Ready Meals
Ready-to-eat foods prepared as ready-made meals are ever more common in food processing and have become a concern for consumer safety. The critical difference between these foods and other processed food is that ready-to-eat food is sold for consumption without further preparation.
Ready-to-Eat Foods and the Risk of Bacterial Contamination
Ready-to-eat foods are highly susceptible to bacterial contamination because they are sold for direct consumption without further preparation. Unlike packaged products, ready-made meals often come into direct contact with the conveyor belt during processing, with no packaging or intervening layer in between. Volta belts are designed to minimize this risk: they support strict hygiene standards, resist bacterial activity, and are easy to clean, helping protect food safety and extend shelf life.
High-Care Hygiene for Ready-Made Meals
Ready-made meals require strict “high care” hygiene to control harmful bacteria without sterilization, which can compromise product quality. Segregated production zones, controlled airflow, and hygienically designed equipment help protect food safety and extend shelf life. Volta belts support these standards with resistance to bacterial activity and frequent washdowns, while their easy-to-clean surfaces help reduce cleaning time and production costs.
FAQ’s
What is the standard of hygiene needed when preparing ready-made meals?
The British BRCGS food standards program coined the term “high care” for this category of product as opposed to “high risk”. Both terms are designed to prevent foodborne illnesses, with high-risk denoting that the product has undergone a sterilization process which cannot be performed on high care foods without destroying their marketable qualities. Therein lies the difference although there is clear overlap, for example with fruit and vegetables where raw products may be sold after a chemical wash only and go on to be eaten directly, a process that on its own does not give more than a log 2 reduction in bacteria.
What is the practical difference between “high risk” and “high care”?
High care relies on a strict reduction in risk without using sterilization. Listeria is a particular threat as it thrives in chilled ambient temperatures. For this reason, factory zones where ingredients for ready-made meals and the meals are prepared need to develop other strategies to control pathogens.
Has this requirement spread globally and what methods of ensuring clean food are used in place of sterilization?
Food safety organizations and regulatory agencies have taken note of the trend and copied the BRCGS’s lead. Both EC regulations and ISO requirements stipulate the segregation of high care areas and pest control. To this, the Codex Alimentarius adds airflow control to reduce the presence of bacteria. EHEDG Guidelines define segregation and zoning and use the term “high hygiene areas” which includes zones for ready-to-eat meals.
Why is the level of bacterial contamination important for ready-made meals?
The duty of care on producers engaged in processing and selling such foods is onerous. Factory and equipment design including conveyors and belts need to be state-of-the-art. Belts and conveyors must be hygienically designed and maintained constantly to the highest standards and subject to frequent washdowns and rigorous disinfection. Aside from considerations of health, product shelf life is prolonged where bug counts are lower, and this can make a huge difference for ready-made meals. A Volta customer washing and packing mixed leaf salads saw a 33% increase in shelf life which changed the entire distribution pattern of the product, saving logistic costs, road tax, and fuel.
What belt characteristics help improve hygiene in the context of “high care”?
Volta belts have always excelled in prolonged resistance to bacterial activity and resistance to frequent washdowns. They are suited to Hygienic Design and are selected routinely for high hygiene and high care situations. They are impervious to water and chemicals and sauces, fats and oils wash off easily saving production costs and reducing production cycles. Volta’s new xxxxxx belt types have strong anti-microbial properties which inhibit the growth of dangerous pathogens and fungal organisms.
