HACCP Colour Coding Guidelines are of paramount importance when preparing food in bulk catering kitchens or high-turnover food service facilities. Cross-contamination of food can have significant consequences in these busy environments, and it is vitally important for businesses to develop a plan to ensure their staff and customers are at the forefront of safe practices when it comes to food service and delivery.
What is HACCP?
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a food hygiene risk assessment framework that is used to ensure food and products are safe for consumers to eat in New Zealand. It’s a system of checks and standards in food preparation to prevent the risk of illness by reducing chemical, physical and biological risks to consumers.
There are three stages for businesses to consider when implementing a HACCP food safety management process. Each is made up of a series of steps to be completed to ensure all steps are followed and recorded to guarantee a safe dining experience. These steps require adequate planning, execution, and recording to ensure and prove stringent food preparation and delivery are optimal and hygienic.
One way of ensuring HACCP is optimal is with Colour
There are many means of insuring HACCP compliance. One of these is introducing stringent colour coding for preparation and cleaning utensils in your business. Common causes of food-related illness occur in bulk food preparation industries via cross-contamination. This results in harmful bacteria being transferred from one food product to another via contaminated utensils, equipment, hands, or cleaning products.
In many cases, cutting boards are a prime culprit of cross-contamination.
How you can be HACCP compliant with Colour Coded Cutting Boards
Cutting boards have evolved to be produced in colours relative to the ingredients they are in close contact with. This is a step toward avoiding cross-contamination and the colours assigned to the preparatory board colours extends to utensils and cleaning products when introduced in venues that take this practice seriously.
What are the Colours assigned to Food Types?
There are six colours assigned to food types recognised in HACCP compliance to ensure cross-contamination is prevented. These are:
GREEN: For fruit and vegetables
YELLOW: For raw poultry
BROWN: For cooked food
WHITE: For dairy products
BLUE: For fish and seafood
RED: For raw meat.
Preventing cross-contamination is at the heart of any food safety or HACCP-compliant business. Colour is a universal language and no matter the culture or education level of those delivering food in a safe and healthy environment, it’s guaranteed to be optimal if colour-coded compliance is introduced across the board.
Colour coding is important to avoid cross-contamination and the introduction of this practice to food service businesses is of vital importance, not just in food preparation environments but also in cleaning and storage practices.
Reward Hospitality New Zealand has the Products you need to be Safe and HACCP compliant
Reward Hospitality New Zealand offers a wide range of colour-coded cutting boards and cleaning products to ensure ease of use. These products are designed to meet the highest standards of hygiene and customer safety, enabling you to provide your customers with an exceptional experience.
Our focus in this area guarantees you have access to the right products designed to get the job done, supported by expertise to support you in your purchase ensuring you’re equipped with the best tools and knowledge to deliver beyond your customers’ expectations.
As the leading provider of hospitality and care products in the Asia Pacific, Reward Hospitality New Zealand offers a wide range of HACCP products, including a variety of tools and accessories, to ensure that you are providing the healthiest experience for your customers.