Good hygienic design and practices within food and drink processing operations are essential for ensuring safe food, leading food scientist Professor Colin Dennis will stress in his keynote address on the morning of the first day of the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG) World Congress, which takes place from 21-22 November in London during the Food Matters Live event.
The developments and achievements in industrial scale food manufacture over the past 40 years are unprecedented, says Dennis. Such developments have relied on the integration of appropriate raw materials/ingredients, unit processes, packaging, storage handling and distribution systems to ensure the delivery of safe, nutritious and quality products to increasingly competitive market place. Manufacturers have responded to ever more demanding and inquisitive consumers, changing regulations, food control and commercial trading standards and the increasing globalisation of the industry.
New science and technology
These challenges have required continual improvement in traditional technologies, as well as embracing new science, technology in terms of processing and packaging technologies, new sensing, control and equipment certification systems, new food safety and quality management systems and more sensitive analytical capability.
Improvements in the design and control of processes, improved hygienic design of equipment and factories and the associated development of cleaning and sanitation practices have been essential in meeting the needs of modern food production. All, have enabled greater efficiency, improved product quality and assurance of safety, while delivering much greater choice and convenience to the consumer.
Good hygienic design and hygiene management are absolutely fundamental to the production of safe food and are essential components of an effective food safety culture.
Food safety breakdowns
Dennis’s paper will emphasise their importance by reference to examples of food safety breakdowns and the associated damaging consequences for manufacturers, their customers and consumers. The adoption of technologies for minimally processed food (eg chilled foods) and the efficient use of use of continuous food processing systems have been facilitated by developments and improvements in hygienic design and hygiene practices since the 1980s, he says.
He will also explain how developments in microbial detection and characterisation, detection of allergens and methods for assessing ‘clean-ability’ and effectiveness of cleaning and the use of computer modelling for equipment and factory design have all contributed to improving hygiene practices.
The progress made has resulted from a combination of new scientific and technical developments and harnessing a diverse range of practical knowledge and experience. This approach will undoubtedly continue in the future, with additional input from molecular biology, material science, data science and analytics and artificial intelligence, as new hazards and risks emerge, and new processing technologies are adopted, says Dennis.
Training is critical
But good training is critical, says Dennis, and will describe how professional institutes, such as the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST) and the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) – both organisations for which Dennis is a Past President – have emphasised the importance of continuing professional development and professional recognition in the food and drink sector via the introduction of Certified Food Scientist (CFS), Chartered Scientist (CSci) and the IFST Registers, including Food Safety Professionals.
This year is the first that the EHEDG World Congress has been held in the UK. Founded in 1989, EHEDG is a consortium of equipment and chemical manufacturers, food and drink manufacturers and retailers, research institutes and public health authorities, dedicated to the promotion of hygienic design in every aspect of food production.
Currently, the consortium is made up of 430 companies and 60 universities, institutes and authorities. It has access to over 1,400 key industry representatives, from 55 different countries, that provide a significant food safety network across the world.
EHEDG working groups
The consortium members are actively involved in EHEDG working groups, including one in the UK. These groups continually develop, write and revise EHEDG Guidelines and other reference documents. Each group’s membership is made up of volunteer industry experts, with relevant industry knowledge and experience.
EHEDG currently publishes 48 guidelines covering everything from buildings design to cleaning validation. Some guidelines are available as free downloads.
Additionally, the working groups are committed to assisting with training upon request and when available. Further information about EHEDG training can be found here.