What are the risks of a company not complying with food safety rules?

I’ll start this article by mentioning the essential values of consumer safety, well-being, comfort and health. It is the responsibility of the employer and all food workers to ensure food safety throughout the food chain. The importance of food to the health of all consumers and the dangers it can pose when not handled properly throughout the food chain are now fully recognized by all of us.

Minimizing occurrences that have an impact on the consumer should be a concern for all those involved in the food chain, from the farmer to the end consumer. In this chain, due to the nature of the companies, processes and conditions to which the food is subjected, people, equipment and facilities, directly or indirectly, can be agents of contamination for the food. It is therefore essential that good hygiene and food safety practices are effectively followed in order to ensure food safety for consumers.

These measures are described in Regulation 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 29, 2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, which lays down general rules for food business operators and also refers us to the principles of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points).

Companies that don’t apply food safety laws and regulations run serious financial risks, such as losing raw materials and legal rights by not complying with the legislation, not to mention damaging a very important factor: the company’s image.

To prevent problems from occurring, it is important for companies to invest in training their workers, in acquiring good equipment and utensils, to carry out regular maintenance on equipment, to have good logistics and control of raw materials coming in and going out as a final product, and last but not least, the company’s facilities.

In view of the arguments presented above, we can see the importance of food safety and the difference it makes for companies that follow it, and because this is a very competitive market, it is essential to comply with all its rules, for the company, for its workers, but also for its customers.

In addition, food safety is a differentiator for companies in this sector and can have a very significant impact on the results of a business.

“We can only talk about full food safety when, firstly, all safe conditions are guaranteed and, secondly, we work to reduce risky behavior or unsafe acts.”

It is the responsibility of companies to establish a personal health and hygiene policy, which defines their expectations in terms of personal hygiene and the guiding principles on how to deal with their workers’ illnesses (when workers are ill).

It is good practice, and there should be operating procedures that clearly define the situations in which restrictions or exclusions are placed on access to certain work areas for workers who show symptoms of illness, as well as defining the mechanisms that validate their return to work.

Ensuring the implementation of good hygiene practices appropriate to the nature of their activity, as well as monitoring their effectiveness as a result of the correct implementation of the HACCP plan.

It should be noted that for good hygiene and manufacturing practices to be applicable, training for all the company’s employees is not the only concern for companies. The good condition of the facilities and equipment, working utensils and the products used are also extremely important.