Food defense: 3 tips for better compliance with regulations and standards

Did you know that time registration and secure access are important elements in staying compliant with food defense regulations and standards?

It is no secret that today's consumers want the shelves of any shop to be filled with products that are produced under optimal conditions and without any risk to their health.

Whether they are eating in a restaurant, taking away or on the go, customers are now in constant demand for quality food. The result? Strict requirements are placed on food production and processing. As you can see, food safety is more important than ever.

The purpose of food defense regulations is to protect food from unintentional contamination. It is difficult to imagine, but intentional contamination also exists. We are talking about deliberate contamination by pathogens, harmful substances, or other foreign matter.

Food protection regulations have been put in place to prevent such intentional contamination. How can we ensure that food safety regulations are properly implemented in the food sector?

Time registration and securing access to critical areas are important elements in complying with these food safety standards. Here are the three elements to consider.

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Employees are a key element in complying with strict food defense regulations. The average production site is full of critical areas. To ensure its hygiene as well as its safety, a strict access policy is required, with employees only allowed in areas necessary for the performance of their duties.

Time registration also plays an important role. Regulations require careful control of who is on the production line and when. During the shift, an employee has access to certain areas, but as soon as the shift is over, access can be automatically withdrawn.

It is also important to properly inform employees about the implications of the regulations and to involve them in complying with them. Make sure that the receptionist, security guards, drivers and any other employees are aware of their crucial role in the process. This can be done, for example, through a company film or internal training.

Engineers, representatives, suppliers, delivery people, customers, couriers, and inspectors - people visiting your work site can also pose a threat to food safety. A visitor management policy is therefore crucial. Visitors must be accurately recorded so that it is possible to see who has used what access at what time.

To ensure a personal welcome for customers and suppliers, it is also relevant to announce appointments in advance at the reception desk. Part of the visitor registration can then be entered in advance.

Visitors should also be informed about the hygiene rules to be observed in your facility. In some cases, it is even necessary for a visitor to provide a health declaration on arrival. This problem can often be solved simply by installing a tablet computer at the reception desk on which the visitor can check that he or she is in good health on arrival.

In addition to the essential access control for employees and visitors, an emergency plan is essential. Because you never know when something unexpected will happen. In case of fire, accidents or other evacuations, food safety rules must be established and easily accessible in case of need.

Fortunately, there are different systems and rules for this. For example, in case of accidents such as broken glass, poor cleaning or breakdown of parts of a machine, access to certain areas may be blocked.

Time registration and access control of employees and visitors ensure that the presence in certain areas at the time of the incident is always clear.

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Food defense: 3 tips for better compliance with regulations and standards

Strict regulations to prevent food contamination

1. Inform and involve your employees

2. Improve and secure your visitor management

3. Anticipate incidents and other unforeseen events

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