Don't ignore hygiene and sanitation

It has been estimated that about 25% of food safety recalls relate to poor environmental hygiene and sanitation controls.

Food and beverage processors must implement and maintain a food safety management system as part of their HACCP plan and the SQF Code Edition 8 Food Safety Code for Manufacturing is a good place to start.

Hygienic design

Hygienically designed equipment and process lines are quicker and easier to clean and minimise the risk of product contamination by microorganisms, allergens and foreign material. Fast, easy sanitation leads to reduced downtime and reduced risk of product recalls and the 10 principles outlined in the American Meat Institute (AMI) Guidelines for Sanitary Design of Equipment are worth checking:

1. Cleanable to a microbiological level: Food equipment must be constructed to ensure effective and efficient cleaning over the life of the equipment. The equipment should be designed to prevent bacterial ingress, survival, growth and reproduction on both product and non-product contact surfaces of the equipment.
2. Made of compatible materials: Construction materials used for equipment must be completely compatible with the product, environment, cleaning and sanitising chemicals and the methods of cleaning and sanitation.
3. Accessible for inspection, maintenance, cleaning and sanitation: All parts of the equipment shall be readily accessible for inspection, maintenance, cleaning and sanitation without the use of tools.
4. No product or liquid collection: Equipment should be self-draining to assure that liquid, which can harbour and promote the growth of bacteria, does not accumulate, pool or condense on the equipment.
5. Hollow areas should be hermetically sealed: Hollow areas of equipment such as frames and rollers must be eliminated wherever possible or permanently sealed. Bolts, studs, mounting plates, brackets, junction boxes, nameplates, end caps, sleeves and other such items must be continuously welded to the surface, not attached via drilled and tapped holes.
6. No niches: Equipment parts should be free of niches such as pits, cracks, corrosion, recesses, open seams, gaps, lap seams, protruding ledges, inside threads, bolt rivets and dead ends.
7. Sanitary operational performance: During normal operations, the equipment must perform so it does not contribute to unsanitary conditions or the harbourage and growth of bacteria.
8. Hygienic design of maintenance enclosures: Maintenance enclosures and human machine interfaces such as push-buttons, valve handles, switches and touchscreens, must be designed to ensure food product, water or product liquid does not penetrate or accumulate in and on the enclosure or interface. Also, physical design of the enclosures should be sloped or pitched to avoid use as a storage area.
9. Hygienic compatibility with other plant systems: Equipment design must ensure hygienic compatibility with other equipment and systems, such as electrical, hydraulics, steam, air and water.
10. Validated cleaning and sanitising protocols: Procedures for cleaning and sanitation must be clearly written, designed and proven effective and efficient. Chemicals recommended for cleaning and sanitation must be compatible with the equipment.

Standard sanitation operation procedures

Good standard sanitation operation procedures (SSOPs) and cleaning protocols are an essential part of every food plant’s Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system. Each facility’s SSOPs should provide:

• Descriptions of pre-operational SSOPs, which are explicitly distinguished from daily sanitation activities, should address, at a minimum, the cleaning of food-contact surfaces of facilities, equipment and utensils.
• Descriptions of operational SSOPs that will result in a sanitary environment in accordance regulations.

The general guidelines for cleaning and sanitising:

• Remove debris: Bacteria don’t grow on belts but they do on residual organic tissue. Get rid of it. The quality of your sanitation services will be a direct reflection of your microbiological history.
• Pre-rinse equipment: This helps remove any residual matter that isn’t apparent to the eye. Rinse at a temperature equal to the melting point of fat.
• Foam and scrub: Scrubbing is a fundamental that cannot be shortened. This further assists in the removal of residual matter and soils. Use scrub pads or brushes.
• Rinse: Watch your pressure. High-pressure water can create aerosolised water droplets subject to contamination.
• Perform a pre-operational inspection: Check to see if all organic matter has been removed. Some sanitisers don’t perform well in the presence of organic matter.
• Sanitise: An additional rinsing may be required if sanitisers require removal once they’ve had time to do their job.
• Dry: Any residual moisture may be conducive to bacterial growth.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/auremar