Manufacturing and process
Food and Beverage
Food and beverage plants run fast lines on thin margins, and the settings in the control system decide whether the product is safe to eat.
How the process runs
From intake to shelf
Ingredients are received, processed to a recipe, checked at critical control points, packed at high speed and shipped, often chilled. Between batches, clean-in-place systems wash everything down.
Stage 1: Receiving
Ingredients arrive, are checked and stored, often chilled.
Control systemsSilo and tank level controlCold store monitoringStage 2: Processing
Mixing, cooking, fermenting and pasteurising, each step set by a recipe.
Control systemsBatch and recipe controlProcess PLCsPasteuriser controlChallenge1Stage 3: Critical control points
Temperature, time and foreign-body checks are enforced and recorded by automation.
Control systemsCCP monitoringMetal detection and X-rayTemperature recordersChallenge1Stage 4: Cleaning in place
CIP systems wash tanks and pipes between batches.
Control systemsCIP skidsChemical dosingStage 5: Filling and packing
High-speed lines fill, seal, label and palletise.
Control systemsFiller and packer PLCsCoding and labellingPalletisersChallenge3Stage 6: Cold chain and dispatch
Chilled and frozen goods are stored and shipped under temperature control.
Control systemsWarehouse automationCold chain telemetry
For product makers
Building products for food and beverage?
Packaging and processing lines arrive with their own controllers and remote support, so food makers now ask line builders how they are secured.
- Filling and packaging machines
- Process skids and pasteurisers
- Inspection systems
- Palletising and warehouse automation
- Recipe and line software
Due to apply from 20 January 2027: control systems must withstand foreseeable malicious attempts.
Connected machines and software sold in the EU need CE marking under the CRA from 11 December 2027.
Customers ask how your remote access works before they let it onto their network.
For plant owners
Where it gets hard, and how we tackle it
We start from how your process runs, fix what matters most first, and use what you already own wherever we can.
Recipes and control points are food safety
A changed pasteurisation temperature or a disabled metal detector is not just an IT problem. It can become a recall.
How we tackle itWe treat recipe and CCP settings as protected data: limited write access, alerts on every change, and checks against your HACCP plan.
Risk AssessmentRansomware halts plants fast
JBS in 2021 and Asahi in 2025 had to stop production after ransomware attacks. Perishable goods and tight delivery windows make every lost day expensive. Source: JBS USA
How we tackle itWe separate plant and office networks, keep offline backups of PLC programs and recipes, and practise restoring them. The work is scheduled around your production calendar, not your peak season.
Cybersecurity SolutionsEvery line builder connects remotely
Filler, packer and palletiser makers support their machines remotely, each with its own router or tool.
How we tackle itOur gap assessment finds those paths. Then we move line builders onto one remote access route the plant controls, with approval and recording for each session.
Gap AssessmentMany shifts, many hands
Shift workers, temporary staff and contractors share HMI logins and USB drives, often without knowing the risk.
How we tackle itShort, practical awareness training for every shift, and simple rules for USB drives and shared logins that people can actually follow.
Awareness Training
Where plant owners usually start
Three ways in
Rules and standards
What applies in food and beverage
- IEC 62443International
Zones, conduits and security levels for process, packing and utility systems.
- NIS2European Union
Covers industrial food production, processing and wholesale distribution above size thresholds.
- HACCPInternational (Codex)
The food safety plan. Many critical control points are enforced by automation, so their settings need protecting.
- CERT-In Directions, 2022India
Cyber incidents must be reported to CERT-In within 6 hours.
Talk to RelyBlue
Operating in food and beverage?
An honest conversation about your OT environment. No sales pressure, no fear tactics.
- You talk to a senior advisor, never a salesperson