Food safety is an important feature for any business operating within the food industry.

Adhering to the necessary food safety standards and regulations can help prevent outbreaks
of food-borne illnesses such as salmonella and mad cow disease.

There are a lot of factors which food processing businesses need to consider when ensuring
food safety is adhered to. However, there are 10 ways in which you can ensure that food
safety is applied to your business.

1. Pest Control
Pest control plays an important part in food safety. Troublesome insects such as cockroaches
and flies can help spread diseases which can lead to the development of food-borne illnesses.
Rodents also spread diseases as well as causing damage to building fixtures and machinery.

Investing in pest control monitoring and detection can help prevent pests from entering a food
processing establishment, assisting in the compliance of food safety.

Learn how Rentokil helped food processing businesses with the proper food safety
requirements using myRentokil.

2. Waste Management
Providing the appropriate procedures for the removal and storage of waste helps to ensure
proper food safety practices are followed.

The BRC Global Standard for Food Safety states and advises how waste management should
be dealt with to meet the correct food safety regulations. They explain that:

“Waste disposal shall be managed in accordance with legal requirements and to prevent
accumulation, risk of contamination and the attraction of pests.”

Click to view full infographic

You can view the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety issue 7 here.

3. Cleaning
Establishing proper cleaning and disinfection programmes can ensure food safety is
compiled. Ensuring the correct hygiene standards are met will help reduce the risk of a
foodborne illness outbreak.

Properly disinfecting food preparation areas as well as cleaning machinery and utensils used
within the food processing cycle will eliminate the microorganisms that cause food
poisoning, ensuring the food products created aren’t contaminated.

Adhering to the correct cleaning processes will also reduce the risk of, and prevent, pests
such as rodents, flies and cockroaches in food preparation and processing areas.

4. Maintenance
Establishing proactive maintenance measures for food processing machinery ensures they run
smoothly and properly, and contributes to the production of safe foods.

An article from the Food Safety Magazine states that a number of food-borne illness
outbreaks can be linked to the failure of ensuring equipment is properly maintained under the
correct sanitary conditions. They provide an example of a botulism outbreak in the early
1980’s which was caused by improperly performing can reformer machines.

Pests such as rats and mice can often affect the way in which machines perform, gnawing at
the power cables and contaminating the components that have direct contact with the
products.
Learn more about food-borne illness

5. Personal hygiene
Installing the correct facilities for staff to ensure proper personal hygiene is met contributes
towards meeting food safety requirements.

Bacteria can easily be spread through biological and physical contamination. This can put
foods at high risk of carrying food-borne diseases.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland state that the 3 things need to be considered when
ensuring proper hygiene practices are met:

 Hand Washing – Ensure effective hand washing techniques are followed.

 Hand Contact – Try to minimise direct hand contact with raw food.
 Disposable Gloves – Ensure gloves can be used safely and disposed of properly.

Learn more about personal hygiene and food safety in the FSAI’s Food Hygiene.

6. Environmental hygiene
Food processing facilities rely on the use of potentially dangerous chemicals for sanitation
and pest control. Because of this attention has to be applied to reduce the risk of accidental
environmental contamination during the food processing cycle.
Food safety practices need to be applied to ensure the chemicals used during the food
production cycle do not contaminate the food products created.

Learn how your business can benefit from Integrated Pest Management

7. Correct handling, storage & transport

On top of food production and preparation, food safety also has to be applied during
handling, storage and transportation. A range of factors needs to be considered during these
stages to ensure food products do not become contaminated. Temperature, hygiene, and cyber
security are all factors which need to considering during these stages of the food supply
chain.

The FSAI provide a guidance on the Sanitary Transportation of Food for all sectors of the
food industry. It broadly discusses applicable recommendations for controls to prevent food
safety problems during transportation.

8. Facilities location & Design

The design and location of a food processing facility need to be taken into account when
ensuring food safety is met to the correct standards. Areas which are known to be pest “hot
spots” as well as prone to pollution need to be avoided to reduce the risk of contamination.

The BRC Global Standard for Food Safety states:

“The production site shall be suitable size, location and construction, and be maintained to
reduce the risk of contamination and facilitate the production of safe and legal finished
products”
Click here to learn more about the economic impacts of pest infestation to your business

9. Machinery & production line design

The design of machinery used within food processing has to be taken into account to comply
with food safety regulations. There is specific legislation in place to ensure certain criteria are
met in regards to the design of machinery used in food processing to ensure all food handling
is performed to a high standard of hygiene.

The 10 principles are:

1. Cleanable to a microbiological level.

2. Made of compatible materials.
3. Accessible for inspection, maintenance, cleaning and sanitation.
4. No product or liquid collection.
5. Hollow areas hermetically sealed.
6. No niches.
7. Sanitary operational performance.
8. Hygienic design of maintenance enclosures.
9. Hygienic compatibility with other plant systems.
10. Validate cleaning and sanitizing protocols.

Learn more about the 10 principles here.

10. Staff training

Educating staff on how to ensure the proper food safety requirements are followed will help
reduce the risk of contamination.

