There’s no denying that food manufacturing demands strict hygiene.
While many industries must comply with good hygiene practices to improve product quality and safety, hygiene and cleanliness is particularly vital in the food manufacturing realm. This is due to the type of environment that staff are constantly exposed to, meaning that it’s necessary to maintain their own personal hygiene to avoid contamination.
More importantly, employees involved in food processing and manufacturing are responsible for the public health and wellbeing of consumers. If they are equipped with the proper hygienic procedures and cleaning products – whether this be washroom services, protective floor mats, industrial cleaning equipment or professional workwear – then the product quality and general safety to everyone will be considerably maximised.
Let’s take a further glimpse into why hygiene matters in the Food Manufacturing industry!
Prevents Risk of Hazardous Contaminants
Hygiene is obviously crucial in the production and manufacturing of food (or beverages). Not only do they ensure both quality control and quality assurance throughout the entire manufacturing process, it means that these foods and beverages will be adequately suitable and safe for human consumption amongst the general public.
Keeping this food manufacturing process as hygienic as possible involves eliminating hazardous contaminants that could present a fatal risk to human health. There are 4 main types of food contaminants – chemical, microbial, physical and allergenic. Every food is at risk of contamination from these types. That’s why food manufacturers have a legal responsibility to protect the consumer and must take stringent measures to ensure that their food preparation is safe for everyone. Here’s a list of specific hazards to avoid:
- Microorganisms (e.g. bacteria, viruses, parasites and moulds)
- Toxins or metabolites produced by microorganisms
- Chemical residues e.g. from cleaning and sanitising agents, agricultural chemicals (namely pesticides), heavy metals, antibiotics and veterinary drugs
- Physical foreign matter (such as dirt, pieces of plastic and liquids)
Hygiene matters in food manufacturing because if these potential hazardous contaminants manage to get inside the final product, then there could be severe consequences involved. This could include many health risks such as food poisoning, salmonella and staphylococcus.
Minimise Food Spoilage & Negative Environmental Impact
Food hygiene also prevents food spoilage and minimises wastage, while also reducing the negative environmental impact. If your business takes the necessary steps to ensure that your products are completely hygienic and safe for everyone in the first place, then there’s no need to conduct a widespread product recall or massive product disposal – which in turn, leads to enormous environmental consequences.
Instead of contributing to environmental waste and pollution, you should invest in proper cleaning products and services to maintain food hygiene in the workplace, while also following industry-standard precautionary policies in the food manufacturing industry. This is a proactive way of ensuring that both food hygiene and environmental sustainability go hand-in-hand.
To reduce food waste, many food manufacturing businesses, retailers and other food service operators are taking improved measures such as tracking how much they throw away, donating leftover food and composting. As both laboratories and kitchens introduce these new processes, it is important that there are also strict food hygiene practices to minimise potential hazards, while also improving the industry’s eco-footprint.
Need A Clean & Hygienic Work Environment?
The food processing industry should always prioritise hygiene.
Alsco can provide solutions to help keep your food processing areas sparkling clean and hygienic throughout. Our economical regularly Managed Rental Services include food processing garments, tea towels, colour-coded food wipes, protective floor mats, and we can even help with your first aid requirements and washroom! Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information!