Food and beverage plants are dealing with an unpredictable environment and risk profiles that could move from low to high to shut-down in a very short time. 

Ecolab, a global leader in hygiene and sanitation, has published three different risk profiles, with accompanying action plans, to help prevent and combat contamination and the disease in your food/beverage factory.

The coronavirus pandemic is changing the way we work in the food/beverage processing plants in so many ways. That said, food producers are essential service providers and it’s vital that all players work to ensure that a safe and robust food supply is maintained for the public while ensuring that their employees are protected and that their business is resilient to the risks.

There are three plant risk profiles that Ecolab defines as:

  • Green: No known outbreak
  • Yellow: Potential for an outbreak in the geographic area of the plant
  • Red: Publicly declared outbreak in the facility

As the risk profile within a plant changes from one to another, it’s necessary to adjust sanitation protocols prevent any infection, to break the chain of infection and then to ensure production can safely recommence. Ecolab have devised comprehensive and detailed guidelines for each stage.

Below is an outline of these three stages and recommended action plans. This 3-tiered guidance is informed by public health reports and Ecolab’s understanding of the scientific characteristics of underlying causes.

 

You can learn more about these in this Ecolab presentation