Demystifying the 7-Step Protocol for Food Manufacturing Facilities

Every healthcare facility has a food manufacturing system installed on the premises to produce healthy and nourishing meals for the in-house patients.

With that said, it is extremely important for the facility management service in charge that these facilities be maintained with a high level of sanitization and hygiene.

Regular cleaning, sanitization, and sterilization should be performed to ensure that the food manufacturing hub doesn’t become a breeding ground for pathogens. It also helps curb the spread of hospital-acquired diseases and helps to improve patient outcomes. Read on to learn about the NSF-endorsed methodology for keeping the food manufacturing facility at your healthcare establishment clean and germ-free.

Why Are Cleaning and Sanitization Necessary in Food Manufacturing?

Healthcare institutions and hospitals provide meals to patients and the workforce.

Much like maintaining cleanliness everywhere else around the premises, the sanitization services must ensure that cafeteria and food manufacturing facilities are germ-free. It helps to curb the spread of food-borne illnesses and hospital-acquired diseases.

With that said, the thin line between cleaning and disinfection is beginning to blur, and it is essential to establish a protocol that treats both these processes as individuals. To that end, NSF has released a simple step-by-step guide to help healthcare establishments ensure their facilities remain pathogen free for food manufacturing purposes.

Seven-Step Approach by NSF

According to data by WHO, about 51% of healthcare establishments around the globe lack basic hygiene services. For institutions that promise to deliver treatment to the sick, it is important for such establishments to provide sanitized environments and nutrition-rich food to everyone in it.

The National Sanitation Foundation thus establishes the guidelines as detailed below to ensure that healthcare facilities maintain sanitized, sterilized environments in their food manufacturing facilities.

1. Clean Debris

The first step in cleaning consists of cleaning the soil off of the contact surfaces where food would be kept. Any kind of gross solids, salts, large particles, dirt, lubricants, proteins, residues, etc., must be wiped using a lint-free cloth.

You can free to use any other cleaning device like push mops, scrapers, brushes, steamers, or vacuums. The surfaces that come in contact with food must be clean.

2. Rinse Residues

In the second step, you need to rinse the residues from all the equipment that comes in contact with food. Using warm water (about 48.9° C), ensure that all the surfaces are rinsed without the use of any high-pressure water hosing systems. The high pressure causes debris/residue lodgement in fine crevices and makes cleaning difficult. If there are surfaces that need to be kept dry, the residue must be cleaned using dryer methods like wiping with clean cloths.

3. Use Detergent and Scrub Surfaces

If your food manufacturing facility processes fats and proteins, you must apply a detergent and scrub all the contact surfaces thoroughly. The detergents must be mixed and used according to the label instructions for mixing and contact times to remove all microbes from food-contact zones effectively.

Manual scrubbing is recommended for surfaces. Try to use registered foaming agents to stay compliant and for the best results during cleaning.

4. Thorough Rinsing

The last step in cleaning is giving all the scrubbed surfaces a thorough rinse with potable water. It helps to ensure that all the detergent residue is cleaned from the surface.

This step is essential before beginning the sanitization process of the facility. The chemical nature of detergents is alkaline, while those of sanitizers are acidic. If there is a residue of the detergents on the surfaces, sanitizers will effectively neutralize the residue and will not remove any germs.

5. Inspect for Remnants

After rinsing down the equipment and surfaces to clean the detergent, you must inspect every nook and cranny of the surfaces to ensure there is nothing left over to clean. If the equipment is NSF or ANSI standardized, there will be an instruction manual that lists methods to clean the hard-to-reach areas. Check for any residues in all such areas of the equipment. Before sanitization begins, it is important to ensure no detergent leftovers remain.

6. Sanitizing and Disinfecting

There is a list of sanitization and disinfecting chemicals approved for use on equipment and facilities that process food. From this list, select a chemical and begin the process of sanitization or disinfection. It is important to know that sanitizing chemicals are different than disinfecting chemicals. While they both destroy pathogens, the time they take to do so is different. Sanitization chemicals are quicker but kill fewer pathogens. On the other hand, disinfectants are stronger chemicals but take longer to work.

7. Drying

The last step in the cleaning and sanitization process is drying. But first, you must make sure that the chemicals you have used for disinfection or sanitization have been completely removed. To do this, you can opt for a thorough rinse with potable water. After ensuring there are no leftover chemicals, the ideal way to dry the facility is to let it air-dry. You can opt for a thorough wipe-down in places with water logging to prevent recontamination.

Wrapping Up

The best way to ensure that your food manufacturing facility remains clean and sanitized, the administration should lay down a Sanitization Standard OPerating Protocol for the facility management services to follow. The seven steps outlined above should be incorporated into the best practices for maintaining food manufacturing hygiene. To implement NSF led approach at your facility, SMC Integrated Facility Management Solutions Limited? brings a specialized Smart Surface Disinfection Program (SSDP) powered by innovative management practices & groundbreaking technology. We substitute the traditional mop and bucket approach with intelligent resources planning leading to a standardized Facility Management outcome. Our program prioritizes Infection Control & Cross-Contamination with 5Ms- Man, Machine, Method, Measure & Material.

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