Areas which staff should be trained about:

 Hand hygiene
 Food storage
 Food preparation
 Cleaning
 Pest Control

https://www.rentokil.ie/blog/food-processing-10-ways-to-ensure-food-safety/
Safe Food Processing
Reviewed by Wendy Marcason, RDN

Published June 23, 2015

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The United States' food supply is affordable, plentiful and one of the safest in the world – but
it is not completely risk-free. From farm to fork, food safety is a top priority and many
traditional food processing methods help minimize food safety risks, including canning,
freezing, drying, irradiation and pasteurization. These methods preserve food and destroy
bacteria that cause food poisoning, helping to keep food safe. Let's take a closer looks at
these methods.

Canning

In your cupboard, you may find canned tuna, canned vegetables or even foods you canned
yourself. The canning process has been a safe way to preserve food for 200 years. The food
quality and nutrient content of canned goods remain relatively stable as long as the container
and seal are intact, allowing for a long shelf life. Another safety advantage of canned foods is
that they are tamper-resistant — any opening is clearly evident.
Canning is simply cooking food at high temperatures in a sealed and sterile can or jar, which
destroys organisms that would cause spoilage – no need for preservatives. In addition,
canning removes nearly all pesticide residues during the washing and peeling steps of the
commercial canning process. Some nutrients can be lost during the heating process, but
canned foods are as nutritious as fresh and frozen foods, and can even be more nutritious than
fresh or frozen foods when handled improperly. Canned products are convenient, portable
and quick to prepare. Just reheat since they are already cooked during the canning process.

Note: Salt or added sugars are only used to enhance the flavor in canned foods, not as a
preservative, so look for cans with no added salt.

Freezing

Freezing is an excellent way to preserve foods such as vegetables, meat or fish for a very long
time. You can freeze almost any food, with the exception of canned food and eggs in the
shell. Freezing keeps food safe almost indefinitely, so the recommended storage times are for
quality alone. So what does freezing actually do?

Freezing is a food processing method that prevents the growth of bacteria, yeasts and molds
that cause food spoilage and food poisoning. This method keeps food safe by storing
perishable food well below the temperature at which harmful microorganisms thrive and
keeps foods out of the danger zone, between 40°F and 140°F. Freezing also helps retain the
nutrition and quality of foods for a longer period of time.

Drying

Among the oldest methods of preserving food, the drying process removes moisture
making perishable foods safe without refrigeration. Common dried foods include fruit,
vegetables, beans and nuts, or even fish, meat and poultry.

Drying removes the moisture from foods, leaving bacteria without a key ingredient to grow -
water. Dried foods can remain safe in dry, covered conditions at room or cool temperatures.
A preservative is generally used to keep dried protein-rich foods like meat, seafood and
poultry safe.

Pasteurization

Pasteurization is the process of heating foods such as raw milk, raw eggs and fresh juice to a
temperature high enough to destroy bacteria and inactivate most enzymes that cause spoilage.
Milk, eggs, soft cheeses and juice are commonly pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria.
Unpasteurized products can be harmful to everyone, but those at high risk of food poisoning
(pregnant women, older adults, young children and those with weakened immune systems)
should especially avoid any unpasteurized products.

Irradiation

Irradiation is used on wheat, flour, fruits, vegetables, spices, seafood, beans, shelled eggs,
raw poultry and red meats to control spoilage and eliminate foodborne pathogens.
Irradiation destroys bacteria, mold, fungi and insects by passing a field of radiant energy
through food, similar to how sunlight passes through a window. Often referred to as cold
pasteurization, irradiation uses no heat to destroy disease-causing bacteria and other
organisms. Irradiation extends the freshness of food and helps retain quality and safety
longer. Like other processing methods, irradiation is regulated and approved by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration. Whole foods that have been irradiated must be labeled.

While these food processing methods play a key role in keeping our food safe, these methods
cannot replace safe food handling practices in the home. Always remember the four easy
steps – wash, separate, cook and refrigerate and be sure to store, prepare and cook food in a
safe manner.

http://www.eatright.org/resource/homefoodsafety/safety-tips/food-poisoning/safe-food-
processing
Food Processing/Sanitizing

In food processing and sanitizing, having clear, easy-to-read signs in your facility is
important for employee safety, operational efficiency, and compliance with EPA, FDA,
OSHA, and/or other regulations. However, because equipment and facilities are thoroughly
cleaned on a regular basis, posting proper signage can prove difficult—the strong, harsh
chemicals used for cleaning food processing equipment cause most signs to deteriorate
quickly.

Having to regularly replace safety and instructional signs can be both costly and time-
consuming, and damaged, worn out, or illegible signs can lead to hefty fines from safety
inspectors. To solve these problems, Lomont IMT offers durable, customizable plastic signs,
tags, and LOTO placards that will stand up to the harsh chemicals and tough working
environments found in food processing/sanitizing plants while providing all the information
you need to present, exactly as you want it presented.

Lomont’s products are the best on the market. They can withstand daily cleaning cycles and
harsh environmental conditions, and, thanks to our in-house graphic design team, can be
manufactured with permanent text, numbering, bar codes, diagrams, logos, graphics, and
more to meet your exact requirements. They can even be made with metal or x-ray detectable
materials. That way, if a piece of a sign or tag does make its way into the food processing
stream, it will be easy to find using metal detection and x-ray scanning equipment. Our
products are cost-effective, customizable solutions for your safety, visual management, and
corporate/regulatory compliance needs.

From cleaning chemical labels to instructional placards on the production line

https://www.lomontimt.com/food-processing-sanitzing.html