Food processing plant cleaning needs to be a top priority if you own or manage a prepared meal manufacturing company. Cleaning and sanitation in the food industry are taken very seriously, and for good reason.
Due to the nature of food manufacturing, upholding the highest food plant sanitation standards is essential for producing high-quality and safe food products.
However, there are many challenges you may face when it comes to food processing plant cleaning and sanitization. In this article, we will discuss when food contact surfaces should be cleaned and sanitized, as well as explore the challenges of cleaning and sanitation in the food industry and ways to overcome them.
Food Plant Sanitation: Why It’s Important
When it comes to any type of food manufacturing company, food plant sanitation needs to be a top concern. There are certain standards you must uphold legally regarding food safety, especially when it comes to the consumer.
Even if you already have strict hygiene standards in place, there are still many challenges that can come up. Here are some examples of the most common challenges in prepared meal production regarding sanitation and food safety.
Poor Employee Education
One aspect that can often be overlooked and lead to sanitation issues is not providing employees with training and education. When you hire someone, they need to go through training to understand the cleaning and sanitation standards they will have to follow. Without this education, employees are much less likely to understand the importance of the standards and to follow them on a consistent basis. This can increase the risk of human error, which can lead to food waste and cross-contamination.
Inconsistent Standards
Anyone who runs a food manufacturing plant is required to have certain safety standards in place for sanitation reasons. However, you may have inconsistent standards, which can create confusion among your employees. Inconsistency often results in employees not following the same safety standards on a continual basis, producing irregular results.
Labor Shortages
Depending on the size of your company, you may need to outsource your food processing plant cleaning services. You may need to hire a cleaning or sanitizing company to do this for you, or you may need to hire additional employees. However, you can run into issues if there are labor shortages and you aren’t able to hire the professionals that you need.
One way to try to navigate labor shortages is to invest in manufacturing equipment from a company like Quantum. At Quantum, we provide additional services, including equipment servicing and maintenance.
Multiple Food Products
Maintaining sanitation standards can get much more complicated if you are producing multiple food products. In this instance, not only do you need to maintain the usual safety standards, but you also need to have cross-contamination standards in place.
When Must Food Contact Surfaces be Cleaned and Sanitized?
Are you wondering when food contact surfaces must be cleaned and sanitized for the purposes of food safety? For the most part, prepared meal manufacturing companies have the freedom to create their own sanitation standards. However, there are some legal standards you must follow as well.
For example, there are strict rules around how food contact surfaces need to be cleaned and sanitized when in use. Here is a breakdown of when cleaning is required for food safety:
- After food contact surfaces have been used
- Before the food contact surface is used for a different type of food
- Anytime the food handler has been interrupted mid-task, which could have resulted in the food being contaminated
- After four hours of the food contact surface being in continual use
Improving Cleaning and Sanitation in the Food Industry: Top Tips
Now that you know the common challenges regarding food processing plant cleaning and sanitation, what should you do next? As a food manufacturer, maintaining effective safety standards needs to be a priority for the safety of your consumers and the quality of your products.
Although it can feel intimidating to develop cleaning and sanitation standards for your entire manufacturing company, there are several steps you can take to do this effectively. Also, once you have created cleaning and sanitation standards that work, you usually won’t have to worry about them again.
Here are some steps to take to create better food safety standards in your company:
- Develop Procedures: You need to evaluate the legal safety standards you must follow as well as any standards you personally want for your company. From there, you can develop procedures for your employees to follow to ensure consistent food safety.
- Train Employees: Aside from developing safety procedures, you also need to develop a training course for your employees. Every employee needs to go through this cleaning and sanitation course to ensure they follow the safety procedures. You may also want to consider providing ongoing education so that employees do not become complacent.
- Track Standards: It isn’t enough to simply develop food safety procedures and standards for your company; you also need to track their progress. You should keep track of how effective your standards are, whether or not employees are upholding them, and if there have been any food safety issues. This will help you to understand whether or not you need to revisit your safety procedures or if they are working as intended.
- Use Automation: One of the most effective ways to enhance sanitation in your manufacturing plant is to upgrade to automation. Automated prepared meal equipment reduces manual labor, which will naturally improve food safety standards. At Quantum, our automated equipment is also designed to stay cleaner for longer and to be easier to sanitize on a consistent basis.
Improve Your Food Manufacturing Sanitation Standards With Quantum
At Quantum, we provide top-of-the-line prepared meal manufacturing equipment to improve efficiency and food safety. Our equipment uses automation technology to reduce manual labor, which helps to improve the hygienic standards of your production. We also provide additional food processing plant services so that your equipment stays in tip-top condition. Contact our team today to learn more about the maintenance services we provide.