Food safety is important, it’s also highly regulated. If you’re producing food or handling it you need to know the rules and regulations. Should you consistently fail to meet the right standards your business can be shut down?
Naturally, the biggest challenge in the food industry is to prevent bacteria from breeding. This causes a variety of diseases, some of which can be very serious. There are many factors that can affect the safety of the food and allow bacteria to flourish. It’s important to understand what these challenges are and how to deal with them.
The Production Process
There are two sides to the production process. The first is the physical handling of food. Your hands touch a wide number of items throughout the day. During this process, they can pick up bacteria and these are then transferred to the food. Fortunately, this is easy to avoid by washing your hands properly before and after handling food.
The other side of production is the equipment you use. This is where you need to invest in industrial food machinery. This type of machinery is developed to be easy to clean and resist bacteria.
Using non-industrial machinery increases the likelihood of tight corners where damp and food debris can collect. This attracts bacteria and mold which can cause serious health issues. Using the right equipment helps to ensure the machinery can be easily and properly cleaned.
Change in Practices
When you produce food you need to have a set approach. This allows you to assess the risk, ensure hygiene is considered, and find the most effective delivery system.
If you then change the system and take a different approach you need to redo the hygiene and risk assessments. If you don’t, you’ve opened a potential route for bacterial contamination and food safety issues.
Environmental Changes
Just as changing the procedures you use can encourage the arrival of bacteria, so can changing the environment. This can be as simple as installing a new heating or cooling system. If it’s more efficient it may affect the temperature that you’re storing food at, potentially damaging it.
Whenever you change the food environment you need to be certain that it is still the best possible for your food preparation process.
New Bacteria
New bacteria and viruses are appearing all the time. The majority of them will be rendered useless if you stick to your current hygiene processes. But, you need to stay abreast of emerging bacteria and other potential issues. This will help to ensure you take the appropriate action before you have an issue. The alternative is to deal with it and the potential damage to your reputation afterward.
Don’t forget to consider how consumers’ preferences can change. This can influence the products you make or how you make them. While this is necessary for the survival of your business, it’s also a great way to decrease the food safety standards you have in place. Proceed with caution.