Why does a slice of sandwich bread contain traces of soy, milk, sesame seeds ❓ Why may smoked paprika contain traces of mustard ❓Why may other products contain traces of eggs, sesame seed, peanuts, almonds and other nuts ❓


👉 These are indications for those who suffer from allergies about cross-contamination that could take place during material processing.

However, this does not mean that these substances are actually being present in the product.

Let's take a closer look at what experts say about cross-contamination.


“Material cross-contamination refers to trace foreign materials that may be introduced in the powder feedstock used in the process due to reasons such as poor cleaning of the machine after previous builds or inadequate quality control during production and storage of the powder.”


▶️ Cross-contamination types:
food-to-food
equipment-to-food
people-to-food.
chemical
microbial
physical
allergenic


Manufacturers must have processes in place, to not only avoid cross-contamination scenarios but also provide documented evidence that contamination has not occurred.


▶️ Where does it come from ❓

Poor design and operation of ventilation systems and dust extraction systems.
Inadequate procedures for personnel and equipment.
Improper cleaning of equipment.


▶️ How can it be minimized ❓

Use of closed production systems
By using a validated cleaning procedure
By maintaining a product manufacturing standard
By having adequate premises
By installing the correct air pressure cascade


💡Cleaning procedures in almost all processing industries are highly complex tasks.

Depending on the industry field and material parameters it might be a high cost factor for processing. And also one of the reasons why some providers do not touch certain materials and focus on their core competencies. The cleaning process would be much more expensive than the processing fee.


What other products or branches do you know, where cross-contamination is an important issue ❓