Page 44 - FoodFocusThailand No.247 November_December 2026

STRONG
STRONG QC & QA QC & QA

ELEVATING FOOD INDUSTRY

SANITATION:

AN INVESTMENT STRATEGY TO PROTECT

YOUR BUSINESS FROM RISK

Sanitation is one of the key components of food manufacturing, as it plays a direct role in controlling product
quality and safety before products reach consumers. Effective sanitation management helps prevent,
reduce, and control various forms of contamination, including microorganisms, chemicals, and foreign
matter that may enter food products through raw materials, tools and equipment, personnel, or the factory
environment. Proper control of these factors is therefore fundamental to ensuring that food products meet
quality standards and remain safe for consumers.

On the other hand, inadequate sanitation management Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) and the Hazard Analysis and
increases the risk of contamination and non-compliance Critical Control Point (HACCP) system, focusing on hazard
with product standards. It can also lead to product losses, analysis and the selection of appropriate control measures
production interruptions or delays, and the development based on the nature and level of risk involved (Food and
of conditions within the factory environment that allow Agriculture Organization [FAO] & World Health Organization
microorganisms and contaminants to accumulate or spread. [WHO], 2023).
Therefore, effective food sanitation management should Therefore, the key issue is not simply whether a factory
not merely aim to ensure that a food manufacturing facility has fully implemented GMP or HACCP systems, but
“meets regulatory requirements,” but should also serve as a rather how effectively these systems enable the factory to
critical mechanism for preventing business losses. It helps identify, assess, and control risks that may arise in actual
minimize product deterioration, reduce the likelihood of product production conditions and help the factory prioritize risks,
recalls, and lower the costs and potential consequences allowing appropriate control measures to be established and
associated with food quality and safety issues. Furthermore, resources to be allocated efficiently.
sanitation management strengthens confidence in the quality
and safety of food products, thereby enhancing the factory’s Key Risk Areas for Food Manufacturing
image and credibility. to Consider
When GMP 420 requirements are examined from a risk
Standard and Risk Visibility assessment perspective, it becomes clear that potential
In Thailand, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), as stipulated risks are not limited to the food products themselves but also
in the Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 420 B.E. 2563 encompass various components throughout the production
(2020), concerning the methods of food production, production system. GMP 420 establishes 5 sections of fundamental
equipment and utensils, and food storage, commonly referred requirements:
to as GMP 420, establishes legally enforceable requirements 1) Location, Production Building, Cleaning and
within its defined scope. These requirements are divided into Maintenance Section
general provisions applicable to food manufacturers and 2) Equipment, Machines, Utensils, Production Tools,
specific provisions for certain types of food production involving Cleaning and Maintenance
specialized processes or high levels of risk (Ministry of Public 3) Process Control
Health, 2021). Meanwhile, the Codex Alimentarius emphasizes 4) Sanitation
5) Personal Hygiene
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