If you work in the food and beverage industry, you’ll be familiar with the importance of food safety and hygiene. The amount of people in the UK contracting food poisoning is on the rise, with 47% of people in a 2019 Food Standards Agency survey reporting they have had food poisoning at some point (compared to 40% in 2012). This is why effective food safety management systems are more important than ever. The perfect partnership for ensuring your facility is safely shipping, preparing and cooking food is a well thought out HACCP plan with the addition of data loggers.

Why is food poisoning still such a huge issue?

Despite the incredible data logging technology that we now have access to, food poisoning remains very prevalent still today. Nowadays it is much easier for people to travel and there has been a huge increase in trade, meaning food shipping has dramatically risen.

As shipping has increased, so has the E. Coli virus that causes foodborne illnesses. With the need for food to travel at further distances, this poses the risk of contamination if the correct measures are not taken.

If you want to ensure that your facility can combat the growth of dangerous bacteria, you need to incorporate temperature data loggers into your HACCP plan.

What is a HACCP plan?

A Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan is a mandatory document in the food industry, identifying potential biological, physical and chemical hazards and how to control them. A HACCP food safety plan is designed to prevent the development of foodborne bacteria and address all potential risks during the shipping, preparation and sale of food products.

These potential risks are addressed with Critical Control Points (CCP) to combat potential hazards, e.g. installing a designated food preparation area that does not encounter cooked food.

How can data loggers improve your HACCP plan?

Introducing data loggers to your HACCP plan can help you run a successful food safety management system. Temperature probes for the food industry can provide you with the ultimate solution to controlling potential hazards. This is because you can establish the exact temperatures reached during all phases of the food life cycle, and whether safe temperature thresholds have been breached. This means that any food that has entered this ‘danger zone’ can be discarded.

Temperature data loggers also ensure you meet HACCP compliance through validating your initial plan, helping you keep a clear record of the temperatures that have come into play. This helps to prove to inspectors that food safety monitoring has been tackled to the highest standard, allowing you to meet government legislation.

Our team of experts at Wessex Power can install food safety monitoring systems in your facility with the best data loggers on the market, helping you to significantly improve your HACCP plan. Get in touch today by calling 01929 459459 or email sales@wpls.co.uk.