Critical Sanitation Issues in Food Service

In chapter six of Essentials of Food Safety and Sanitation, David McSwane and colleagues describe how a properly designed food service facility should have “work centers” and provide specific criteria related to food safety and sanitation for each center.2 Work centers should have adequate work space with a logical flow of required equipment or tools that promote processing and sanitation efficiencies through best practices and safe cleanup. A food service worker should be able to process food items and conduct sanitation in the same work center without having to go through other areas of the facility, thereby avoiding cross contamination issues.

The Maui Medical Center food service kitchen has good traffic flow off central hallways that avoid critical areas, which is vital for preventing cross contamination during food processing/handling and sanitation.

A problematic work center area like tray assembly, which can be a critical control point for a food service cafeteria facility, highlights the importance of proper hygienic design (see left). A poorly designed work center leads to food safety and quality issues.

Dealing with Ceilings, Walls, and Floor Drains

In Principles of Food Sanitation, Norm Marriott notes that all the hygienic features of a food service kitchen design should be addressed in the planning phase to focus on surface “cleanability.”3 Although the National Sanitation Foundation, Underwriters Laboratories, and the Baking Industry Sanitation Standards Committee are all available to approve hygienic design standards for food service equipment, many times the shell structural features are planned without a careful consideration of hygienic design.

The chapter on physical facilities in the 2005 Food Code states that construction materials must be durable, non-absorbent, and “easily cleanable.”4 The two key criteria in this section of the Food Code are cleanability and functionality.

Many food processing and food service facilities use drop-ceiling tiles because of their utility and reasonable cost; however, these absorbent, porous materials are impossible to clean. Plastic, non-absorbent panels or food grade aluminum/ stainless steel are better choices.

Air vents must be accessible for frequent, easy sanitation. Preferably, the exterior housing should be removable to allow thorough cleaning and sanitizing. In addition, any vertical piping or drop-down utilities should be fully caulked with food plant-approved caulk.

Walls must be constructed of either nonporous, cleanable materials or porous materials that are readily sealed; otherwise, proper sanitation is an absolute nightmare. I favor DRP board (a.k.a. Dairy board) because it is nonporous and durable. All wall-to-ceiling junctions and wall-to-floor junctions should be coved to minimize microbial niches and prevent food, dirt, or debris accumulations. I strongly prefer a six-inch to one-foot wall base that is coved and constructed of nonporous tile or coated with epoxy.

Good, durable, food plant-approved caulking will still crack and require additional periodic maintenance in any active food service facility. As with ceilings, any protruding utilities—steam, water, and electrical pipes/conduits—must be properly sealed around junctions to permit proper sanitation and prevent contaminant niches. The only area of a food service or food plant facility where painted cinder block is appropriate is in dry storage areas.

Depending upon the facility size, design, and configuration, portable foamers, either handheld venturi type or hand pump foamers, should be used to clean ceilings and walls. Because they provide cleaning retention times that are adequate for loosening soil, foam cleaning systems are more effective in dosing cleaning chemistries and removing soil properly. With respect to sanitizers, pump-up sprayers are effective for dispensing diluted approved sanitizers. Proper, approved personal protective equipment must be worn with any environmental sanitation system.

Flooring Design

For floors, construction materials and hygienic drains should form a seamless, consistent hygienic bond. A properly sloped floor with hygienic drains must work with a nonporous, easily cleanable floor material.