4 Signposts of a Questionable Food Processing Company
4 Signposts of a Questionable Food Processing Company
Despite the lower standards of processed food items on the shelf and in the open market, food recall is scarcely witness in Nigeria, yet it is one of the mandatory requirements by NAFDAC before packaged food is certified fit for consumption. Suffice to say, my mail is often bombarded with food recall within the US industry in spite of her stringent food safety measures.
Is interesting to note that, the influx of unwholesome sanitary and phytosanitary practices, allergen contamination, absence of HACCP and GMPs do raise biological, chemical and physical concerns. I intent to emphasize on common signposts people overlook from the outside, which are pointers to unhealthy packaged food; better still likely sources of food borne diseases. Here are indicators that point to possible unsafe packaged food from a food processing outlets
Presence of Food Handlers' Apparels Beyond Food Production Section
Time without numbers, I had witnessed food handlers display their apparels in restaurant both within and outside company premises. Most go as far as visiting outside food vendor with it, beer parlor, joints and the likes, with their uniform and kits on; eating, chatting, riding on motorcycle and even used it as a guide when nature call e.g sneezing, coughing and the likes, yet return back after the break with such regalia to resume duties with load of microbes.
Whenever, food handlers apparel is worn beyond the food production hall, even it's prohibited within premises, let alone outside the company, it tells a lot about the standards of the products produced. By extension, such apparel is worn to toilets I must confess. This is not an assumption but what I have seen even among senior staffs within the industry. Human dimension cannot be separated from food processes in this industry; employees involvement with food production environment which is usually a secluded and enclosed apartment, is key to proper food safety practice
Caption
Display of food handlers apparels beyond production hall breed unimaginable food borne diseases
Self Laundry
It is not ideal to leave the laundry of food aprons or apparels to the hand of food handlers. Washing of food aprons, apparels or uniforms involve some level of skills set; washing, storage, monitoring, if not, re-contamination of such apparels by food handlers is inevitable. Moreover, some wash their apparel once in a week against daily 12 hours work. It shows that the microbial assessment of the apparel's purity is in doubt.
Caption
Self laundry might look clean and proper. It's not an ideal practice, and apparel might be heavily laden with germ, and not fit for food preparation, due to bacteria spores or fungi which resist some kind of treatment while making cross contamination possible
Employees Welfarism
Money, is a motivating factors. In food business; openness, transparency and integrity is a primae face to ensuring food safety and quality. Food defense, a security consciousness that covers traceability and authenticity of food products revolve around the loyalty of the employees.
Food handler is expected to take all reasonable measures not to handle or come in contact with food in a way that is likely to compromise food safety or affect the suitability of the products. For instance, avoidance of hand washing, sneezing during food preparation, cross contamination etc.
Lack of welfarism for food handlers make most suffering from food borne illnesses or conditions like diarrhea, vomiting, fever, jaundice, discharge and body lesions still find their ways into the production hall. When take home is just to keep body and soul going, no system to relive sick food handler, encourage transparency and loyalty. Fringe benefits like basic minimum wages, health scheme for handlers and his immediate dependent, when not prioritize could create a big gap in raising a formidable food defense team.
Caption
The paycheck reveals a lot from the outside about a company food safety plan
Lack of Company's Presence from the Outside
Whenever there is any form of disguise from food company to shield itself from unnoticed visit by regulatory officer of any sort, it reveals that some shady practices might be part of the process flow within such food premises. By law, NAFDAC's personnels are empowered to visit firms within her jurisdiction without notice. I wonder why a food processing plant would leave their premises naked; no company's name on gate entrance, absence of sign boards, etc
I could recall, how a staff revealed to me how they paraded the nooks and crannies of ample numbers of peanut producers in futility; tracing addresses as display on labels which never existed.
Quite agreed that, some do this to invade taxes, environmental agency, advertising agency and the like. In the same vein, such firms would definitely be indulging in unwholesome practices shielding themselves from being caught in the act. Is it a tomato paste firm that suddenly create an emergency warehouse to store all their contaminated tomatoes from regulators on the day of visit as noticed. What about a flavoured drink producer that display its products under the scourging sun and rain within its premises, used expired products, indulge in unwholesome practices, only to put on cosmetic arrangement as a result of regulatory visit.
Caption
If a company is not bold enough to display its presence from the outside, then its product does not worth being proud of
Why should a man finance his own illness by what he consumes?
