'Proud of a safe production foundation'

I’ve just returned from a four-week trip through Sri Lanka and the Philippines. Beautiful countries, breathtaking landscapes, welcoming people. But if, like me, you work in food production every day, you look at things through a different lens. At local markets and along busy roads, I saw meat and fish displayed in the tropical heat, unrefrigerated and fully exposed. Sometimes with a small fan hovering above it. No chilled display cases, no protected presentation, no easy-to-clean work surfaces, no fixed cleaning routines, and so on. What is everyday reality there would be unthinkable here.

Food safety and hygiene are not a given. They are the result of system choices, process design, and daily actions on the shop floor. They are embedded in material selection, in smart production lines, in the cleanability of machines, in training and awareness on the floor. It is the sum of technology, behavior, and discipline.

In the Netherlands, we operate in a context where that foundation is firmly anchored. Legislation, certifications, and supply chain collaboration provide clear frameworks. And that requires constant attention. Because the sector is evolving. Production is becoming more complex, volumes are increasing, automation is expanding, and supply chains are growing more international. Hygiene must evolve along with it. Think of hygienic robot design, real-time monitoring of cleaning processes, and smart data analysis to detect deviations at an early stage. In that sense, food safety is not an afterthought, but an integral part of innovation.

That is why this topic rightfully takes center stage at the Food Tech Event. How do we safeguard quality in increasingly automated processes? And how do we ensure that growth never comes at the expense of safety?

My trip brought global differences into sharp focus. But above all, it underscored the strength of our position in the Netherlands. The fact that food safety here is a true foundation is the result of sustained attention and innovation. That is something we can be proud of. And it is a position we will present with conviction at the Food Tech Event.

Judith van den Nieuwenhuijzen
Programmamanager Events at Mikrocentrum