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SAVIA

CRISIS MANAGEMENT3 min read

What a sanitary crisis protocol must contain

A usable protocol defines three things in advance: who the single spokesperson is, how long it takes to isolate the affected batch, and who absorbs medical attention and investigation costs. If it is not written before the incident, it does not exist.

What it must contain

Ask for the document, not for the intention. These are the elements that make it operable at 9 p.m. on a Saturday, which is when these events happen.

  • A single named spokesperson, with a substitute, and the rule that nobody else speaks.
  • Maximum time to isolate the affected batch and suspend distribution, expressed in hours.
  • Notification sequence: the client first, then health authorities as required, with who calls whom.
  • Who absorbs medical attention, laboratory analysis and investigation costs.
  • Retention of samples and records, and how the evidence is preserved rather than discarded.
  • A written incident report with a deadline, and the corrective action with an owner.

Why a zero-incident promise is worth less than it sounds

An absolute zero-incident clause triggers on a case that was not attributable to the operator, which means it either gets litigated or quietly ignored. What is defensible for both parties is a conduct commitment with response times: what happens, how fast, and who pays — regardless of who caused it.

NoteAsk when the protocol was last rehearsed and with whom. A protocol nobody has walked through is a document, not a capability.

Related questions

What does Resolución 2674 de 2013 entitle us to demand?

Resolución 2674 de 2013 governs the sanitary conditions of anyone who manufactures, processes, prepares and distributes food in Colombia. In practice it entitles you to require from your supplier a current sanitary licence for the production site, food-handling certificates for every operator, cold-chain control and batch traceability.

The point most often missed: if your operator produces in a third party's kitchen, verify whose name the sanitary licence is issued under and under what arrangement the operator is authorised to produce there. It is the first question a serious HSEQ auditor asks.

How the cycle is recorded →

Is SAVIA HACCP certified?

Food safety is a pillar of how we operate: the processes are designed on HACCP principles, with preventive controls, traceability and monitored critical points, and certification is on route. That is exactly what we declare, and nothing beyond it. If a supplier declares HACCP, ask for the certificate number and its expiry date.

Our food-safety system →

What happens if there is a food-safety incident at our site?

What you should require from any operator is a written protocol with three things defined in advance: who the single spokesperson is, how long it takes to isolate the affected batch, and who absorbs medical attention and investigation costs. If the protocol is not written before the incident, it does not exist.

A zero-incident absolute policy is a clause that triggers on a case not attributable to the operator. What is defensible, and what serves both parties, is a conduct commitment with response times rather than a promise of an impossible outcome.

What we put in writing →

If this guide was useful, the assessment will be too.

We apply the same criteria to your own operation and hand you the result in writing. It is free, and the report is yours even if you stay with your current provider.

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