Colour coding is one of the many methods that can be used to ensure a good food safety system in your business. Previously, we mentioned some basic facts and one benefit for using this system. We will look into more positive points about using colour coding in your food enterprise.
Using a colour code system in your food business, it acts as a control measure. It will coincide with most Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). For example, if you create a colour zone in the raw meat section, it warns people that there are multiple processes that should be taken in that zone. In this instance, one should test for contaminants or refrigeration of the raw meat prior to processing. Once the meat has been processed properly and cooked, it will be assigned to different colour zone. By colour coding, one can easily visualise and confirm that equipment is in the appropriate critical zone in a food processing facility.
How to make colour coding work
There are
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Keep your colour coding simple – limit the number of colours! Use a different colour only when cross-contamination is a concern at a CCP. Those points where control is not needed could potentially use the same colour, since cross-contamination is not a threat.
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Use logical colours in your coding system – certain colours might make sense for certain areas in your food processing facility e.g. red for raw meat. Make the process as easy as possible for a smoother transition
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All in one go – start the program all at once. It will avoid confusion with any existing systems
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Have clear signs – make it clear what the program is, and when it starts. The best thing to do is label every point in the process
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Make sure tools and storage areas match – this is important to avoid cross-contamination and will help with the integrity of the system
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Follow through – Use the same documentation throughout the company, so everyone is on the same page. Ensure any loose ends are tied up because if the program is successful, your facility will be much safer.
Check out our first post about colour coding here.
Has this post convinced you to use a colour code system in your food business? How can you implement one into your business? Or if you already have one, were there tricks you learnt that can improve your current system?
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