How to improve safety in your food company

Food safety starts with strict access control, proper hygiene protocols, and compliance with regulations like the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Each year, 600 million people worldwide get sick from unsafe food and 420,000 die, making prevention critical for every food company. Below you’ll find the most common risks, the 7 FSMA rules you must follow, and practical tips - including how a visitor management system can help.

The Scale of Foodborne Disease Worldwide

Foods in supermarkets are more abundant than ever. Shelves are jam-packed with products from around the world, of many brands and prices. There is choice between vegan, gluten-free, light and halal. Specialty stores and online shops each have their specific offerings. Choices are endless, and yet we expect all of these products to be safe for our health.

Key foodborne illness statistics:

• Each year, 600 million people get sick and 420,000 people die from unsafe food.
• In the U.S. alone, 48 million people a year, or 1 in 6 Americans, get infected through food.
• Well-known brands, such as Big Olaf ice cream, Pacific Oysters and Ferrero chocolates, recently had to recall products or even shut down factories because of an outbreak of foodborne disease.
• To prevent foodborne disease, the FDA imposes strict regulations which are aggregated in the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Every consumer expects all parties involved in the food industry - farmer to seller - to do everything that lies in their power to bring safe, quality products to market. And rightly so. However, recent outbreaks of foodborne disease prove that this remains a challenge.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) figures, 600 million people worldwide get sick each year by unsafe food. 420,000 people a year die of foodborne disease. 30 percent of those deaths occur in children under the age of 5.

In the United States alone, 48 million people - nearly 1 in 6 - get sick from food each year, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Each year, 128,000 Americans are hospitalized and 3,000 die after eating contaminated food.

Notable Foodborne Disease Outbreaks in the U.S.

In the U.S. alone, 15 outbreaks of foodborne disease have been registered so far this year. Some of the most notable cases:

• Abbott Nutrition formula (February): 2 babies died from cronobacter. A total of 4 babies in 3 states became ill after consuming formula produced in Michigan.
• Big Olaf Creamery listeria (April): 23 cases in 10 states, leading to 1 death, 1 fetal loss and 22 hospitalizations. All products from the brand were recalled in July.
• Lucky Charms complaints (April): The FDA received 558 reports of stomach complaints; iwaspoisoned.com received more than 7,300 reports. No confirmed link has been established.
• Jif peanut butter salmonella (May): 16 cases across 12 states confirmed, two requiring hospitalization. Products were recalled.
• Organic strawberries hepatitis A (June): 18 people in 3 states contracted hepatitis A from fresh organic strawberries imported from Mexico. 13 people were hospitalized.
• Daily Harvest French Lentil & Leek Crumbles (June): The FDA received 277 complaints, the company 470. The culprit was tara flour processed in the product.

Major International Food Safety Incidents

Meanwhile, other countries had their own outbreaks to deal with, some with major implications:

• European salmonella from eggs (2021-2022): About 300 people in six European countries were infected. Two people died. France was hit hardest, with infections also in Spain, the Netherlands, the UK, Norway, and Denmark.
• Pacific Oysters norovirus (early 2022): 328 Canadians and 192 Americans became ill from raw oysters produced by Union Bay Seafood Ltd.
• Buitoni frozen pizza E. coli (France): 56 cases since February, including 55 children, 2 of whom died. Products were recalled and production shut down.
• Ferrero Kinder salmonella (global): In 17 countries, 455 people got sick - mostly children. More than 3,000 tons of Kinder products were recalled, and the Belgium factory remained closed for months.
• Barry Callebaut contamination prevented (June): A contaminated batch of chocolate was discovered and the factory was shut down before products reached stores.
• Brazilian brewery (May): Fined 5 million Real (nearly $1 million) for selling beer contaminated with di-ethylene glycol in 2020. 10 people died and dozens developed severe symptoms.

At Vizito, we take safety seriously. Here you can read how digital visitor management can improve safety in your company.

The 7 Rules of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)

To prevent such contaminations, governments impose strict regulations on the production and processing of food. The FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was put in place in 2015 with 7 major rules for all companies who grow, process, transport or store food.

Safe Standards for Growing, Harvesting, and Storing Produce

The produce safety rule establishes science-based minimum standards for the growing, harvesting, packing and storing of produce for human consumption. It covers fruits, vegetables and tree nuts that are likely to be consumed raw.

Preventive Controls Required for Human Food Facilities

This rule states that food facilities registered with the FDA must have a food safety plan implemented that identifies hazards and outlines appropriate preventative controls.

Preventive Controls for Animal Food Production

The requirements of the previous rule also apply to animal food facilities.

