Food safety is a significant concern for any business that produces and sells food. Consumers want to be confident in the food they buy from stores and restaurants.
And to ensure customers are safe, businesses should implement good sanitary practices when handling food and products with a high risk of contamination. Here are steps to ensure your produce is safe for consumption.
Facility Cleaning
Food businesses can ensure their produce is safe for consumption by ascertaining proper hygiene procedures are in place. This applies to processing areas, storage tanks and farm cleaning.
The first thing a food business must do when it comes to keeping products clean is making sure its employees follow correct procedures regarding handwashing. Washing hands before handling food is as important as washing hands after handling food, so make your employees comply with this.
It’s also crucial to ensure that the tools used for processing and storage areas get correctly cleaned before use. This includes water tanks, which need regular cleaning to prevent bacteria buildup.
If you are like most agricultural companies, you have a garden that may prove hard to maintain. But no need to stress over this! There are many companies willing to offer agricultural cleaning services for your garden. So, you may want to consider them.
Follow Food Safety and Production Standards
Food safety is not just about following food production and preparation standards. It also means that the business owner must show a commitment to keeping their facility clean, safe, and free from contaminants.
Ensuring proper sanitary conditions will help prevent any contamination or illness related to eating prepared foods at your establishment. Food safety inspectors can take a look around your facility to ensure that you have followed the rules and regulations set forth in your state.
Following these standards is not just about following food production and preparation standards but also making sure your business follows a strict schedule for cleaning up areas like floors, walls, equipment and utensils. In addition, proper sanitary conditions will help prevent any contamination or illness related to eating prepared foods at your establishment.
Have a Suitable Waste Management Program
Ensure staff are familiar with the waste management program and any relevant legislation that relates to it. Train all staff on any new procedures regarding disposal or recycling. Ensure the business is part of a local waste management authority. Discuss with them any concerns or issues that may arise with recycling and disposal.
Choose an Appropriate Operation Environment
Food businesses need to ensure the environment in which they are operating is adequately maintained, as it can impact food safety. For example, suppose a company has poor air quality or temperature control within their premises. In that case, this could result in pathogens growing and contaminating food products meant for human consumption.
Industrial hygienists should ensure businesses have a suitable operating environment by monitoring and recording environmental factors such as humidity levels, temperature and air quality.
This article has highlighted the importance of food safety for your business. Don’t let your hard work go to waste by not being prepared! Make sure you are regularly checking for changes in legislation, updates on available new equipment, as well as keeping up with industry knowledge or else risk putting yourself out of business before long. It’s something worth thinking about!