Good Hygiene Practices

These days, food demand worldwide has increased considerably, so the challenge for companies engaged in food production, transformation, storage and distribution has also grown. It is not only about satisfying a number, but also preserving and increasing product quality and, more importantly, their food safety.

An increasing number of companies are joining the implementation of good agricultural and manufacturing practices, either on their own initiative or by request of a client, local or exporting guidelines. Eleven Rivers has a Badge supported by trade certifications and own internal audits, including the main requirements which consumers, buyers and government bodies seek globally, in order to improve the performance of farming companies in areas such as food safety, process quality, traceability and social responsibility.

The Eleven Rivers Badge covers the product, from production to transportation which moves it out of packaging facility modules of companies.

Globally, one of the main reasons why products may potentially be contaminated, especially by pathogens such as bacteria and viruses, is due to a lack of hygiene.

That is why workers must be trained in good hygiene practices to avoid unintentionally contaminating the product and preserving its food safety.

These trainings must be developed for all the employees as they enter the company; and reinforcement should be necessary at least once per season or whenever it is necessary.

Having supervision of activities throughout all the stages, from food production, harvest, storage, packaging and distribution is essential for companies.

So, within the criteria that the Eleven Rivers Badge audits from trade certificates, there will always be the continuous review of hygiene standards such as:

Personnel Hygiene

• Proper hand washing, as well as the frequency in which it should be performed. A good hand wash prevents the spread of microorganisms and dirt to products, reduces the likeability that people acquire any gastrointestinal disease.
• Proper personal hygiene, that is, daily shower, attending to work with clean clothes and avoiding accumulation of dirt on the nails, e.g., keeping nails short and clean.
• Avoid spitting, chewing gum, and eating during work activities or in unallocated spaces, as well as to avoid touching dirty surfaces before handling food products.
• When entering the company facilities, personnel and visitors must be supervised to check if they are free from disease symptoms and open wounds. If any of these cases is identifies, it should be directed to medical personnel for evaluation and follow-up. The personnel must comply with the indications for their early recovery and return to their activities.
• Workers should be prevented to attend the facilities with contagious or infectious diseases or open wounds, due to the fact that they may infect their colleagues and contaminate the product.
• Given the current health contingency, proper implementation of good hygiene practices is a good ally in preventing the spread of SARS-Cov-2.