Webinar Recap: Elevating Your Color-Coding Program

Food safety is a primary concern for any manufacturer, driven by existing and new threats that call for robust protective measures for consumers and the food processors themselves. A crucial tool in this ongoing effort is a well-implemented color-coding program, which, as a recent webinar that we hosted alongside Vikan highlighted, is not a "set it and forget it" solution. It's an ongoing, iterative initiative.

The webinar featured Dakonya Freis, VP of Commercial Development at Nelson-Jameson, and Dave Gambrall, from Vikan North America. They shared insights on leveling up color-coding programs, neutralizing threats, and measuring the ROI.

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Color-coding 101: Why it's effective

At its core, color-coding is a visual language that helps instantly identify different areas or zones within a manufacturing facility. For example, blue might signify raw materials, green for processing, and red for allergens. This system extends to tools, where a yellow brush might be exclusively for a specific cleaning task, or a blue scoop dedicated to a particular ingredient. This intuitive system reduces errors, boosts efficiency, and significantly enhances food safety by preventing cross-contamination.

During the webinar, Gambrall emphasized that the primary purpose of color-coding is to protect the food supply and minimize cross-contamination or allergen cross-contact risks. Beyond this, it effectively overcomes language barriers within diverse plant workforces, allowing management to convey food safety plans efficiently. The beauty of color-coding lies in its flexibility; plants can tailor it to their specific needs, whether by zones (e.g., a "red room" with all red tools) or by tasks (e.g., one color for food contact surfaces, another for floors). It also serves as a quick visual indicator for employees and managers, enabling proactive prevention of quality lapses.

Why an ongoing, iterative approach is essential

Color-coding programs are dynamic and must evolve and scale with the facility. There are several reasons for this: 

• Tool Replacement: Tools break and need replacing with the correct color and type.
• Facility Changes: Processors constantly expand and change facilities, shifting workflows and zones.
• Evolving Threats & Regulations: Food safety threats and regulations continuously change, requiring adaptation to maintain compliance. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), for instance, emphasizes preventative controls like color-coding, transforming it from a "good idea" to an "essential" component of a food safety plan.

As Freis pointed out, a holistic approach is crucial, extending beyond initial rollout to continuous evolution. This involves:

• Ongoing Communication and Training: Ensuring everyone understands the program's purpose and updates, which requires continuous effort, not just a single session.
• Future Planning: Considering how the color-coding program will accommodate growth or changes in the facility or processes.
• Practical Storage and Organization: Implementing solutions like shadow boards and brush racks to keep tools accessible and organized, which is critical for compliance and cleaning.
• Ongoing Audits and Updates: Regularly reviewing the program, triggered by new products, process changes, or internal/external regulations.

"Successfully maintaining regulatory compliance and probably the most impactful is avoiding that significant financial and reputational damage of a costly recall. These factors demonstrate that color coding is not just an operational expense, but it's strategic and an investment in the food safety efficiency and ultimately your business." - Dakonya Freis, Nelson-Jameson

Threats to a color-coding program

As both of the panelists discussed, several factors can undermine even the best-intended color-coding initiatives in a food manufacturing facility:

• Poor Communication or Compliance: A lack of involvement from all team members, from top to bottom, can lead to inconsistency and complacency. Empowering frontline employees to identify and report non-compliance is key to fostering a culture of responsibility.
• Unidentified Threats: Pathogens, allergens, and foreign bodies pose significant risks.
• Low-Quality or Incorrect Tools: Tools must be high-quality and "right for the job". Gambrall advises feeling the tool for a solid block, smooth finish, and good bristle retention. Using the correct tool can decrease sanitation time, offering a "value add" by returning production time.
• Poor Contrast: Using contrasting colors (e.g., blue and yellow) is vital, as red and green can be problematic. A tip to check contrast is to take a black and white photo of the tools.
• Improper Tool Storage: If tools are not stored in the right, easily accessible places, they won't be put back, leading to inventory bloat and potential contamination.
• Lack of Contrast with Product: If tool colors (especially for food contact) match the product (e.g., white tools with a white product), it becomes difficult to spot debris or lost bristles. Using a high-contrast color is recommended.
• Neglecting the "Why": Employees must understand the benefits and endgame of the program to be committed.

R&D and iteration in color-coding tools

As Gambrall discussed, food manufacturers are investing in R&D to continuously improve color-coding tools. Vikan, for example, prioritizes three key areas when approaching reasearch and development:

• Hygienic Design: Tools are designed to be easy to clean and highly effective.
• Sustainability: Focusing on renewable or recyclable materials.
• Ergonomics: Designing tools that are comfortable to use, making the difficult job of sanitation easier and leading to greater compliance.

Measuring the ROI of a color-coding program

Investing in a robust, holistic color-coding program is a strategic move with measurable ROI. The panel shared some of the simplest ways (some direct, some indirect) to measure the ROI of a color-coding system:

• Regulatory Compliance: While not always mandatory itself, color-coding is invaluable in meeting regulatory compliances by enhancing food safety and preventing cross-contamination.
• Avoiding Costly Recalls: An effectively used program reduces the risk of recalls, which are not only expensive in terms of product loss but also incur significant costs from notifications, legal fees, investigations, and potential fines.
• Brand Protection: Recalls can cause long-lasting damage to brand reputation, which can be even more detrimental than immediate financial costs.

Nelson-Jameson: Your partner in color-coding

As the panel demonstrated, by adopting a holistic approach, investing in the right durable tools, proactively identifying threats, and continuously iterating their program, organizations can ensure their color-coding system effectively scales with their operations. And in turn, this strengthens food safety efforts across the organization.

If you're interested in evaluating a color-coding program or want to get started, Nelson-Jameson offers in-facility color-coding assessments. Click the link to start your own assessment!