If your food factory is going to meet hygiene standards, audit requirements, and customer expectations, production zoning is essential.

Different products carry different levels of risk. As a result, they must be handled in controlled environments that reflect those risks. According to BRCGS guidance, the most common zones are:

  • Low Risk
  • High Risk
  • High Care
  • Ambient High Care

Understanding the differences between these areas is critical for preventing contamination and achieving compliance.

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Low Risk Areas Explained: Definition, Examples & Requirements

Low risk areas are often misunderstood. While they present a reduced risk of contamination, they still require strict controls to maintain hygiene standards.

As the name suggests, low risk areas handle products with a reduced risk of contamination. One possible reason that a product belongs in this area is that it is set to undergo a kill step at a later stage. A kill step is an action that helps to destroy bacteria. Examples include certain kinds of cooking, freezing, pasteurisation, and chemical washes.

Another reason for a product being handled in a low risk area is that, either naturally or by design, it does not support the survival of pathogens that would typically grow during storage or use.

A product is considered low risk if it:

  • Is always going to be cooked by the consumer
  • Is processed within the final container
  • Does not support the growth and/or survival of pathogens
  • Is a ready-to-eat product that has been stored, chilled or frozen
  • Is a raw material or prepared product that is going to undergo a kill step
Bread products on a conveyor belt in a low risk food production area

What are the compliance and equipment requirements for a low risk area?

‘Low risk’ should never result in ‘low standards’. Instead, good manufacturing practices should be upheld at every stage. Otherwise, it will be impossible to maintain hygiene standards, achieve audit compliance, and develop the correct culture amongst your workforce. As with all zones within your factory, you must ensure that:

  • Equipment is correctly calibrated
  • Cleaning Instruction Cards are up to date
  • Team members are using the correct clothing and utensils

It is also essential that equipment from low risk areas do not travel into high risk or high care zones.

Segregation and colour coding controls

Colour coding is one of the most effective ways to prevent equipment crossing between zones. Not only does it support compliance with retailer and auditor expectations, it also makes it far easier for operatives to identify and control equipment.

For example, if a green brush is taken into a blue zone or a red squeegee is used in a yellow zone, this breach becomes immediately visible and far easier to correct. This becomes even more effective when equipment is stored on corresponding shadow boards, as it allows teams to quickly confirm that all items have been returned to the correct location.

Without these controls, even low risk areas can become a source of cross-contamination, particularly where equipment or personnel move between zones without restriction.

Operative using a colour-coded shadow board to manage cleaning equipment in a food production area
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Examples of shadow boards and equipment storage systems used in food production facilities

Struggling to Implement Effective Zoning in Your Factory?

Shadow boards play a critical role in preventing cross-contamination between low risk, high risk, and high care areas. From engineering tool boards to PPE storage, explore over 70 designs to support your zoning strategy.

High Risk Areas Explained: Definition, Examples & Requirements

High risk areas are self-contained zones that handle products that have undergone a kill step but are yet to have the full protection of product packaging.

These environments are designed to prevent recontamination before the product is sealed.

A product is considered high risk if it:

  • Requires chilling or freezing during storage
  • Has undergone a full cook to a minimum of 70°C for two minutes (or the equivalent)
  • Supports the growth and/or survival of pathogens
  • Is ready-to-eat, ready-to-heat, or is likely to be eaten without adequate cooking (e.g. cooked crustaceans)
Milk bottles being filled on a production line before sealing in a high risk food production area

What are the compliance and equipment requirements for a high risk area?

One of the most important compliance requirements for high risk areas is segregation. Time-based segregation is not sufficient, so physical separation is essential.

The most effective solution is a fully enclosed barrier, typically a wall that has undergone a comprehensive risk assessment. This barrier must be capable of preventing cross-contamination caused by:

  • Workers moving between zones
  • The movement of equipment, utensils, and materials
  • Water or cleaning liquids entering the area
  • Pathogens transferring from a low risk environment
Operative cleaning equipment with a spray hose in a food production environment

Airflow and airborne contamination control

You should also consider airborne contaminants, including dust particles and water droplets. One of the most effective ways to manage this risk is by controlling air pressure between zones.

This is particularly important where there is a wall-mounted transfer hatch between high risk and low risk areas. While air moving from a high risk area into a low risk area presents minimal concern, the reverse can introduce significant contamination risks.

Maintaining correct air pressure differentials helps to ensure that air flows in the correct direction, reducing the likelihood of contamination entering the high risk environment.

High Care Areas Explained: Definition, Examples & Requirements

High care areas are controlled environments designed to protect products that are particularly vulnerable to contamination. These products may not have undergone a full kill step after preparation, or they may support the growth of pathogens during storage.

As a result, high care areas require strict controls to minimise the risk of contamination from people, equipment, and the surrounding environment.

