One of the major goals for any food business is to ensure the production of safe food. And this has to be done consistently for the sake of your consumer’s health and safety and business’s image. The first step you should take in achieving this goal is to make sure your plant has met all the cleaning and sanitation regulations for food businesses.
Don’t forget to also follow all the standard operating procedures you have put in place to avert any possibility of food contamination.
Food contaminants come in three categories: biological, chemical and physical. The rise in food recalls in Australia suggests that so many businesses are not doing enough to curb the three. A good number of them fail to maintain proper cleanliness thus exposing their food products to recalls.
Here’s an opportunity to learn how you can enhance hygiene and sanitation in your food plant to eliminate the slightest chance of food contamination.
Proper Employee Education And Training
Food handlers are often the weak link when it comes to cleanliness in a food business. That is why It is important that you only hire trained employees and continue to give them frequent training on food safety and cleanliness.
Some of the areas to focus on are personal hygiene, proper handwashing, and proper food handling In all areas of production. If this is inadequately done, they will be less informed which puts your business needs at risk.
One of the best ways to go about this is to first consult a cleaning and sanitation service provider that specialises in the food industry. Ecowize, for instance, provides consulting and training services tailored for food processors and manufacturers. They have a deep knowledge of food hygiene and sanitation and will leave all your personnel well informed.
Use Of Correct Cleaning Consumables
Chemical contamination is the last thing you want to deal with in your food plant. Such an incident can have adverse effects on your consumers and a long-term negative impact on your business.
Wrong cleaning agents can reverse your efforts to ensure proper cleaning and sanitation in your plant. This more often occurs when toxic cleaning consumables are used on contact surfaces and equipment.
Yet the solution to this is pretty simple - only use non-toxic and professional cleaning supplies. If you are not sure which cleaning consumables to go for, consult a professional cleaning company with experience in the food industry.
Proper Pest Control
Rodents, insects and roaches are not only a bad sight; they might also contaminate your food products through droppings, feathers, fur and even body parts.
Effective pest control includes the use of food-friendly pesticides which will kick out pests and keep your consumers safe. Also, consider having in place a schedule to control and prevent any pests around your business.
There are a few other effective actions you can take to control the pest situation in your food plant. A good idea would be to consult a cleaning company on how to go about this.
Many cleaning and sanitation providers offer quality pest control services. Narrow your options to the ones who have experience in offering the service to food processors.
Basic Housekeeping
Unhygienic surfaces put you at risk of causing foodborne diseases. Ineffective cleaning, unsuitable food processing procedures and irresponsible staff are the common culprits for such incidents.
You have to put in place measures that will ensure proper cleaning and sanitation all around the workplace. Have cleaning schedules to remove dirt, grease and food waste; do a supply chain auditing to review your food processing procedures and lastly, train your workers on proper food handling procedures.
An unclean surface can be a breeding ground for bacteria and pathogens as well. And when these microorganisms find their way into food, the outcome will be disastrous.
Cleaning alone will not make your surfaces free of bacteria that cause food contamination. You will have to sanitise all your work areas as well and this has to be done using correct sanitisers. Just like with the other procedures, have a professional cleaning company help you in doing this.
Proper Waste Management
Proper waste management is a huge challenge for many food processing businesses. This is because waste comes in bulk right from receiving to packing areas. You probably understand what your business is staring at when you have an improper waste management system.
Since this is a complicated task that requires specialised effort, find a professional cleaning and sanitation provider to handle it for you. Work with them in coming up with better and timely ways to collect, treat and dispose of your waste.
When done well, you will also be able to avoid instances of microorganisms such as salmonella and E Coli that come from food waste.
Proper Cleaning And Maintenance Of Food Equipment
Without proper cleaning and maintenance of food equipment, you risk physical contamination. Physical contamination is brought about by foreign pieces finding their way into the raw materials during food production.
Have a schedule for properly cleaning all your equipment to make sure they are free from accumulated dirt and grease. Preventive maintenance is also vital to ensure that all machinery is in good working condition. This prevents rusting or falling off of some pieces into the food.
For better results, engage a professional who understands how to clean food plant equipment. Make sure they are well-equipped with the right tools and professional cleaning supplies that are necessary for such a task.
Achieving maximum cleanliness in your food plant is possible. But you will have a hard time reaching that goal if you only depend on your in-house cleaning team. That’s because they lack the special skills, necessary cleaning equipment and supplies required for different cleaning tasks. As we have observed in all the mentioned tips, each is best done by a reliable professional cleaning company. Don’t have one yet? Start your search today. Ecowize is among the few you will never go wrong with owing to their rich experience serving the food industry.
covid-19 cleaning and sanitationWe at Sterile Pro take pride in keeping environments sterile free and work around the clock to ensure we do just that.
WIth our 3 step sterilization process, we guarantee a sterile environment free of any virus or bacteria.
We want to ensure our customers are 100% satisfied and safe.
Our products eliminate all viruses and bacteria from Covid-19, Influenza (The Flu), SARS, Pseudomonas, MRSA and much more!
Our 3 step process is approved by the CDC, hospitals and used in all labs all across the country.
This method is the only way that ensures complete and total elimination of viruses and bacteria.
100% Australian owned business with over 50 stores for all your cleaning supplies, packaging catering and safety supply needs.
View online Cleaning Supplies Near Me!
Cleaning Supplies - RapidClean is an Australian & New Zealand owned national company with over 60 Cleaning Supply stores throughout Australia & New Zealand made up of cleaning supply experts operating their own stores.
