer become your supplier?
Thx
Good idea.
My brain hurts.
Me too.
Have you considered including a regulatory capture policy. Everyone else does it.
I had not heard of that so I looked it up. Scary but in today's climate very probable in some areas.
Been doing some pest control for grocery store down in Detroit .. birds keep getting into the store making a all over the place .. what we do for living wildlife control and bees. Thought about asking them to stock our honey I know the owners. Then I thought about all the red tape you mentioned in past videos I didn't even ask. I'll just keep selling it to other bee keepers and small mom and pop stores .. legally I can sell 15.000 a year retail if I put my name address phone number and warning label it's not inspected without a certified honey house .. local health inspector seen my honey for sale at gas stations and party stores around town asked me to add warning label to not feed to infants even thou it's not law I figured I'm better off staying on the lady's good side .. so I added it to the label. So do they test for sugar syrup in the honey ? Say someone was barrel feeding close by at the end of the flow before I had chance to pull honey would that show up in the government testing ? Don't think that would ever happen just wondering if they test for it ?
We occasionally get a "surprise" check for adulteration by the state of Georgia. So far we're all good. And yes, someone barrel feeding nearby would show up.
Yes. Our honey shows used to have a very big table full with funy - honey jars.. with 'beekeepers' information on them. It took 2,3 years and some black list names for them to realise they can't do that.
@@researcherAmateur must be pretty easy to determine if it's honey or not I take it
@@hootervillehoneybees8664 l don't really know how they do it. We used to sent the jars a month ahed. Now it's all stopped. Like those papers Bob has, we used to get it all.. from pesticid, fungicid to sugar.. and many other good stuff in it too.
I sell 90% of my honey to one buyer.. can't produce much this days.. it seems that summer drought is my new normal in this climat. I have to sent a jar of honey and a jar of wax capping. I get back the chemical analize paper (don't know how, but they know the % of sage / rosemary in it). If they find any % of fungicid, pesticid, Sunflower or similar monoculture pollen, they will not buy. If they like it the price is very good and they are happy to travel from Austrija to a small island in Croatia and buy all l have (all in jars) and pay for it. I have a contract with them.. that l will use only formic or oxalic with brood breaks. The honey must be from yellow wax frames.. no brood frames for honey. It's more than organic.. It's crazy.. But the money is crazy too..
They buy all my pollen and propolis too. Not that old propolis we scratch off the frames.
@@researcherAmateur we could use little less rain had all time record last June and July .. made for one heck of goldenrod flow but killed our summer .. mating flights were 50% returns at best normally in the high 90s . Started out dry I could have killed it but my production colony's we're still recovering from making up nucs. Changed that made up my nucs last August just going to over winter them so I don't miss those early flows. Takes way less and July August my best months for queen rearing only makes sense. Spring going to be more enjoyable not stressed about making up nucs in chilly weather
When starting this process how much time do they give you to comply or do you have to have the systems and controls in place and operational before they will consider you?
Many companies give you 28 days to comply (to fix your non conform issues) if you are already doing business with them. I'm not sure how it works with the audit company when getting prepared to approach a new business.
Is there any Open Source Software (or at least Free to Own and/or Use Software) for managing logs / automating this process?
There may be for some applications but we are best off with logs filled out by hand.
Is there a logbook for every sting. 😆
Thankfully not.👍
Is the honey coming from known Beehive farmers in America???
Yes, myself and others I know and trust.
I hate that kind of paperwork but I know it's important to some degree. Sometimes it's nonsense it seems.
My wife taught Early Childhood Education for kids with special needs and as the years went on the paperwork required kept increasing until she was spending more time doing paperwork then teaching kids. Which they would be limited in the amount of paperwork to keep the bureaucrats from bogging everyone down. It just creates more government jobs.
Russell, I think you nailed it.
Wow jumping thru hoops lol
Yes, many hoops. 🙂
Lasers and X-rays can't be good for Honey.
Honestly, I'm clueless about it.
👍🐝👍🐝👍
Thanks 🙂
Do they do this with honey being imported from other countries?
They do it for the businesses receiving it.
So the honey in Walmart is real?
They sell multiple brands, which one is Bob's? And of course he only sells it at Walmarts in the area not nationwide.
Russell is correct. We only sell to Walmart in north Georgia and under our own label.
Does your wife avoid you like I avoid my hubby before his audits? Different food...same documentation and BS.
She's much gentler in her approach at these times.👍
@@bobbinnie9872 I just keep mine well fed, stay out of the way, and handle everything else until they are over. It's exhausting for everyone.
Hate to hear you are losing a customer. Maybe one day it will be feasible to get the lab. You could be the Jeff Bezos of honey.
I'll leave that size to someone else.