A product is considered high care if it:

  • Is ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat
  • Requires chilling or freezing during storage
  • Supports the growth and/or survival of pathogens
  • Has not undergone a full kill step after final preparation
  • Is handled or processed in a way that leaves it exposed to contamination
Packaged ready-to-eat food products in a high care food production environment

What are the compliance and equipment requirements for a high care area?

High care areas rely heavily on effective segregation from low risk environments. While the level of control may differ from high risk areas, the objective remains the same: to prevent contamination reaching vulnerable products. Key controls typically include:

  • Defined zoning and controlled access points
  • Dedicated equipment and utensils for each area
  • Strict cleaning and sanitation procedures
  • Appropriate protective clothing for operatives
  • Clear visual management systems, including colour coding

As with high risk areas, equipment must not move freely between zones. Any transfer of materials or tools should be carefully controlled to minimise contamination risks.

Personnel movement and hygiene controls

One of the most significant contamination risks in high care areas comes from people moving between zones. To manage this, sites often implement:

  • Controlled entry procedures
  • Handwashing and sanitisation points
  • Clothing changes or protective barriers
  • Defined workflows to prevent cross-over between areas

These controls help to ensure that contaminants are not introduced into high care environments through routine operations.

Environmental and contamination control

In addition to physical and personnel controls, the surrounding environment must also be carefully managed. This includes:

  • Preventing contamination from adjacent low risk areas
  • Controlling airflow where necessary
  • Managing condensation, water ingress, and surface hygiene

In addition to these controls, ongoing monitoring plays a key role in maintaining high care conditions.

Wireless monitoring systems

Wireless monitoring systems can be used to continuously track critical environmental factors such as temperature and humidity. This is particularly important in chilled environments where products support the growth of pathogens. By providing real-time alerts and recorded data, these systems help sites to:

  • Maintain consistent environmental conditions
  • Identify deviations quickly
  • Demonstrate compliance during audits

Without these controls, high care environments can become vulnerable to contamination, particularly where products are exposed prior to packaging.

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What is an Ambient High Care Area?

Ambient high care areas handle products that are vulnerable to the survival of pathogens. The term ‘ambient’ refers to the fact that finished products are stored at room temperature, rather than in a temperature-controlled environment.

As with standard high care areas, these products are typically ready-to-eat, ready-to-heat, or are likely to be consumed without adequate cooking. They are also susceptible to the survival or growth of vegetative pathogens, which presents a potential risk of food poisoning.

As a result, the production process for these products will include a control step, such as a microbiological kill step, to remove or reduce these pathogens.

Coffee beans being processed in a low risk food production environment

A product is considered ambient high care if it:

  • Is ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat
  • Is stored at ambient (room) temperature
  • Is susceptible to the survival or growth of vegetative pathogens
  • Has undergone a validated control step to reduce microbiological risk
  • Involves raw materials that are prone to contamination with vegetative pathogens

Raw material risk and supplier controls

The final requirement for products handled in an ambient high care area is that they involve raw materials that are prone to contamination with vegetative pathogens.

If this risk has already been effectively controlled by a supplier earlier in the supply chain, the product may no longer meet the criteria for ambient high care classification. However, this would depend on the supplier having completed a comprehensive and documented risk assessment.

Operative using a tablet to monitor processes in a food production environment

What are the compliance and equipment requirements for an ambient high care area?

When defining the appropriate controls for ambient high care areas, it is useful to draw on experience from high risk and high care environments, as many of the requirements are similar.

BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 9 includes specific requirements for ambient high care areas, with particular emphasis on risk assessment and process control. Key requirements include:

  • A production site map that clearly identifies the location of pathogen control steps
  • A documented risk assessment to determine the risk of cross-contamination

What must the risk assessment include?

The risk assessment should:

  • Identify potential sources of microbiological contamination
  • Examine the raw materials and finished products
  • Detail airflow and air quality considerations
  • Document the provision and location of utilities, including drains
  • Assess the flow of raw materials, packaging, products, equipment, personnel, and waste

Key Differences Between Low Risk, High Risk, High Care and Ambient High Care

The table below provides a simplified comparison of the key characteristics of each zone, helping you to quickly determine where a product should be handled and what controls are required.

Criteria Low Risk High Risk High Care Ambient High Care
Supports growth and/or survival of pathogens? No Yes Yes Yes
Is it ready-to-eat, ready-to-heat or likely to be eaten without adequate cooking? It could be a ready-to-eat product that has been stored, chilled or frozen Yes Yes Yes
Is it a raw material? Yes
It could be a raw material or a prepared product that will undergo a later kill step		 No No Yes
(if prone to contamination)
Does it require chilling or freezing during storage? It could be stored, chilled or frozen Yes Yes No
(stored at an ambient temperature)
Additional Information It could have been processed within the final container It has undergone a full cook (min of 70°C for two minutes or the equivalent) It has undergone a micro reduction process It has a process that involves a microbiological kill step

If you would like further guidance relating to the equipment needed for the different zones in your factory, the Klipspringer team would be happy to help.