Food Safety
By Tammy Popejoy and Kerry Beach
10
Is the lighting in your facility impacting
productivity or enhancing food safety?
L
ighting contributes to many aspects of a food safety program in a food processing
facility. It can affect productivity and enhance food safety within a plant. Keep these
considerations in mind when making decisions about lighting usage in your food facility.
1 HOW IMPORTANT IS
LIGHTING?
George Gansner, IFS director,
marketing and business development,
describes the importance of lighting from
a food safety perspective. “You have to
consider the amount of light and color
necessary for an individual to do their
job. For instance, your quality inspec-
tion area should be the most well-lit area
of the building with both the amount
of light and color of light considered in
your analysis of lighting needs. Other
areas must meet regulatory requirements
at a minimum, but keep in mind that
the output of your product is affected by
the quality of light in which your team is
working,” said Gansner.
2 DOES THE LIGHTING
IN YOUR PLANT MEET
REGULATIONS?
The FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices
require adequate lighting in all areas of the
12 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 AIB UPDATE
lighting
considerations
for your facility
facility. The 2013 Food Code defines what
light intensity to use in various food plant
areas, including in walk-in refrigeration
units, food-storage areas, and consumer
self-service areas above the floor and inside
equipment.
3 HOW IS LIGHTING
MEASURED?
Light brightness is measured in
units called candles, lumens, foot candles,
and lux. The recommended level of illu-
mination in a food plant depends on the
process or activity occurring in the area.
For example, the recommended level of
illumination in an ingredient warehouse
or finished product warehouse is 20 to
30 foot candles, but in bulk ingredient
storage the level is 30 to 40 foot candles,
and in locker areas and restrooms, it is 30
to 50 foot candles. Areas where product is
inspected require higher levels of illumina-
tion at 110 to 130 foot candles.
Light meters are relatively cost-effective
tools used to measure illumination levels.
Measuring light must be taken into ac-
count to determine the best kind of light
to use. The results will vary depending
on the type of work being done and the
environment in which it is carried out.
4 WHAT TYPE OF BULB
SHOULD YOU USE?
A variety of light bulbs are used
in the food industry, including fluores-
cent, high-pressure sodium, low-pressure
sodium, metal halide, mercury vapor, and
incandescent lights. “While yellow sodium
light will appear on your light meter as a
better, stronger light, white light is actu-
ally much more effective for the human
eye. Your ability to see clearly is enhanced
with white light, as is morale—people are
happier and work better in white light,”
Gansner explained. “Although the cost
for yellow light is generally less expensive,
white light has a much better result in
almost every case, including security.”

WHERE DO YOU STORE
5 NEW AND USED BULBS?
Storage of new and used lamps
is important. Take into account
storage of new or used lamps along with
the potential hazards associated with
breakage of those products. Careful stor-
age of lamps not in use is a preventive
measure that should be considered.
6
HOW DO YOU PROTECT
AGAINST GLASS
BREAKAGE?
Bulb breakage is the main risk with
lighting in food processing plants.
Light bulbs over exposed product areas
should be shielded, coated, or otherwise
shatter-resistant. There are many differ-
ent ways to protect product from glass
bulb breakage, including coated lamps,
protective lenses, and protective shrouds
in metal-halide lighting.
Many new light styles are made with
plastic rather than glass, which includes
additional benefits like significantly
longer life, more accurate color, energy
savings, and no glass breakage.
Coated bulbs have a rubberized coat-
ing or another type of coating to protect
the lamp from shattering into small
pieces if broken. Coated lamps are the
most commonly used type of lighting in
food production plants, but if you have
metal halide in your ceilings, coatings and
protective lenses will not contain a lamp
that explodes.
Protected lighting includes a protec-
tive glass shroud that encircles the arc
tube and protects it from breaking the
outer glass shell if it explodes. Metal
halide lamps can explode if they are
not regularly cycled according to the
manufacturer’s recommendations.
You also need to establish a written
procedure for changing glass bulbs.
This should include whether or not
changes can occur during production,
any measures that need to be taken to
protect product-contact surfaces in the
area, ensuring that any protective ma-
terials are replaced, and proper disposal
of the old bulb.
7 WHAT DO YOU DO IF A
LAMP BREAKS?
When a lamp breaks, a timely
and effective response is critical to
ensure that no potentially contami-
nated product reaches consumers. There
should be a written procedure outlining
how to respond to breakage, including
details about how to clean the area.
The first step is to quarantine the area
to prevent shards of glass or other pieces
from spreading.
Next, account for all pieces of the
lamp. The procedure should specify that
if there is any product potentially con-
taminated from the breakage, this mate-
rial must be discarded. All equipment
and areas where breakage has occurred
must be cleaned to remove any debris.
“If a lamp breaks, you need to consid-
er the type of lamp that broke, whether
that lamp has a potential for hazardous
discharge, and then assess your own risk
in how to manage the breakage. Safety
Data Sheets provide information about
the lamp product, and your hazardous
materials expert on site should under-
stand how to manage the breakage and
its cleanup,” Gansner said.
8
IS LIGHTING ONLY A
PHYSICAL HAZARD
CONCERN?
In the event that a metal halide light or
fluorescent light breaks, the associated
chemicals present significant product
contamination issues.
AIB UPDATE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 13
Food Safety
9 SHOULD I WAIT UNTIL I
SELECT A CERTIFICATION
SCHEME BEFORE I MAKE
LIGHTING SELECTIONS?
There are a variety of certification
schemes on which a food plant audit can
be based. Understanding of the require-
ments of lighting to the various schemes
should not influence light selection.
Most schemes require that lighting
meets government regulations, which
means that there needs to be sufficient
lighting for the task. Using a light meter
to analyze your tasks, output, and in-
tended use—along with potential risks
through hazard analysis—can help you
mitigate potential issues.
10
DID YOU KNOW GOOD
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
DETERS CRIMINALS?
One of the best ways to prevent food
security incidents at a food or bever-
age processing facility is to use light
effectively. Lights deter people from
doing bad things because they feel they
are being watched. To provide effective
lighting around your facility, follow these
simple rules:
• Use metal-halide lamps in areas away
from the building. Metal halide pro-
vides the best color rendition for the
use of security cameras.
• Allow two to five foot candles for most
exterior locations.
• Allow five to 10 foot candles for most
gates, employee and visitor entrances,
walkways, loading docks, and other
areas that are monitored by security
cameras.
• Use vandal-resistant lenses for lights
less than 10 feet high.
• Lights should be controlled (on/off ) by
a photoelectric cell and not by a switch
or timer.
• Lights should be surveyed on a fre-
quent basis to ensure they are working
and that enough light is provided. AIB
The authors are Associate, Innovation and
Communications Professional-Writer, AIB
International.