Food plant sanitation services are one of the most effective ways to prevent contamination. As a food production facility manager, you understand the importance of food plant sanitation for both your customers and your reputation. But how do you know what services and protocols you should follow to ensure the highest level of sanitation standards? It starts with identifying potential risks and areas where your food sanitation plant can make improvements. Next, you should contact your government or regulatory agencies who can provide you with any resources needed to ensure you are meeting all industry guidelines.
Daily cleaning and team information sessions can help improve your facility’s compliance and keep your team on board as you create a safe and clean work environment. Let’s go over some things you can do to keep your facility up to code and safe for your customers and staff.
OSHA/FDA Safety Standards in Food Manufacturing
The best place to start when putting together your food plant sanitation procedures is the OSHA/FDA guidelines and standards. These guidelines help ensure you are meeting the requirements for both Canadian and US customers.
Ensuring you meet these guidelines will avoid fines and unwanted downtime. Failure to comply can even result in the loss of your operating license. So review the guidelines and standards often as they can change frequently.
Employee Commitment
The next step in food processing plant sanitation is ensuring you have employee buy-in. This means that the employees understand the importance of creating safe food handling space and know the sanitation codes and best practices.
This can be achieved through staff education, mentoring, resources, and supplies. Another helpful way to ensure compliance is to hire or dedicate a member of your team to oversee food plant sanitation equipment and protocols and track anything that can be done to improve overall compliance.
Types of Contaminants and How to Sanitize for Each
Knowing which contaminants could potentially affect your facility is key to preventing contamination. This includes knowing which bacteria and contaminants are a threat to the safety and the best way to keep them out of your facility.
Things like contaminated water and poor food storage can quickly trigger an outbreak of bacteria and shut your plant down. That’s why it’s important to know food plant sanitation chemicals and the best cleaning sanitation for your food processing plant.
Chemicals and Cleaners
Understanding contaminants from sanitation chemicals to cleaners can prevent a potential bacteria outbreak. Keep an inventory of these products at all times to avoid being caught without the right cleaner.
Put someone in charge of inventory to ensure that replacement cleaners are ordered in a timely manner.
Water
Water is one of the keys to achieving the highest level of sanitation in your facility. Use it for washing food products, equipment, and surfaces to protect food from contamination.
Your facility should have the ability to boil or heat water to ensure it is sterile and safe to use on food. If you are experiencing any kind of malfunction with your hot water supply, then shut down your facility and get an inspection immediately. Ongoing maintenance will keep you from having to shut down unnecessarily.
Cleaning Equipment
Having the right cleaning equipment can also protect your facility from bacteria and other contaminants. Make sure you have the right cleaning tools including mops, squeegees, brushes, and brooms. Protect yourself from injury or causing contamination by wearing gloves, hairnets, and aprons while on the job.
If any of your cleaning supplies are worn out or no longer usable then replace them immediately. These simple cleaning procedures can make a tremendous difference in your food production plant cleaning protocols.
Sanitation Process In-Plant
What is food plant sanitation? It’s the steps taken to ensure your facility is up to code. This includes having a sanitation policy that addresses all areas of your facility from the factory floor to the offices to avoid cross-contamination.
Consult with your regulatory agency to ensure you are meeting all the industry guidelines.
Food Storage and Containers
Food storage and containers are one of the most important parts of food handling. These should be stored at the correct temperature and cleaned regularly to avoid cross-contamination.
Once a storage container is sealed it should only be opened by qualified personnel or the customer.
Waste Removal
It’s a fact of life in the food industry. Food processing creates waste. This should be removed safely to avoid contamination and should never be disposed of in an illegal or dangerous way.
Follow the waste removal guidelines of your industry and never allow food or animal waste to remain exposed to other food or humans.
Safety Signage and Supplies
Food plant sanitation companies are expected to provide proper signage to ensure that staff and guests are in compliance with all codes and guidelines. This may include designation of high and low-risk contamination areas, cleaning supply location and directions, or proper food handling.
Signage can have a significant impact on overall safety and compliance and should be posted throughout your facility. Remember to review any new signage with your staff and be prepared to thoroughly answer any questions or concerns your team may have.
Food Plant Sanitation Services Near You
The MCA Group understands the importance of keeping your food production facility clean. We provide sanitation services specifically designed for food production facilities and help our clients exceed industry guidelines and codes. We can provide cleaning that fits your facilities’ rigorous standards along with creating a cleaning schedule that ensures you are always on top of sanitation needs and requirements. We help you identify potential risks and find solutions that ensure your facility is in full compliance with industry protocols. We will also do regular reviews of protocols to help continue to find ways to make improvements. We work with you and your team to find the right sanitation solutions to keep both them and your facility safe.
Contact us today for a complete review of your facility’s needs and a plan to meet your food processing plant sanitation goals.