Sanitary Transportation Standards for Food Safety

This rule lists the requirements for companies that transport food, including shippers, receivers, loaders and carriers by motor or rail vehicle. Its goal is to keep food safe from contamination during transportation.

Mitigation Strategies Against Intentional Food Adulteration

This rule is concerned with preventing intentional adulteration “from acts intended to cause wide-scale harm to public health, including acts of terrorism targeting the food supply”.

All food facilities registered with the FDA must develop a plan that assesses contamination vulnerabilities and document a mitigation strategy for each vulnerability.

Accredited Third-Party Certification for Foreign Food Facilities

This rule establishes procedures and requirements for accreditation bodies seeking recognition by the FDA, as well as third party certification bodies seeking accreditation. These bodies will be able to conduct food safety audits and certify that foreign food facilities follow FDA food safety guidelines.

Foreign Supplier Verification Program for Importers

The Foreign Supplier Verification Program applies to all importers of human and animal food into the United States. It requires importers to verify that their global suppliers comply with FDA regulations.

Other countries have adapted similar rules, like the General Food Law Regulation in Europe.

7 Practical Tips to Improve Food Safety in Your Company

The many outbreaks show that despite these rules, contamination can still occur. Here are 7 tips to observe food safety in your food company and reduce the risks to a minimum:

1. Wash your hands with soap and water when handling food or related products.
2. Wear gloves when necessary, for instance when handling raw food.
3. Pay attention to the temperature to prevent the spread of bacteria.
4. Clean all surfaces in your facility several times a day with water and soap.
5. Perform regular stock checks to prevent expiration of products.
6. Make sure everyone in your company is aware of all rules and procedures.
7. Use a visitor management system to comply with legal obligations and improve safety within your premises.

How Visitor Management Systems Improve Food Safety

In most offices, digital visitor registration is already fully integrated. But the benefits of a modern visitor management solution on food safety are rarely mentioned. Here are 5 ways a visitor management system can improve food safety in your business:

Controlling Access for Staff and Visitors

Dozens, if not hundreds of people enter your food company every day. Every person who has access to your buildings is a potential source of contamination. Access control is an important pillar to reduce the risks.

A digital visitor management system helps you prevent unauthorized people from entering your food facility. It also ensures that visitors are only granted access to certain areas of your building. And with the help of easy-to-print badges, visitors can be identified in an instant.

Access control doesn’t just apply to visitors. Not all employees should be given access to all departments within your company. The fewer people who have access to the production lines, the lower the risk of contamination. When managing your warehouse, you should always see safety as the top priority and have a secure system to ensure proper food storage.

Screening Visitor Health Before Entry

You can also screen visitors to determine whether they pose a risk to your business. In a short survey, for example, you can gauge the current health status of your visitor. A person that indicates they feel ill or have allergies can then be checked further by an on-site prevention or safety officer.

Read more on how to get started with digital visitor management in less than 30 minutes.

Requiring Digital Signatures on Safety and Hygiene Protocols

A digital visitor management system enables you to inform your visitors in an easy way and in their own language about the safety and hygiene guidelines that are in place in your company - such as wearing hairnets, masks or protective clothing.

You can load the necessary information into the system and integrate it as a mandatory element in the check-in process. It is also possible to show certain visitors an information or instructional video explaining the guidelines. Finally, you can ask your visitor to sign security protocols, which obligates them to follow your rules.

When expecting a visitor, you can also inform him in advance of the applicable guidelines in your company. This ensures that your visitor is aware of the health and safety regulations before arriving at your facility.

Pre-Approving Visitors Before They Enter Your Facility

With a visitor management system, you can easily prevent unwanted (and unhealthy) guests from entering your company. It is possible to only grant access to (pre-) approved visitors. Only visitors who have been screened on site or in advance are then given access to certain parts of your company with a QR code.

Maintaining Accurate Digital Visitor Logs for Compliance

One of the obligations that governments impose on food companies is to keep visitor logs. This is necessary for hazard analyses, preventative checks, and for investigations when things do go wrong.

An advanced visitor management system is not an obligation. But such a system does help you a step ahead, since all the necessary data is immediately available and can be stored automatically. This avoids the hassle of paper lists, which are often incomplete and can get lost. And when the control authorities decide to conduct an audit of your food production facility, a digital visitor log helps you prove that you are taking due care when it comes to safety in your facility.

To get a feel of how a modern visitor management system can help you comply with legal food safety regulations, try out Vizito during a 14-day trial. Chat with us or book a demo to discuss how Vizito can help you improve your reception.

Got more questions? These are the 7 most common questions about visitor management systems - and our answers.