Fight Pathogens and Microbes in Processing Areas

Table-top or floor-mounted kettles are usually constructed of stainless steel. Clean them with powder cleaners, and use the agitator blades to circulate the cleaner. Foam cleaners are also an option.

For fryers, a daily sanitation regimen is recommended, especially given the current use of unsaturated oils—like canola—that must be replaced quickly due to their short shelf life. As with any other high-heat surface, the pre-sanitation clean up preparation must be thorough and must include complete drainage of a warm—not hot—fryer, with complete removal of all ancillary parts, including baskets and strainers, for gross soil cleanup.

Clean-in-place (CIP) sanitation can be executed using a typical caustic-based, formulated cleaner designed for high-fat soils. Pre-application of a gel-based caustic product, coupled with additives in the CIP cleaner, can accelerate and optimize the fryer cleaning process. Fryer sanitation is important for product quality because an incomplete fryer sanitation procedure usually results in organoleptic issues with the fried food items.

Refrigerators and Holding Coolers

Temperature-controlled storage equipment units such as refrigerators and holding coolers can easily become niches for Listeria and various fungi. This tendency is mostly attributable to both poor hygienic design of the units and poor good manufacturing practices (GMPs), including improper sanitation.

Again, due to the different design and capacity ranges of walk-in coolers, sanitation issues will vary. The same can be said for reach-in type coolers, which can be under-the-counter, standard upright, or pass-through types. The smaller units must be manually cleaned and sanitized, with the subcomponent sanitation done in the three-compartment sink or the dishwasher.

Because of their accessibility, larger walk-in units can be foam cleaned as well as fog sanitized, with workers paying careful attention to a variety of factors.

The clutter and congestion that develop in these small to large holding coolers make it difficult to maintain a proper hygiene level. A lack of proper drains or poorly maintained drains, a lack of periodic maintenance, and poor sanitation of the cooler ceilings, walls, and floors are typical weak links in these coolers.

These internal structures must be constructed of smooth, non-porous surfaces that are chemically resistant and readily cleanable. Many larger walk-in coolers have strip curtains to conserve energy and prevent air loss. Because these strip curtains are potential cross-contamination niches, however, they must be on a strict periodic maintenance and sanitation schedule.

Walk-in refrigerators can be foam cleaned and fog sanitized.

Proper specific AC unit maintenance and sanitization must be addressed with a well-maintained cooler with a periodic maintenance program. This includes fogging disinfection of the interior of the cooler to circulate disinfectant through the coils and fans of the coolers’ AC units. Also, the drip pans must be on a set periodic maintenance sanitation frequency, with easily accessible, removable drip pans, proper use of sanitizer blocks, and proper pitch of the drip pans and controlled drip pan drainage into the floor drain.

Slicers, Choppers, and Grinders

Slicers, choppers, and grinders are used for both raw and ready-to-eat (RTE) products. Some smaller operations can use one unit for both, provided that RTE product goes through the unit first and assuming there are no allergen transfer issues. The strong preference in a food service establishment, however, is to have dedicated, segregated slicers, choppers, and grinders for raw and cooked foods.

All three types of equipment have many moving parts and a large surface area that requires cleaning and sanitizing. Clean the bench top of larger choppers and grinders between each use if the room is not refrigerated. If the prep room is refrigerated and is a low-humidity, low-moisture environment, and assuming the same food product is being processed, only daily sanitation is required.