By Lena Milton (Guest Writer)

The Importance of Food Safety Standards

Food safety is one of the most important aspects of the massive food chain-of-production, from slaughter to plate. As an umbrella for all aspects of safety, food safety includes both the processes used to protect workers during the production of food and food products, and the sanitation of said food.

Depending on the food product, ensuring food safety is a complex process, especially when you consider the numerous points of potential contamination in the production chain. From machine, to physical handling, to containing the food, to storage, every step is a potential point for contamination.

We don’t think about how what we eat gets to the plate much, if at all. And that’s by design, of course. Fancy branding and advertising is often meant to deliver the idea you’re getting a delicious, cohesive food product for cheap. But stop and ponder what goes on during the production process and you might wonder how it’s all kept “clean.” Because if it isn’t, the fallout effect of potentially contaminated food reaching potentially millions of people is a concerning thought indeed.

Risks to Food Safety in Factories

While food safety in factories may seem complicated, maintaining food safety for both staff and actual product is a matter of following simple rules. Above all, cleanliness is key.

The rules surrounding cleanliness For example, while sanitation is critical for a meat production line and vegetable line, factories do produce these food items differently. All production mechanisms use different techniques, machines, and packaging standards, and food safety precautions must be tailored to the food item.

So, what issues threaten food safety in factories?

The main threat to food safety in factories is contamination.: Unfortunately, there are many possible points of contamination, including germs, disease, pests, and lack of cleanliness.

Improper handling of food in factories leads to cross-contamination and infestation. Without the proper protective attire, like gloves, hairnets, and aprons, skin-to-food contact is also a possibility. Without correct maintenance of machines, there is potential for damage and additional contamination.

Solutions: How Food Safety Is Maintained in Factories

Sanitization, organization, and proper personal protective equipment are all crucial parts of ensuring food safety. These steps must be taken at all points in the production chain, and should be documented. For example, it’s important to know which chemicals are used for sanitization, and what temperature certain perishable foods like meat were exposed to.

The problems mentioned above are also addressed with regulatory standards. Those standards are a mixture of federal law for food safety requirements, and the individual standards of the food production

company.

For example, in the U.S., the government mandates compliance with a set of food safety principles known as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles for all processing of seafood, juice, meat and poultry.

Frequent quality checks help ensure compliance with food safety regulations. In-house inspections are conducted to ensure all the quality control factors are met. In some cases, factories hire third-party inspectors to conduct thorough investigations. These third-party inspections are more common if the company has limited resources for its own in-house surveys, or, if there were physical limitations brought on by remote working and/or the Covid pandemic.

As you can see, food safety – especially in factories – is no small task. Food is a massive part of the US and world economy, accounting for over $1 trillion per year, with over 19 million jobs related to food service. That’s a lot of food! Therefore, maintaining a safe and clean distribution of food is extremely important. Anything from contaminated products to improperly stored food has the potential to reach millions of people and potentially cause widespread sickness.

In summation, food factory safety is a combination of federal regulatory standards, management oversight, quality worker conditions and cleanliness at every level.

Writer’s email address: lena_milton@alumni.brown.edu