MAINTAINING INTEGRITY
Fresh from their rebranding, Christeyns Food Hygiene explores the vital role cleaning has in food production.
The pattern of global food consumption is changing. Fueled by shifting social trends, not least an ageing population, increased urbanisation and more women in full time employment, the food industry’s role has never been more important, and food hygiene has never been more crucial.
Meeting the challenges of tomorrow’s markets will put increased pressure on the processing of food and a well- coordinated and efficiently orchestrated cleaning regime is essential for food companies in order to run a cost effective business.
Operating in the food, dairy, brewing and beverage markets, Christeyns Food Hygiene is very much aware of the pressure on companies to keep on top of their cleaning procedures and the influence this has on product integrity.
A key issue is cross-contamination, which can occur on a small scale and with trace levels that are not easily detected. The difficulty in controlling this nature of contamination is that neither thermal processing nor chemical disinfection will assist in controlling the contaminant. Rather, a thorough and attentive clean to remove all residue is necessary.
According to Technical Director Peter Littleton, shared equipment is the biggest challenge when it comes to cross-contamination. This can include items such as meat mincing or slicing machines, chopping boards, utensils, sink and surface areas.
Effective and diligent cleaning will help to dramatically reduce the risks of incidental cross-contact contamination and this is down to managing, monitoring and verifying the cleaning process.
In any cleaning activity the same key energies are required: time, chemicals, temperature and physical energy all play a part. Various methods can be used to clean the equipment such as dry-cleaning, open plant cleaning, automated and CIP Systems.
Making all staff, including management and supervisors, aware of these key actions and the consequences of not carrying them out will help businesses comply with legislative and customer requirements.
Ensuring a purposefully designed and well-resourced cleaning process will reduce the risks of incidental cross- contamination, often found on a micro scale but this also needs to be verified and monitored on a regular basis.
With all this in place and a tried and trusted method for keeping abreast of the latest industry developments and thinking, food producers are in good shape to maintain high standards of food safety, keeping their business running efficiently and minimizing any potential product recall.
www.christeynsfoodhygiene.co.uk www.tomorrowscleaning.com
Peter has some practical ‘Top Tips’ that should help prevent your cleaning going off course:
• Ensure time is made to clean effectively.
• Follow a defined, validated and verified cleaning regime that incorporates photographic standards where they can add value.
• Ensure that cleaning operatives are fully trained in cleaning procedures and chemical handling. They also need to be aware of the risks and consequences of failure when diligence and attention to detail are not followed through.
• Ensure all cleaning detergents and disinfectants are industry approved and are the right chemical for the job, used at the correct concentrations.
• Ensure cleaning equipment is appropriate and replaced when it becomes ineffective.
• Be aware of the ‘counter-flow of hygiene’ – at the start of a clean the equipment is dirty and contaminated and the operative is clean, but as cleaning progresses an equilibrium is reached whereby the equipment and operative are matched in terms of contamination levels. Beyond this point there is an increased risk of the equipment becoming contaminated by the operative unless precautions are taken to prevent this occurrence. Control measures include effective hand washing and the changing of gloves, over-sleeves and even overalls.
• Validation – take ELISA and DNA analysis of swabs and first-off-the-line samples.
• Verification – ensuring that the clean has achieved its desired objectives using technology that allows for “real time” identification of any issues and for corrective action to be taken. ATP systems, flow-through technology (for both allergens and speciation) and chemical residue assessment all have a place here.
FOOD HYGIENE | 45
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