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24/8/2019 5 Things to Know About Color-Coding - Food Safety Magazine
Color-coding is an important part of any food safety program. Not only does it help
prevent cross-contamination 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.
Here are the five things that you should know about color-coding:
4. There is currently no standard set of rules for color-coding, just best practices
Some of the industries that can benefit the most from color-
coding are:
• Meat/poultry
• Seafood
• Dairy
• Produce/raw ingredients
• Baking/snack
• Confectionery
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24/8/2019 5 Things to Know About Color-Coding - Food Safety Magazine
• Vineyard/winery
These industries are most concerned with preventing cross-contamination and cross-
contact, especially when dealing with pathogens, allergens and other foreign
contaminates, and complying with strict U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations. In light of the recent increase in
food recalls, it is more important than ever to be vigilant in food processing facilities.
Color-coding can do more than just help prevent cross-contamination, such as aiding
organizational efforts. When everything has a place, and everyone knows where that
place is based on an object’s color, it’s easy to keep tools put away. For a large facility,
color-coding can separate tools by shift or by area. For smaller operations, a single color
could be used per employee or employee role.
Color-coding has a number of benefits to offer any food processing facility, especially
when it is implemented effectively.
2. Prevents Cross-Contamination
Color-coding is an easy way to visually separate work areas and 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 can help decrease the risk of contamination that leads to recalls. 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. Control measures are used to “prevent, eliminate or reduce a
significant hazard” in this system. Color-coding is an excellent example of a control
measure.
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24/8/2019 5 Things to Know About Color-Coding - Food Safety Magazine
One of the most important measures to come out of recent FDA regulations is HACCP,
which is a preventive approach to the identification, evaluation and control of food safety
hazards that may cause illness or injury when not properly controlled.
Put simply, HACCP is a measure designed to help control the threat of cross-
contamination from biological, chemical and physical agents. According to FDA, “any
action or activity that can be used to prevent, eliminate or reduce a significant hazard” is
considered
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24/8/2019 5 Things to Know About Color-Coding - Food Safety Magazine
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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.
Since color-coding is a control measure, color-coding zones often coincide with CCPs or
groups of CCPs. For instance, a color zone may be assigned to an area where raw meat
exists in a facility, since raw meat poses increased risks of bacterial contamination. There
may be several CCPs that require other control measures within that one color zone, such
as testing for contaminants or refrigeration of the raw meat prior to processing. Once the
meat has been cooked, a different color may be assigned to the zone following the raw
meat area to prevent bacterial cross-contamination of the finished product. For this
purpose, color-coding is an excellent and simple way to visually confirm that equipment
is in the appropriate critical zone in a food processing facility.
When color-coding is implemented, it is easily apparent which zones are which, and what
they represent. Because of this instant recognition, separating contaminated food before
it goes out to the public becomes easier. And we all know that internal recalls (and no
recalls at all) are less costly than public recalls.
Here are some ideas to help you design an effective color-coding program:
Keep your color-coding system simple—Limiting the number of colors you use will
go a long way towards simplifying the process. Too many times, people get bogged down
with the idea that every line and every single process has to have a different color. This is
not the case. Try to have a different color only when cross-contamination is a concern at
a CCP in the process. Those points where control is not needed could potentially use the
same color, since cross-contamination is not a threat. If too many colors are used, the
process becomes confusing and less effective.
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24/8/2019 5 Things to Know About Color-Coding - Food Safety Magazine
for certain areas in your food processing facility, such as red for raw meat or yellow for
wheat. Do what is most logical for your facility. Also, make sure that it makes sense to
both managers and employees. If everyone is on the same page, the transition should run
smoothly.
Roll out the color-coding program at one time—This goes back to avoiding
confusion. If you try to incorporate the new system in with the old one, people are just
going to be confused. It’s best to start the program all at once. It might be more difficult
in the beginning, but it will be worth it in the end. Also, having a definite end date to the
old program and a definite start date for the new system will make the transition even
smoother.
Good communication is key—Having everyone on the same page will help with
starting your color-coding program. A good place to start is by discussing changes with
shift managers, then rolling it out to employees. The mangers should have a good
understand of the new system so they can address any questions or concerns employees
might have. Offer a cheat sheet to employees that explains the color zones so they’ll have
the information with them at all times.
Be sure your tools and storage areas match—Be sure the tools are stored in the
same area where they are used to avoid confusion, cross-contamination and equipment
loss. If the red tools are stored on a red bracket or red shelf, it is easy to see exactly where
that tool should go when it isn’t in use. Having an organized storage area will be very
helpful
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Follow through—Utilize the same documentation at point of use with the purchasing
department and with the quality manager, so everyone is on the same page. Make sure all
loose ends are tied up to further the success of the color-coding program. If the program
is successful, your facility will be much safer.
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24/8/2019 5 Things to Know About Color-Coding - Food Safety Magazine
Visiting authorities and customers will readily notice color-coding programs upon
entering a processing facility, which is precisely why the approach is so effective.
Segregating zones by colors offers quick visual confirmation that equipment is where it
belongs and is not contributing to the unintentional transport of contaminants
throughout the facility. When color-coding is utilized as part of a multifaceted approach
to food safety, it adds credibility to the effectiveness of the operation for regulators and
customers alike.
With the new laws and proposed guidelines surrounding food safety, prevention is the
preferred approach by regulatory authorities. And in the long run, prevention is a better
business practice than reactive damage control. The old saying about closing the barn
door after the horse is out comes to mind when thinking about recalls; it’s better if a
recall is prevented from happening in the first place.
News of recalls travels in the blink of an eye since the rise of social media. In that short
time, your facility’s reputation can be irreparably damaged. To safeguard your operation
from the negative publicity of a food safety crisis, it is imperative to prevent recalls before
they happen. Monitoring any sort of cross-contamination threat inside the facility is
fundamental, and color-coding is a simple way to keep those risks in check.
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