The modern consumer demands that food products be free from harmful contaminants that could lead to illness. Growers, shippers, retailers, wholesalers, and restaurants are all required to ensure there are no food safety in the processing Industry mistakes.
Consumers have demonstrated that they will hold every food supplier in the supply chain accountable for food-borne illness. In addition to the public health impact, food-borne illness is extremely costly to the food industry. Therefore, it is critical to eliminate any food safety issues from the processing industry.
Food Safety In The Processing Industry
Contaminations can occur at any point in the supply chain. However, food service operators hold a significant share of the responsibility. They are often the final line of defense between the food and the customer.
Manufacturing Practices
According to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) are the controls, equipment, facilities and methods of producing processed foods. The goal of GMPs is to create the minimum sanitary and processing requirements for the production of safe food for consumption. These are critical to regulatory control and help eliminate food processing safety mistakes.
The best food processing companies closely implement GMPs which should be used in conjunction with quality standards and inspection requirements as well as on the production line and throughout the entire manufacturing facility.
Personal Hygiene of Food Handlers
The food processing stage is one of the most important stages in the food chain, and those responsible for performing the duties involved in this stage assume major responsibilities in the prevention of food poisoning cases. The food processing staff should include healthy individuals who do not have any diseases, and they should undergo regular medical check-ups. In addition to being healthy, it is also important that the workers take particular care for their personal hygiene and execute proper food handling behavior. This is especially important because food handlers can cause cross-contamination between raw and cooked foods, and they may jeopardize food hygiene by improper preparation, cooking and storage of foods.
Food safety systems
Effective food control systems are needed to improve the applicability and control of food safety. Currently, HACCP, ISO 22000 and PAS 220 are the most commonly used internationally approved food safety systems.
What are Food Safety In The Processing Industry Challenges?
In addition to daunting communication challenges, companies and government agencies are finding additional challenges as they embrace a risk management approach. A critical one is the “informatics” capability of the food industry. Food safety risk management systems thrive on real-time access to information that measures and integrates the performance of the various factors that contribute to food safety.
This information typically involves multiple products and processes that utilize ingredients gathered from around the world and cross multiple industry sectors and national boundaries. The informatics systems needed to optimize food safety risk management decision making generally exceed the capabilities of major corporations and will be a significant challenge to small- and medium-sized companies and many national governments.
Conclusion
Food safety ultimately deals with the consumption stage, where the existence and level of the dangers caused by foods are of chief concerns. The observance of rigorous control procedures throughout the course of the food chain is a fundamental necessity, given that risks to food safety can surface in any stage of the chain. Therefore, all parties involved in the food chain share the responsibility for ensuring food safety.
The design of a food safety system involves numerous factors. To begin with, minimum hygiene standards should be determined by laws and regulations, food producers must apply food safety measures and procedures and official bodies must supervise and inspect food industry companies to confirm that they are conducting their operations in a manner consistent with the regulations in force.
Food poisoning cases that threaten public health globally occur as a result of the contamination of foods. Although the factors jeopardizing food safety seem to be easy to control in theory, studies indicate that there is still a long way to go.
What can Fortress Nutrition LLC do for you?
Rest assured that you’re in good hands with Fortress Nutrition. To learn more about how we tailor our blending, ingredient sourcing, logistics, consumer packaging, and other services to meet customer needs, and to find out how we can partner with you to ensure compliance with new GMO laws, contact us today.