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Franois Bourdichon
Food Safety Consultant
Zoning classification in
the food processing area
A food processing area is commonly segregated for technological and hygiene purposes and so the design is meant to
obtain production in the most economically achievable hygienic conditions. The rationale for plant design has been
continuously challenged in recent years by a risk mitigation approach to put all identified hazards under control,
to correct initial design of factories when those hazards were unknown or ignored and to promote hygienic design
in new factories.
Zoning is the distinct division of a facility into process areas with different implemented to prevent pathogen contamination, this is not the sole
hygiene levels. Appropriate zoning of process areas with its barriers and hazard to be considered. Allergen management, pest control and foreign
cleaning procedures is designed to protect products from potential matter management also require a proper zoning approach. Addition-
hazards originating in the factory environment and its surroundings. ally, depending on food product composition, the process, and the
Zoning is an important prerequisite of HACCP plans. The appro- pathogen and spoilers of concern, cleaning practices are also
priate zoning of process areas with its barriers has to be designed to different between food operation factories, even within the same
protect each type of product and its consumers and prevent contamina- factory. A cheese manufacturing site, chilled and wet, with Listeria
tion according to potential hazards as defined by the HACCP study. monocytogenes as a pathogen of concern in the environment does not
But which hazards should be addressed? While zoning is commonly undergo the same sanitation schedule as a confectionary site, which is a
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low moisture food production environment with Salmonella spp. as the Zone 1: Reception/delivery/storage/processing of packed product in
pathogen of concern. areas with strong contamination risks
At least four criteria can define a spot within a processing site: high Zone 2: Storage/processing of packed products/secondary
risk zone, soy free, controlled and cleaned, and non-food contact packaging areas, storage of packed raw material/storage of liquids
surface. As for cleaning tools, these must be identified to be compliant in closed systems
with those four criteria as well. Zoning classification is not always simple! Zone 3: Low moisture foods: Storage/processing of open
semi-finished products and unpacked end products
Zoning in the ISO 22002 Food Safety Zone 4: Wet products: Open processing of microbiologically
Management System standard sensitive products
Zoning is defined by ISO in the 22002 Part 1 (2009) Standard1 as the
demarcation of an area within an establishment where specific Design and layout
operating, hygiene or other practices may be applied to minimise the Proper hygienic design and layout of premises and rooms are essential
potential for microbiological cross-contamination. The recent version 7 to ensure that entry of hazards (pathogens, spoilers, allergens) into the
of the BRC Standard2, Appendix 2 Guidelines on defining production establishment is controlled (e.g. minimising the potential for entry and,
in the case of entry, preventing the hazard
from becoming established in the environ-
ment through proper design and cleaning
procedures). Physical separation within
the food establishment based on specific
hygiene requirements will help minimise
transfer from one area to another, using
physical barriers, such as walls, doors, split
conveyers, air filters etc.
Alternatively, separation of areas and
control of dust can also be achieved by the
appropriate design of ventilation systems and
airflow. Overhead structures should be
designed to minimise the accumulation of
Figure 1: Proposed air handling and cleaning classification for low moisture food production with highly dust and dry materials, especially when
contaminated material (e.g. almonds, nuts, cocoa, etc.)
they are directly above exposed products.
risk zones, proposes a classification of risk zones within the processing Panels, walls, and floors, should be designed to eliminate hollow areas
and storage facilities, with corresponding levels of hygiene and that could serve as microbial harbourage sites or accumulation of
segregation to reduce the potential for product contamination. allergen residues.
Separation is made between open product areas, enclosed product
areas (e.g. warehouses and storerooms) and non-product areas Principles of air handling to zoning
(e.g. canteens, laundries and offices). More specifically, open product The movement of dust from one area to another should be prevented or
areas are classified as: high risk (chilled and frozen), high care (chilled and minimised using air filters and by maintaining a positive air pressure in
frozen), ambient high care and low risk. the area requiring a more stringent hygiene control relative to the other
While reminding that factory hygiene, finish of buildings, equipment, areas in the establishment (Figure 1). Properly designed air handling
protective clothing and staff hygiene should reflect the potential risks to systems control airborne particulates and odours, minimising the
the product, the proposed decision tree only focuses on pathogen risks to products from airborne contamination by pathogens and
contamination potential, not spoilers or spoilage microorganisms4.
allergens. For example, raw meat intended to be While reminding that factory Irrespective of the air flow rate, care needs
cooked before consumption would be classified hygiene, finish of buildings, equipment, to be taken that the air is moving from high to
in a low risk area, where it is still reasonable to protective clothing and staff hygiene low care areas or from low to higher dust
expect raw meat, to be cooked or not, to be should reflect the potential risks loading areas. Attention should also be given to
hygienically operated to ensure it is not spoiled to the product the location of the air intake for the establish-
before cooking. ment in relation to sources of contamination.
