Regardless of an employee’s role in the food manufacturing process, they have an outsize impact on the overall safety and quality of the food they’re handling, packaging, or storing.During working hours, it’s critical employees direct their focus to upholding food industry hygiene standards. Any deviation from protocol could put public health at risk.
All personnel working in direct contact with food, food-contact surfaces, and food-packaging materials need to know what food industry hygiene standards are, and how to adhere to them. This requires both robust training and a food safety culture that continuously reinforces hygiene adherence.
As outlined in the AIB International Consolidated Standards for Inspections, current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) require operations to provide suitable facilities to personnel for routine handwashing so they may remove contamination from hands. Sanitary conditions must also be maintained in all employee washrooms, showers, and locker rooms.
While on duty, all personnel working in direct contact with food, food-contact surfaces, and food-packaging materials must adhere to hygiene practices to prevent allergen cross-contact and food cross-contamination issues.
It is expected that all personnel wash their hands before beginning work, and after eating, drinking, smoking, using the restroom, or otherwise soiling their hands.
Some of the basic personnel hygiene and sanitation best practices in the food industry include:
Plants should include locker rooms or equivalent changing facilities for employees, visitors, and contractors for use before entering the food processing area. There should be enough space to store work clothes and shoes separately from outdoor clothing, shoes, and personal items. Whenever possible, changing facilities must be located near or with direct access to production, packaging, and storage areas. Where protective clothing is required, management must ensure it’s always available and laundered or cleaned in a controlled environment.
Personal hygiene requirements in the food and beverage industry are regulated in most countries around the world, with regulations calling for very specific requirements or simply setting expectations about how employees should behave.
Even though some of these regulations are more specific than others, the objective remains the same: to ensure the safety of food.
Upholding food industry hygiene standards requires deep knowledge and constant vigilance. These standards can be difficult for even exemplary employees to always adhere to perfectly, let alone an entire team of people and the company culture they share. Understandably, keeping your personnel in compliance with regulations can sometimes require outside help.
AIB International supports worker training at every level, from on-the-ground frontline staff to executives and management. Our robust training programs update all employees with knowledge about the latest regulatory standards and best practices, as well as provide practical, hands-on training about implementing what they learn in their shifts. Want help building a culture that upholds food industry hygiene standards? Learn more in our Personnel Practices online training.