Is Color-Coding Right for Your Food Processing Facility?

Below is a list of questions to ask if you are considering implementing color coding at your food processing facility. If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, color coding would be a great program to include in your facility's operations. Learn more about color coding at our ultimate guide to color coding or start shopping color-coding tools today!

1. Do any of the ingredients used in the food production process pose microbiological threats?
2. Do you use certain chemicals in any area that would pose a threat if they were transferred to another area?
3. Is it necessary to segregate tools based on the areas in which they are to be used, such as floors and drains vs. equipment surfaces or food contact vs. non-food contact areas?
4. Does your facility process foods that contain ingredients that are known allergens?
   1. The top 9 food allergens in the United States are:
      1. Milk
      2. Eggs
      3. Fish (e.g. bass, flounder, cod)
      4. Crustacean shellfish (e.g. crab, lobster, shrimp)
      5. Tree nuts (e.g. almonds, walnuts, pecans)
      6. Peanuts
      7. Wheat
      8. Soybeans
      9. Sesame (added in 2023)
5. Does your facility have separate manufacturing lines for different products?
6. Does your facility maintain a HACCP plan or a master sanitation schedule?
7. Does your company wish to standardize food manufacturing processes across multiple facilities?
8. Is your facility under the scrutiny of any of the following certification or regulatory organizations?
   1. FDA - U.S. Food and Drug Administration
   2. USDA - U.S. Department of Agriculture
   3. GFSI - Global Food Safety Initiative
   4. FMI - Food Marketing Institute
   5. ISO - International Organization for Standardization
   6. ServSafe - National Restaurant Association Food Safety Training
   7. ANSI - American National Standards Institute
   8. AIB - AIB International
   9. IFT - Institute of Food Technologists
   10. CFIA - Canadian Food Inspection Agency
   11. FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
   12. WHO - World Health Organization
   13. EPA - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
9. Do you have employees speaking multiple languages in a single plant?

Get Started with Nelson-Jameson

If you've answered "yes" to any of these questions, it's time to start your color-coding journey with a no-cost assessment!