Good practice makes perfect
Catherine Watkinson, Hillbrush Global Technical Hygiene Specialist, says that more can be done to protect against the spread of infection in food production environments.
Consumers demand the highest quality food, which not only means the food must be fresh and nutritious, but ultimately must be safe to eat.
Throughout the entire supply chain there are significant risks of cross- contamination, no more so than within the factory environment where raw materials and ingredients come into contact with surfaces and an environment that can carry and harbour pathogenic bacteria, such as Campylobacter, MRSA,
E.coli, Legionella, Listeria and Salmonella amongst others.
Implementing and adhering to good hygiene practices is an essential part of preventing contamination on food contact surfaces. The food manufacturing industry spends millions of pounds on cleaning chemicals and equipment, but how effective is that cleaning equipment in preventing the spread of harmful bacteria? Does it have the ability and is it of the right design to provide the defence and protection that is required to produce food safe for human consumption?
Cleaning equipment is often used over large, varying surface areas and can collect and spread contamination. Data has shown that 47% of the cleaning equipment used can be tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes which demonstrates that cleaning
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equipment can be a major collection point for pathogens.
Incorrect storage, failure to replace old or faulty cleaning tools, and the poor design of cleaning equipment are all key factors contributing to potential microbiological hazards. Cleaning should reduce the risk of bacteria, and not contribute to the loading on the equipment and the environment.
Using clean equipment that is fit for purpose and incorporating the effective sanitising of equipment between use is one line of defence to prevent bacterial contamination. A second line of defence that is increasing in popularity – and reduces the threat of cross-contamination – is the use of antimicrobial cleaning tools within the food production environment.
Antimicrobial cleaning tools can provide round the clock antimicrobial product protection, which means it can kill microorganisms or stops their growth. These products are used in many environments such as hospitals, care homes, schools, gyms and offices, but the benefits have been identified within the food industry to reduce the risk of food poisoning. With the increasing awareness of the need to improve hygiene levels, the demand for antimicrobial cleaning tools is growing.
Hillbrush Anti-Microbial hygienic tools effectively inhibit the growth of
bacteria on the surface of the product with the help of Biomaster. The Biomaster silver-ion additive is infused into the cleaning tools and binds to the cell wall of the bacteria, interfering with the enzyme production, disrupting growth and therefore stopping the bacteria producing energy. The cell DNA is interrupted, stopping replication which prevents the growth and spread of harmful microbes.
The antimicrobial additive is not a replacement for good cleaning practices and effective manual cleaning is still key, but by cleaning with antimicrobial cleaning tools, bacterial survival on the cleaning equipment is reduced because Biomaster is constantly working in- between cleans. Independent test data has shown up to a 99.99% reduction of harmful microbes within just two hours of cleaning on the tools.
The use of chemicals alone is recognised nowadays as not always the most effective cleaning method, and only offers a limited level of defence. The combination of manual cleaning with effective chemicals using anti-microbial cleaning tools can provide the food industry with a solid defence for reducing the risk of cross contamination and providing a food safe production environment.
www.hillbrush.com
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