IJCA - Volume 3 - Flipbook - Page 39
2024 | Volume 3, Issue 1
and associated tra昀케c meet regulatory standards,
such as the use of materials that suit the location and
that meet or exceed local building codes; protection
of processing lines and adjacent areas from
unwanted elements like debris, pollutants in water
and the air from other facilities or operations; building
code compliance in conjunction with personnel
safety (for example OSHA, Department of Labor, and
the EPA) that includes ceiling heights, staircases,
easements, e昀툀uent water, and the location and
placement of chemical storage areas; and many
other considerations that go into providing safe and
hygienic facilities.
Conforming to Food Safety Standards
The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) standards
represent one of the most widely accessible sets
of standards, offering globally aligned minimum
requirements for food manufacturing facilities.
Standards such as the British Retail Consortium
standard (BRC), FSSC22000, Safe Quality Food (SQF),
International Featured Standards (IFS), and others
are benchmarked against the GFSI standard and
regularly updated to maintain international alignment
and calibration.
Choosing Materials
The materials used in construction and in utility
piping must be carefully selected to ensure they are
easily cleanable and resistant to chipping or damage.
They should be made from smooth, non-absorbent
materials. Different materials may be used for
constructing process and utility systems in non-food
contact areas compared to those in food contact
zones. However, it is crucial that all materials resist
cracking, chipping, 昀氀aking, and are free from coatings
or paint that can lead to chips and 昀氀akes. Depending
on the material in question, numerous ISO standards
may be referenced, with manufacturing and quality
control procedures varying considerably.
Continually Adapting and Improving
Towards Sustainability
The drive to incorporate more sustainable materials
into these applications offers an opportunity for
standards to reassess the effectiveness of products
or processes from the lens of sustainability and
human health implications. This entails ongoing
efforts to enhance standards and elevate the quality
of manufactured products. Mitigating environmental
pollution requires a long-term approach with far-
37
reaching effects. It is essential for standards to keep
up with risk assessment and foster the advancement
of superior, sustainable products to prevent the
gradual release of pollutants into the environment
and the subsequent reintroduction into the food
supply chain.
References
Books:
• Lelieveld, H.L.M., and J. Holah. 2011. Hygiene
Control in the Design, Construction and
Renovation of Food Processing Factories.
Woodhead Publishing Limited.
• Baker, Christopher, G.J. 2013. A “how-to” of Food
Factory Design. Springer.
Government and Non-Pro昀椀t Organizations:
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Code of
Federal Regulations (eCFR).
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21
• Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).
https://mygfsi.com/
Organizations:
• 3-A Sanitary Standards. https://www.3-a.org/
• European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group
(EHEDG). https://www.ehedg.org/
• UL Solutions https://www.ul.com/
• NSF https://www.nsf.org/
Author Biography
Angela Anandappa is a food safety advocate and
expert who has worked in industry and academia
for almost 25 years. She currently serves as Chief
Executive O昀케cer & President of the Alliance for
Advanced Sanitation and Executive Director of the
Animal Digestible Food Packaging Initiative. She
earned her B.S. in Biology with a focus on Microbiology,
M.S. in Animal Science specializing in antimicrobials
to preserve the safety of fresh produce, and Ph.D.
in systems science for Food Safety Systems from
the University of Kentucky. Dr. Anandappa earned
credentials in ESG from the Wharton School at the
University of Pennsylvania and in Lean Manufacturing
from the True Lean program, a collaboration between
Toyota and the school of engineering at the University
of Kentucky.
