Dirteeze: Cleaning-up Food Manufacturing

Cleaning and disinfecting in the food manufacturing industry is a crucial part of the food production cycle. To deliver and guarantee a safe end food product, the task is essential and can be extensive in scale.

To carry out an effective and thorough clean, the first step is to understand the various soiling or residue challenges that need to be addressed. A good understanding of an individual food manufacturer and its processes and cleaning practices is essential. Other things to note are the type of materials present: all stainless/plastic or are there soft metals present, which need to be protected?

One of the critical areas Dirteeze supports the food manufacturing industry with is understanding the difference between cleaning and sanitising. Effective cleaning is the complete removal of soils and residues from surfaces, leaving them visually clean so that the second stage, sanitisation, can take place. Surfaces may appear clean from residue, but microorganisms remain. Improper cleaning and sanitising food contact surfaces open the way for transmitting potentially dangerous microbes to food and eventually to the public.

Using approved sanitising products on surfaces reduces microorganisms to safe levels for food production, so they do not pose a threat to health.

Cleaning

Cleaning is usually performed using a form of soap, warm water, and scrubbing. Cleaning is only the first step. In the food manufacturing industry, cleaning is followed by sanitising.

Sanitising

Sanitising removes what you can’t see and offers protection for several hours after that. Sanitising is the act of reducing the number of bacteria and other microorganisms on a clean surface to safe levels.

Using an effective wipe designed for a food manufacturing environment is the best way to avoid cross-contamination and a safe food product.  Sanitising solutions should be Quat-Free, bigunaide free, alcohol-free, taint free, and tested to Biocidal product approved (BPR) article 95 EU Regulations. A Quat-free solution will perform against a wide range of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, spores, yeasts, moulds, fungi and human clinical isolates.

Dirteeze offer a Quat-free Food Surface Sanitising wipe in a range of sizes to suit food manufacturing organisations. Our product is approved to EU standards and offers a 99.999% kill rate. For safe advice and guidance from the experts on cleaning your food manufacturing environment, get in touch.