National Food Safety Month: Tips for Maintaining Food Safety in Your Facility
In today's news, we see a growing number of reports concerning contaminated food items and recalls. The solution to preventing these issues within the food manufacturing industry lies in the implementation of enhanced food safety measures.
Implementing Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and additional safety measures are essential steps to safeguard against food contamination. Processing incoming supplies, packaging finished products into shipping boxes, and all other phases of the production process come with risks that should be mitigated. To help mitigate these risks and implement enhanced food safety measures we have put together a list of tips for better food safety within food processing facilities.
1. Clear Communication
Does your team have clear and effective communication in their day-to-day? Often facilities can be noisy so it's important that not only utilize verbal communication but utilize safety signs as well. Providing crucial information via easy-to-read visual aids is an easy way to improve communication and reinforce proper food safety measures.
2. Prioritize Sanitization
In addition to limiting the risks of harmful microorganisms or pathogens in food, prioritizing sanitization can also reduce to spread of illness among workers. Be sure to review your sanitation procedures to avoid food recalls and unnecessary sick days.
3. Increase Quality Checks
Additional quality checks can often prevent public health risks that lead to product recalls. GMPs address quality and safety; however, food plants can create hazard analysis and critical control point plans to take quality assurance to a new level at the most critical control points.
4. Machine Maintenance
While regular maintenance ensures that machines keep functioning properly, it can also uncover potential contamination sources.
A simple and effective way to start implementing the above tips for enhanced food safety measures is through properly placed Operational and Safety Signs. O&S signs ensure your employees have access to necessary information about requirements and procedures that will help maintain food safety.
