Employee Hygiene for Co-Packing and Co-Manufacturing Food Safety

Employee hygiene is an essential and fundamental aspect of ensuring food safety in the co-packing and co-manufacturing industries. Companies that are looking to collaborate with co-packers and manufacturers have high expectations and are seeking to partner with facilities that not only meet but exceed outstanding food safety practices. This is crucial because these facilities essentially represent the brand that the customer will encounter when purchasing the food. Therefore, maintaining hygiene standards is not just about compliance, but also about building trust and ensuring customer satisfaction.

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Standards for Co-packing and Co-manufacturing for Food Safety

Clients that are looking for co-packers and co-manufacturers are looking for companies that have food safety processes in place that will ensure that your facility will be able to produce their products without risk to their brand or their customer. Some of the most common things that potential clients will look for and expect your facility to handle are:

Allergen Control

It is essential for any co-packaging service provider to  keep allergen-containing foods separate from others, particularly when dealing with peanut- and tree nut-free products and confections that may contain traces of nuts. This separation is a critical requirement to ensure the safety and satisfaction of consumers who may have severe allergic reactions. For facilities that are tasked with producing multiple product lines, each with various potential allergens, it becomes even more crucial to implement stringent cleaning procedures and uphold rigorous employee hygiene practices. 

Clinically validated Automated Handwashing Stations remove allergens

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Cross Contamination Control

Similar to allergen control, cross contamination is a constant threat for co-packers and co-manufacturers. This can be a particularly prevalent risk in facilities that process raw food into ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. Raw foods such as meat, unpasteurized milk, and vegetables can harbor harmful pathogens such as Salmonella and Listeria, which are not a risk to the customer if the food is treated and processed properly. However, if an employee moves from a raw area to an RTE area without taking the proper hygiene steps, cross-contamination is very possible.

Learn how to prevent cross contamination in food processing

Proper Employee Hygiene

The quality of your products is heavily reliant on the hygiene practices maintained by your employees. It is crucial to ensure that your team is not only educated on the necessary hygiene protocols but also consistently follows these procedures in their daily operations. This involves comprehensive training sessions, regular updates on best practices, and routine checks to ensure compliance. 

Check out our free Food Safety Toolbox full or resources on employee hygiene

Topics:co-manufacturing