Color Coding: An Effective Step
Color-coding is an important part of any food safety program. Not only does it help prevent crosscontamination due to pathogens, allergens and foreign contaminates, color-coding has a variety of other uses. With the number of governmental regulations growing, it is essential that food processing facilities stay on top of the current trends and best practices to be market leaders. Implementing a color-coding program is a great way to help accomplish that.
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Download Brochure - High Risk Areas : Suitable for Toilets, WC, Urinals, Sanitary Fittings, Washroom Floors
- Medium Risk Area : Suitable for Washroom Doors, Pipe Works, Towel Dispensers, Sinks, Taps, Basins, Shower Cubicles
- General Low Risk Areas : Suitable for Rooms, Offices, Corridors, Halls, Receptions, Cabinets
- Food Areas : Suitable for Production Area, Canteens, Restaurants, Kitchens, Cafeterias
Why Color Coding
Once potential food safety hazards are identified, CCPs can be documented. FDA defines a
CCP in a food manufacturing process as “a step at which control can be applied and is essential
to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level.” Knowing
where the critical control points exist in a food production process is essential to designing an
effective HACCP plan.
Included in the many HACCP compliance resources available from the FDA is an example of a
decision tree to help a food processing operation identify CCPs, seen below. Using a decision
tree like this is not a mandatory part of the process, but it is valuable as a tool to facilitate the
development of a thorough food safety program.
Color-coding is an easy way to visually separate work areas & prevent cross-contamination.
Facilities with cross-contact concerns with allergens should particularly consider color-coding
to lower that risk.
The threat of recalls is always present, especially with facilities that contain
allergens. Color-coding developed using the guidelines of Hazard Analysis and Critical
Control Points (HACCP), a management system in which food safety is addressed through the
analysis and control of biological, chemical and physical hazards from raw material product,
procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished
product. Color-coding is an excellent example of a control measure. For example, we all
know raw meat should never come into contact with processed meat, so you keep them
separate. The simplest way to do this is to color-code the food processing facility.