Food Plant Sanitation

An essential prerequisite program for food safety.

Food plant sanitation

It is the process that maintains or restores a state of cleanliness and promotes hygiene for prevention of foodborne illness.

Food plant sanitation

True or false: Food plant sanitation is a responsibility that must be fulfilled by every person handling or working with food.

True

What are the values of planned sanitation?

• better product

• more efficient operation

• greater employee productivity

• fewer accidents

• serves as a barometer of the factory conditions

Why does a sanitation program serve as the barometer of the factory conditions?

Sanitation acts as a barometer by providing a visible and measurable metric of a factory's adherence to safety protocols, equipment integrity, and organizational discipline.

What are the categories of plant keeping?

• building exterior

• building interior

• materials

• plantkeeper/sanitarian

What are the general building exterior requirements for food plant sanitation?

• natural drainage

• no accumulated waste

• no grass, weeds, or hedges

• neat & orderly equipment storage

• screened and rodent-proof openings

• free from pets

What are the general building requirements for food plant sanitation?

• materials should be easy to clean

• floors should be water tight, smooth-surfaced, and sloped

• drains should be capable of handling the necessary waste material and covered with removal grates

• walls, doors, partitions, pipes, ceilings, etc. should be kept clean

• properly ventilated

• all windows & openings in the food plant areas should be screened

• adequate lighting

What are the general building interior requirements for food plant sanitation?

• materials should be smooth, hard, nonporous, and of stainless steel (preferably)

• all pipe lines and fittings, handling food should be at the sanitary type

• should be directly accessible for cleaning or proper provisions should be provided for cleaning in place (CIP)

• all open equipment should be covered

What are the general storage (building interior) requirements for food plant sanitation?

• aisles should be kept clean and well-marked

• stored products should be placed away from the walls and in proper storage temps

• should be cleaned at least once a week

• all incoming goods should be inspected as to damage and pest infestations

• FIFO should be followed

What are the general employee requirements for food plant sanitation?

• must wear caps and/or hair restraints

• no jewelry, nail polish, and other loose attachments

• protective clothing should be worn at all times

• eating & smoking shall be confined to designated areas

• no glass bottles in work areas

• hands should be washed & sanitized

• should be required to observe proper habits of cleanliness

What are the special areas in the building interior of a food plant ?

• storage areas for supplies and equipment, pesticides, employee’s personal belongings, and garbage and wastes

• toilets

• lunchroom/canteen

What are the general incoming material requirements for food plant sanitation?

carefully inventoried and evaluated as to assurance quality standards

What are the general outgoing material requirements for food plant sanitation?

properly identified in terms of shipments and qualities of products

What are the general building exterior requirements for food plant sanitation?

What are the qualifications and roles of a Plant Sanitarian?

rained in the how, what, where, and when of cleaning procedures

Frequency of inspection at the plant level

Daily

It is the most important part of the inspection.

written report

They have the authority to uphold standards of sanitation.

plant sanitarian

What are the standards of cleanliness?

• physical cleanliness

• chemical

• microbiological

What are the general sanitation program requirements?

• firm guidelines

• assign well-defined responsibilities to the sanitarians

• accomplishments should be measured regularly

Composition of a sanitation committee

• plant manager

• production foreman

• QA supervisor

• food tech

• maintenance engineer

• personnel supervisor

• plant keeper/sanitarian