Cleaning for COVID-19 Adam Brock, President, The Food Safety Alliance
T
o say we’re living in uncertain times may be the biggest understatement you’ve read today. Because of COVID-19, we’ve been forced to turn on a dime and rethink our processes and procedures, while quickly implementing new policies without much, if any experience to draw upon. FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) sets in and can make us question the decisions we’re making about ensuring the safety of our employees, customers, and products. In the food industry, we have long been used to monitoring and testing production facilities to confirm sanitization and pathogen standards are being met. But, as we find ourselves in uncharted waters, relying on sometimes daily updates to guide us on how to operate safely during this pandemic, you’re probably finding yourself overwhelmed with (often conflicting) information that more than occasionally leaves you unsure what to believe and how to act. To add to the confusion, the current crisis has brought with it an avalanche of new businesses making claims in the fight against COVID-19. Unfortunately, there’s not the luxury of time we’re used to having for vetting new products and services as we should.
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BlockTalk - Summer 2020
In this article, I’d like to help you make at least somewhat more informed decisions about what is appropriate and necessary for you and your company to operate safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sanitizers vs. Disinfectants A sanitizer is an agent that reduces the number of diseasecausing (pathogenic) bacteria on an inanimate food contact surface to safe levels as judged by public health requirements. A sanitizer is generally defined as a chemical that kills 99.999% of specific test bacteria in a determined amount of time. Unlike disinfectants, sanitizers cannot contain artificial scents as they are applied to food contact surfaces and can’t leave a residual trace that might inadvertently add unwanted flavor to food. A disinfectant is an agent that frees an inanimate body (generally hard, nonporous surfaces) from infection by destroying microorganisms. Disinfectants kill 100% of certain microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses as listed on the label, and are not to be used on people or animals, only inanimate surfaces. Because they do not kill all microorganisms, in particular, bacterial spores, they should not be confused with a sterilant. If a virus is not listed on the label, or the label only makes a general claim against viruses, it may not be effective for your required use. A disinfectant can claim to kill viruses, but unless specific viruses are listed on the label, it may not have been tested, or more importantly, be effective against the virus you want to kill. Be sure to ask for specific, verifiable data. Since disinfectants are not applied to food surfaces, they often have lemon, floral, or other scents added to leave a fresh fragrance after the disinfection. However, if a product is identified as being both a disinfectant and a sanitizer, it must be unscented. Application The most common method of application for both sanitizers and disinfectants is to “flood” the environment with liquid using a spray applicator. The building and equipment in manufacturing facilities are designed to withstand this type of application. However, because of COVID-19, other facilities such as commercial offices and stores, environments that haven’t been designed for this kind of process, are now in need of disinfecting. Instead of flooding these facilities, an application known as fogging is used. www.meatpoultryon.ca
