High demands for documentation put pressure on fish producers. Although focus on bacteria and contamination has always been eminent in the fish processing industry, the current situation is increasing awareness on food safety globally. Danish suppliers offers solutions and technology helping fish producers comply with international requirements.
Information source: Danish Export Association / Press release
”Food safety is high on both consumers and authorities agenda, and with the current global pandemic this will become more important than ever. This forces fish producers to document everything from raw materials and production processes to the background and approvals of their machinery – areas where Danish suppliers have strong competencies,” says Martin Winkel, Head of Fish Tech at Danish Export Association.
Customers collect documentation
Demands for documentation are evident throughout the supply chain. According to Uni-Food Technic, a Danish supplier of solutions to the international fish processing industry, customers increasingly contact them to collect the necessary documentation for the processing equipment the company deliver.
“Every country has procedures to secure food safety, and often authorities require that fish producers can document that their machinery, conveyer belts, etc. are approved for food production,” says Jens Nielsen, Project Manager at Uni-Food Technic.
Automation reduces manual documentation
In addition to being able to document the supply chain, fish producers are also required to register processes within their own production. According to KEN Hygiene Systems, another Danish supplier to the fish processing industry, automation is an important step towards reducing both risks for contaminated products and the amount of registration of processes.
“Food authorities are focusing on every process in a fish production because they want to avoid that contaminated products make consumers sick. And scientists have shown that processing equipment is one of the most critical sources of listeria bacteria,” says Peter Oxfeldt Røge, Director Sales, at KEN Hygiene Systems A/S.
Automating e.g. cleaning processes can, however, reduce the need for documentation because all equipment is washed and disinfected to the same level of hygiene.
“If somebody washes e.g. a knife by hand, you cannot secure that this is done properly every time. If you, on the other hand, load the equipment into a chamber and run a consistent cleaning procedure, it is easier to show and document that you have your cleaning processes under control,” Peter Oxfeldt Røge explains.
Next step: Digital documentation
Jens Nielsen from Uni-Food Technic believes that demands for documentation will increase. He foresees that the future will become even more digital.
“Right now, we save information on each machine in our internal systems, and our customers can collect them by contacting us. But we listen to our customers, and if they ask that the documentation become available online or at the machine, we will look at the possibilities,” Jens Nielsen says.