Food and beverage hygiene Post-clean and pre-operational inspection in a good hygiene plan Sanitation strategies for controlling Salmonella in food-processing environments

Post-clean and pre-operational inspection in a good hygiene plan

Cleaning and disinfection in food and beverage production sites ensure that the final product passes the required

quality controls and is safe for the consumer. At the beginning of each production shift, having a processing line

free from residues that may impact on the end flavour, colour or texture is critical to maintaining the brand standard.

Even more important is to ensure that no undesired chemical residue, allergen, spoilage or pathogen bacteria, which might contaminate the end product, is present. Any negative impact on product integrity and brand protection is likely to affect the financial performance of the company as well as potentially harming consumer health. Diversey, a global provider of cleaning, sanitation and maintenance products, systems and services that efficiently integrate chemicals, machines and sustainability programmes offers greater insight into effective cleaning routines in food and beverage plants.

Types of cleaning There are two main types of cleaning methods in food and beverage plants: automatic and manual.

Automatic or semi-automatic cleaning and disinfection operations are those activities that are run by a pre-set system or machine; examples might be automatic cleaning in place (CIP), membrane cleaning or bottle or crate washing.

It is important to validate that: • The CIP system is completing the programmes as intended • Objects have been cleaned and sterilised properly • Any residual chemicals have been removed Monitoring activities should validate the key application parameters (time, temperature, concentration, flow, etc.) and cleanliness/microbiological quality of the food contact surfaces measured via rapid techniques (ATP, proteinbased tests, immune-enzymatic-based,

African Cleaning Review January/February 2020 lateral-flow tests kits) and standard microbiological analysis. Crosschecking these measurements during validation will result in good control over the application.

Typically, operators making use of specific dosing systems or cleaning tools carry out manual-based cleaning. Examples might be open plant cleaning (OPC) with foaming systems on large surface areas or the manual cleaning of utensils, tools or machine parts.

In these applications, although the key application parameters remain very important, it is also crucial to make sure operators carry out their task consistently and effectively to meet the required standard, as the entire effectiveness of the hygiene task is literally, in this case, in the hands of the operator who is carrying it out.

As well as ensuring that each operator is suitably trained for the tasks they are performing, they should also understand the importance of how, by simply using senses, it is possible to prevent potential food-safety incidents, or costly noncompliances, with subjective cleaning validation checks being completed throughout the cleaning process.

It is important to note that applying a disinfectant over a dirty surface makes the disinfection step ineffective. On top of wasting water, time, energy and chemicals, the food-contact surface may have microbial residues that could endanger the following production.

Post-cleaning checks should include

Sight Surfaces simply look clean; no shades of colours should be present on a clean stainless-steel surface. For example, a blue shade on a stainless-steel foodcontact surface might indicate fats not being correctly removed, a white shade might indicate the presence of a mixed organic as well as inorganic soil, while a yellow shade might indicate fats have not been correctly removed from that surface for some time.

Smell Surfaces and food- and beverageproduction machines should simply smell ‘clean’. Rancid odours might indicate that there are old residues not being correctly removed; lifting lids, conveyors or smelling the lower parts of frames or machines is a good way to make sure there is no old soil left.

Touch A stainless-steel food-contact surface should not be greasy after cleaning, and by passing a finger over it there should not be any mark. Cleaning operators should be checking the surfaces, machines or department they are assigned to every time by using their senses, and if applicable, rapid kits (ATP for example), before moving to the disinfection step. This activity should be recorded electronically to increase the operator’s feeling of responsibility for the task they are undertaking and to keep an auditable paper trail.

Pre-operational inspections Pre-operational inspections should be in place prior to starting up a food- or beverage-processing line.

Typically, in the food-processing business, cleaning is done at the end

of the shift, usually at evening/night and there may be several hours before production starts back. Just like the importance of checking on critical functions and systems before a plane takes off, pre-operational inspections should be in place prior to starting up a food- or beverage-processing line. In the time since the previous shift, the equipment will not only have gone through cleaning and disinfection

procedures, but potentially also through maintenance repairs and idle time. The pre-operational inspection should allow a trigger for corrective actions: cleaning, for example, should be re-done if the inspection result of a specific line or machine is negative before resuming the food production operations.