Despite the lower standards of processed food items on the shelf and in the open market, food recall is scarcely witness in Nigeria, yet it is one of the mandatory requirements by NAFDAC before packaged food is certified fit for consumption. Suffice to say, my mail is often bombarded with food recall within the US industry in spite of her stringent food safety measures.
Is interesting to note that, the influx of unwholesome sanitary and phytosanitary practices, allergen contamination, absence of HACCP and GMPs do raise biological, chemical and physical concerns. I intent to emphasize on common signposts people overlook from the outside, which are pointers to unhealthy packaged food; better still likely sources of food borne diseases. Here are indicators that point to possible unsafe packaged food from a food processing outlets
Presence of Food Handlers' Apparels Beyond Food Production Section
Time without numbers, I had witnessed food handlers display their apparels in restaurant both within and outside company premises. Most go as far as visiting outside food vendor with it, beer parlor, joints and the likes, with their uniform and kits on; eating, chatting, riding on motorcycle and even used it as a guide when nature call e.g sneezing, coughing and the likes, yet return back after the break with such regalia to resume duties with load of microbes.
Whenever, food handlers apparel is worn beyond the food production hall, even it's prohibited within premises, let alone outside the company, it tells a lot about the standards of the products produced. By extension, such apparel is worn to toilets I must confess. This is not an assumption but what I have seen even among senior staffs within the industry. Human dimension cannot be separated from food processes in this industry; employees involvement with food production environment which is usually a secluded and enclosed apartment, is key to proper food safety practice
Caption
Display of food handlers apparels beyond production hall breed unimaginable food borne diseases
Self Laundry
It is not ideal to leave the laundry of food aprons or apparels to the hand of food handlers. Washing of food aprons, apparels or uniforms involve some level of skills set; washing, storage, monitoring, if not, re-contamination of such apparels by food handlers is inevitable. Moreover, some wash their apparel once in a week against daily 12 hours work. It shows that the microbial assessment of the apparel's purity is in doubt.
Caption
Self laundry might look clean and proper. It's not an ideal practice, and apparel might be heavily laden with germ, and not fit for food preparation, due to bacteria spores or fungi which resist some kind of treatment while making cross contamination possible
Employees Welfarism
Money, is a motivating factors. In food business; openness, transparency and integrity is a primae face to ensuring food safety and quality. Food defense, a security consciousness that covers traceability and authenticity of food products revolve around the loyalty of the employees.
Food handler is expected to take all reasonable measures not to handle or come in contact with food in a way that is likely to compromise food safety or affect the suitability of the products. For instance, avoidance of hand washing, sneezing during food preparation, cross contamination etc.
Lack of welfarism for food handlers make most suffering from food borne illnesses or conditions like diarrhea, vomiting, fever, jaundice, discharge and body lesions still find their ways into the production hall. When take home is just to keep body and soul going, no system to relive sick food handler, encourage transparency and loyalty. Fringe benefits like basic minimum wages, health scheme for handlers and his immediate dependent, when not prioritize could create a big gap in raising a formidable food defense team.
Caption
The paycheck reveals a lot from the outside about a company food safety plan
Lack of Company's Presence from the Outside
Whenever there is any form of disguise from food company to shield itself from unnoticed visit by regulatory officer of any sort, it reveals that some shady practices might be part of the process flow within such food premises. By law, NAFDAC's personnels are empowered to visit firms within her jurisdiction without notice. I wonder why a food processing plant would leave their premises naked; no company's name on gate entrance, absence of sign boards, etc
I could recall, how a staff revealed to me how they paraded the nooks and crannies of ample numbers of peanut producers in futility; tracing addresses as display on labels which never existed.
Quite agreed that, some do this to invade taxes, environmental agency, advertising agency and the like. In the same vein, such firms would definitely be indulging in unwholesome practices shielding themselves from being caught in the act. Is it a tomato paste firm that suddenly create an emergency warehouse to store all their contaminated tomatoes from regulators on the day of visit as noticed. What about a flavoured drink producer that display its products under the scourging sun and rain within its premises, used expired products, indulge in unwholesome practices, only to put on cosmetic arrangement as a result of regulatory visit.
Caption
If a company is not bold enough to display its presence from the outside, then its product does not worth being proud of
Why should a man finance his own illness by what he consumes?
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