Pathogen management is more complicated and highly related Where air is used in the facility or in processing lines for specific purposes
to the production type and its specific risks. For example, on the proposal such as for cooling or transportation of products, direct contact with the
of the Working Group for Machinery and Equipment in the Confectionery product is possible and the air quality should be appropriate considering
Industry, zoning can be commonly separated, regardless of dry or wet the intended consumer of the finished product produced. Processing
zones in the following scheme3: sites should always aim to work with positive pressure, traditionally
Zone 0: Reception/storage/processing of open products with strong F5 filtered air in case of open product areas. Three levels of pressure
microbiological contamination at least should be considered:
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conducted in a dedicated room. Complete and active drying of all areas Zone 4: Non-food contact surfaces, Environment E3: Surfaces
and components involved should be done after controlled wet cleaning. remote from product contact surfaces outside the processing room
When the product by itself has a high range of moisture, and when but which could impact processing areas through the movement of
the production environment must be considered wet, then wet cleaning people, equipment or materials
does apply. Water use should yet be minimised and isolated to specific
areas wherever possible and complete drying of all areas should be done Depending of the ecology of the factory and the target consumer,
after wet cleaning. the microbial hazard of concern can be either Listeria monocytogenes in
wet and/or chilled production sites, Salmonella
Monitoring effectiveness in the environment of low moisture food
Food processing establishments should put in Food processing establishments plants, Cronobacter spp. in infant food plants.
place an environmental monitoring program to should put in place an environmental Indicators can also be monitored, i.e. germs
verify the effective implementation of zoning monitoring program to verify the showing similar ecological characteristics.
to maintain production in a hygienic environ- effective implementation of zoning Enterobacteriaceae show similar resistance
ment. Environmental monitoring allows to maintain production in a to drying as Salmonella spp. and are more
hygienic environment
undertaking corrective actions in a timely common in processing facilities. Consequently,
manner. The purpose of the monitoring the monitoring of Enterobacteriaceae as
program is to find where target organisms are present in the well as Salmonella in the environment may provide an early
environment. Decision criteria and their rationale should be articulated indication that the conditions necessary for Salmonella colonisation
prior to the establishment of the program, from no action (no risk of may exist, and hence provide an earlier indication of potential
contamination), to intensified cleaning, to
source tracing (increased environmental
testing), to review of hygienic practices,
holding and testing of product, up to product
Frankfurt am Main 15 19 June 2015
disposition. Cleaning procedures should also
be monitored (e.g. ATP bioluminescence
where applicable or visual observation) and
verified (swabbing for enterobacteriaceae
and allergen residues). Cleaning verification is
not environmental monitoring.
While it is reasonably expected to find
positive results out of the swabbing, since
microorganisms are ubiquitous in the environ-
ment, one has to be able to differentiate the
degree of concern depending on the location.
Two approaches are currently proposed in
the different guidelines, from the Codex
Alimentarius, Health Agencies or professional
syndicates5-7. The separation is made between
food contact surfaces (FCS) and non-food
contact surfaces (nFCS). Since the early 2000s,
a US driven approach suggests four zones for
Meeting Point of
an environment program (confusingly, the Industrial Biotechnology
term zone is used to describe environments
as well as areas of hygienic segregation):
Zone 1: Food contact surfaces Surfaces
in the plant that are in direct product
contact after the lethality or microbial
reduction step
Zone 2: Non-food contact surfaces, Environ-
ment E1: Surfaces in the plant closely
adjacent to product contact surfaces
Be informed.
Zone 3: Non-food contact surfaces,
Environment E2: Surfaces in open post-
Be inspired.
lethality product processing areas, but not
closely adjacent to FCS Be there.
New Food, Volume 18, Issue 1, 2015
www.achema.de
nf115 Bourdichon_Layout 1 23/02/2015 10:20 Page 5
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