Color-Coding to Separate Allergens

Note: This is part 1 of a series of articles showing how the color-coding system can improve safety and efficiency in your facility.

On a global scale, the United States food supply is one of the safest. However, it’s still important to maintain a focus on protecting consumers from preventable foodborne diseases. One simple step can be taken to prevent cross-contamination of allergens that can lead to sickness or extremely costly recalls: a color-coding system for tools.

Color-coding tools, clothing, supplies, and more (see our color-coding products here) in a food processing facility allows for easy and quick identification and communication of information that’s essential for food safety and protects employees and consumers. Designating critical control areas and zones helps your sanitation program by ensuring that the tools stay in the areas in which they are meant to be used, doing jobs they are meant to do.

Color-coding programs also help avoid bacterial and allergen cross-contamination within a facility or from one application to another, allowing you to maintain a safe food processing facility.

Read on for our simple steps for developing and maintaining a color-coding program in your facility for a safer environment for workers and consumers.

2. Choose Contrasting Colors for Different Allergens

Segregation of allergen production areas by color provides an easy visual check that only tools and utensils color-coding to use in that specific area are used. For example, the use of lime-colored equipment should only be used in the lime-colored "allergen" production area. The more unusual colors like orange, pink, purple, and lime are often chosen for use with allergens.

It is critical to take your time while developing your facility's color-coding program. Consult with employees at all levels in your facility and consider doing a trial run of the tools. Try to keep the plan simple and consistent and communicate the plan effectively and often to reinforce the importance and how such measures can enhance food safety and improve organizational efficiency. Educating and training employees is a critical step in implementing your color-coding program.

By providing clear training and concepts of your plan, employees will better understand why preventative control is important in preventing cross-contamination of allergens.

3. Stay organized with Custom Shadow Boards

Shadowboards can be very helpful in keeping tools organized in their designated areas.

• Provide striking, graphical visual point-of-storage for the tools.
• Shadow outlines with words to identify where tools should be when not in use.
• Store readily available tools to maintain machinery, equipment, and operations.
• Account for missing tools and equipment, avoid time wasted looking for and replacing them, and ensure availability when needed next time.

Nelson-Jameson can help your facility by customizing shadow boards to any design and style you require—use any color, logos, messages, symbols, or full-color images of your choice.