The food industry has always reinforced itself as a very meticulous industry. This is due to all the codes and standards covering areas such as hygiene, safety and health, that their employees must follow in order to reduce the risk of contamination and work accidents.
One of the most demanding parts of this industry lies in the uniform and the footwear that their workers wear. It is mandatory for them to follow the PPE rules for this industry. In this case, we are going to talk about the importance of the colours of the footwear in the food industry. So, keep reading this article to understand why they play a fundamental role and how to choose them.
It is well known that the food industry is very cautious when it comes to choosing the right footwear for their workers. They have to be SRC certified (in order to prevent slips and falls), light-weight, easy to clean and preferably metal-free, but what about the colour? Is there a specific colour? are there any rules for the colour?
In terms of colour coding, there are some aspects of the production that will help the company determine what colour is the best to wear according to each activity:
Directly handling raw food: these workers have to strictly wear white footwear, so in case of any dirtiness, it can be easily detected and cleaned. This is made in order to avoid germs transportation. Usually, these shoes are entirely white, but frequently, some of them could have a blue outsole or some blue details.
Directly handling food: In this case, white could be optional, yet it is still the preferable colour to wear. Nevertheless, some companies prefer to wear a different colour in this section due to the separation of each process, so they could easily recognize by eye where each worker belongs, according to the colour of their footwear, and in this way, they reduce the risk of contamination. Usually, the other colour option used here is blue, considering that this colour is rarely seen on any natural food, any contamination, dirtiness or food waste, so it can be easily located and cleaned.
Directly handling packaged food: In this case, the colour code is less meticulous because the product must be already packed and there wouldn’t be the necessity to directly handling the food. Yet some companies prefer their workers to wear white, they can also wear blue, grey and even black.
In our brand, EagleGrip®, we have all of these colours available (white, blue, grey and black). These boots were specially designed for the food industry, they come in all safety levels and they meet all the requirements for this area mentioned above: SRC certified, light-weight, easy to clean, smooth design and metal-free.
Another crucial aspect to take into consideration is the strict cleaning the shoes must be submitted every time they are used. Such as before entering the plant or starting any food-related activity, and also after finishing the activity. There are some standard rules that must be followed, and that specify how this has to be made (mostly in companies). Still, for smaller companies or amateurs, we also recommend doing it, not only to avoid the contamination and propagation of germs but also to increase the lifetime of the boots and keep them clean.
These are some of the main reasons why footwear colour coding in the food industry is essential. This is all made in order to prevent food contamination and germs proliferation, so next time you need to choose the right footwear colour, you will know how to do it and what facts to take into account.