8.1 Introduction
Factories have always had to be compartmentalised or segregated into specific
areas for a number of reasons. These were primarily due to environmental
protection (i.e. protecting the product from the wind and rain), segregation of
raw materials and finished product, segregation of wet and dry materials,
provision of mechanical and electrical services and health and safety issues (e.g.
boiler rooms, chemical stores, fire hazards, noise limitation).
More recently, as the nature of food production has changed, particularly
with the advent of ready-to-eat products, factories have begun to further
segregate or zone' production areas for hygiene reasons. A series of higher hygiene, or cleaner, zones have been created to help protect the product from microbiological cross-contamination events after it has been heat treated or decontaminated. In addition, there has also been the recognition that non- microbiological hazards, particularly allergens, have to be controlled by segregating them from other product ingredients. Finally, label declaration issues such assuitable for vegetarians', organic', does not contain GM materials' or `Kosher' have all caused food manufacturers
to think about how raw materials are handled and processed. This is particularly
true if, for example, factories are handling meat, non-organic ingredients, GM
ingredients or non-Kosher ingredients. While the presence of, e.g., meat residues
in a vegetarian product is not a safety issue, it will be an ingredients declaration
issue, which could lead to poor brand perception.
Other than routine food manufacturing issues, access to manufacturing sites
by unwanted people, ranging from the media, through petty criminals to
bioterrorists, has unfortunately focused attention on site security.
8 Improvingzoningwithinfoodprocessingplants...
J. Holah, Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association, UK