Regardless of how simple or complex an object is, there is always a chance that something could go wrong. What could be more important than verifying that allergen cleaning has been properly conducted on a line? This is where a pre-operational checklist, asking the following questions, would have a significant benefit. • Have all product-contact areas been properly cleaned? • Have all tools used for sanitation or maintenance been removed? • Is all equipment that was dismantled for cleaning put back in place and properly aligned?

In order to assist with your pre-operational checks, Diversey has prepared a downloadable and editable template available here: https:// hub.diversey.com/post-clean-and-preoperational-checklist-template.

Diversey is a global provider of cleaning, sanitation and maintenance products, systems and services that efficiently integrate chemicals, machines and sustainability programmes, for more information visit: www.diversey.com

Sanitation strategies for controlling Salmonella in foodprocessing environments

Non-typhoidal Salmonella is one of the most common foodborne illnesses “with an estimated 93.8 million illnesses, of which an estimated 80.3 million are foodborne, and 155 000 deaths each year” (Majowicz, et al). It is estimated that the infection “imposes an estimated $3.7 billion in economic burden in a typical year” (2015 USDA Economic Research Service report titled Economic Burden of Major Foodborne Illnesses Acquired in the United States).

Nontyphoidal Salmonella bacteria originates in poultry, pigs, and cattle (plus many other animals) and can be passed through each stage in the farm-to-fork supply chain. It is also possible for food handlers to cause contamination and for sterile food-contact surfaces to become contaminated by microbial particles in the air. As a result, good hygiene and sanitation are critical throughout the entire process.

According to Diversey, a global provider of cleaning, sanitation and maintenance products, systems and services, controlling and managing Salmonella in food-production factories is down to good manufacturing processes coupled with comprehensive sanitation plans. Here are six strategies to help you stay on top of Salmonella.

Sanitary design The European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG) and 3-A Sanitary Standards Inc. recommend similar best practices in the design of the food-production environment to reduce the risk of contamination. For example, all surfaces must be accessible for cleaning, avoid any right angles on equipment installations, and ensure continuous welding with no indents or imperfections.

Drainage design “Drainage is a critical component affecting the hygienic performance of food production. Effective drainage helps mitigate hazards from the external environment and is central to the safe and hygienic operation internally” (ACO brochure: Drainage Management for the Food & Beverage Industry).

The importance of drainage in protecting against microbiological contamination in the processing hall is drastically underestimated. All soils, contaminants, chemicals and even food waste converge in the drains, which are typically open systems that run across the whole site.

All drains should have removable covers to allow easy access for frequent cleaning and sanitising. A foam or a gel with added quaternary ammonium compounds is recommended. It is also important to keep in mind the design of the drainage network. For example, are all condensate pipes effectively transporting moisture to the drains? Are drains under the processing conveyors collecting all run-off? Poor drainage management will leave the area susceptible to microbial contamination.

Doorway sanitation Employee movement is one of the main vectors for spreading microbes. Installing a doorway sanitising system removes the onus from the individual and ensures a fixed and consistent application. Doorway sanitising systems can be timer or sensor activated and will typically use a dual cationic quaternary compound.

Fogging It is important to avoid high pressure (<40 bars) cleaning sprays as they can cause microbial particles including Salmonella and other bacteria to aerosolise and spread across the production hall. Instead, fogging can be used to disinfect (sanitise) the surfaces in the room. Fogging is especially effective when there is a high turnover of room air and there are hard to reach surfaces such as on top of equipment, pipe exteriors and hangers, and ledges.

Disinfectant (sanitiser) rotation Disinfectant (sanitiser) rotation is recommended to prevent the development of microbial reduced susceptibility to the biocide used for the disinfection (sanitisation) step. Additionally, altering the microenvironment (pH and mode of biocidal action) will reduce the development of Salmonella biofilm formation.

Continuous learning Good manufacturing processes and manual cleaning plans are only as effective as the personnel who are performing them. All employees who come into contact with food processing and handling must be correctly trained and it is recommended that the wider workforce is also trained to increase awareness of contamination sources and improve on personal hygiene behaviours. Retraining and regular refresher courses are also advised to keep food safety at the forefront and maintain good standards.

Diversey’s online Hygiene Academy contains training modules dedicated to: • Salmonella management for food plants • Good manufacturing processes (GMP) and personal hygiene for food plants • Principles of hygiene and sanitation in food and beverage processing • Hygienic design principles for food and beverage plants.