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A typical farming operation has a wide range of food contact surfaces, including harvesters, harvest tables, preparation tables, conveyors, wash tanks, crates, bins, and cartons. Smaller pieces of equipment such as knives, scissors, scales, hoses and brushes can also come in contact with produce.
Properly completed cleaning and sanitising activities are essential in keeping produce safe to eat. Soil, chemicals or other organic materials can contaminate food contact surfaces in your farm operation. When produce comes in contact with unclean surfaces, it may become unsafe to eat and spoil faster resulting in loss of product revenue.
A food contact surface is any surface, tool or piece of equipment that comes into contact with food, either directly or indirectly. You can identify food contact surfaces by observing the flow and the touch points the produce takes from harvesting to dispatch. And because they can be easily cleaned and sanitised, smooth, nonporous materials make the best food contact surfaces.
Cleaning is the physical removal of soil, dust, grease and microbes and potential odours from a surface. The purpose of cleaning is to prevent the growth of bacteria on surfaces and equipment used to process, store and transport food. Cleaning discourages pest infestations too. Most pests are attracted to food scraps in the product handling areas, so regular cleaning reduces the risk of pests and the harmful diseases they carry.
The general procedure for cleaning a surface is to wet, scrub, rinse and air dry. Cleaning includes using a soap or detergent to scrub these contaminants from a surface. Rinsing off larger debris before scrubbing will make the process more effective. Always use suitable water sources (Ecoli <1cfu/100ml) for cleaning.
It is important that all equipment can be dismantled enough for it to be thoroughly cleaned. Mechanical equipment can look clean on the outside but may be dirty on the inside. Mechanical action may draw food and bacteria into the inside areas of equipment where bacteria can grow, multiply and then contaminate the next food that is prepared with the equipment.
Visually inspecting that the cleaning has been conducted according to the cleaning plan and there is no visual food residues, dust or dirt present, as well as no off odours, is an indication that cleaning is effective.
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