How Surveillance Enables Better Food Processing Safety & Compliance

When we contemplate where our food is made, cleanliness and hygiene are typically at the top of the list of necessities. And when it comes to production facilities, strict regulations and sanitation requirements are in place to ensure that the highest levels of food safety are met. But constant changes to production practices and unregulated systems for proper training on food handling are just a few of the many difficulties that drive the necessity for stronger internal processes and diversified technology systems such as video surveillance.

Research has shown that there has been an evolution in the type of foods we eat; shifting demographics have led to shifting tastes and ingredients, and food and beverage processors are adjusting to new diets with a more varied production. There is now a greater demand for higher quality, “premium” foods, and this includes a focus on foodborne illness prevention. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are more than 200 diseases that are spread through food; one in 10 people fall ill every year from eating contaminated food; and more than 420,000 people die as a result. The WHO also reports that there are a number of ways foods can become contaminated, since the food supply chain is very complex and “involves a range of different stages, including on-farm production, slaughtering or harvesting; processing; storage; transport; and distribution before the food reaches consumers.”