Food Business - Cleaning, Sanitising and Disinfecting

There’s a big difference between cleaning, sanitising, and disinfecting. And it’s important to know which method is right for each job. Should you sanitise your kitchen bench and disinfect your dishes? Or should you clean your floor but sanitise your cool room door handles?

It is important that people who work in the food industry understand that certain utensils and equipment require cleaning and sanitising to ensure the safety of the food, minimise the potential for the spread of harmful microorganisms and to maintain a safe working environment.

Cleaning

Involves removing grease, food, dust, stains, and other contamination—including smells and tastes—from food preparation surfaces and equipment. Clean means ‘clean to touch’.
Detergents like soap remove the grime, grease, food, dust, and stains but they do not kill all bacteria. This is why, after cleaning, you must sanitise the food preparation surfaces and equipment.
TIP: Clean as you go as it will save you time and effort in keeping food preparation areas and premises clean.

Disinfectants

Disinfectants are very strong chemicals which are suitable for use on toilets and floors rather than benches or equipment. They must not be used as sanitisers and many state that they are not suitable for food contact surfaces.
Disinfectants:
often have a strong smell and should be used with caution
are designed for use in cleaning floors and toilets,
must be used according to the manufacturer's instructions. 

Sanitising

Sanitising is a necessary and required step after cleaning to ensure that food preparation surfaces and equipment are as free as possible from microorganisms that can cause foodborne illness. Most food poisoning bacteria are killed if they are exposed to chemical sanitisers, heat, or a combination of both.
A sanitiser will only work if food preparation surfaces or equipment have been thoroughly cleaned first. 

Consider these questions:

How often should I sanitise?

It is recommended that food contact surfaces and equipment are cleaned and sanitised after every use and/or at least every four hours. What should I sanitise?
Any surface, utensil or piece of equipment that comes into contact with food must be cleaned and sanitised.For example - Chopping boards, benches, crockery, cutlery, meat slicers, food storage containers, utensils, knives, thermometers

How do I sanitise?

You have different options -

Heat:  If sanitising using heat, it is best to use a commercial dishwasher (with the recommended chemicals).
Commercial dishwashers or hot water in a sink are both ways of sanitising smaller items.
If sanitising using hot water in a sink:
• A temperature of 77°C is needed and the utensils or surfaces need to be submerged in the water at this temperature for at least 30 seconds.
• Use a heating element to keep the water temperature at 77°C or higher.

Chemical: If you do not have a dishwasher a chemical sanitiser can be used.
• The use of chemical sanitisers should be in accordance with the manufacturer’s specification regarding the dilution rate and contact time – i.e. some need to be left on for up to 10 minutes and may only be used on surfaces (not equipment)
• Household Bleach can be used as a sanitiser 2.5ml (½ teaspoon) of unscented bleach to 1 litre of cold water – solution to be made up daily
• For items that fit in your double bowl sink - wash in detergent and hot water in the first bowl then sanitise using a chemical sanitiser and warm water in the second bowl
• Items that do not fit in your sink – thoroughly clean and then use a spray bottle to apply the sanitiser.

It is important to:

• thoroughly clean the surface, equipment, utensils before they are sanitised, as sanitisers are unable to effectively kill food poisoning bacteria if the surface is still visibly dirty,
• follow the instructions as too little sanitiser will not reduce the level of harmful microorganisms to a safe level and too much will leave residues which may be harmful,
• check, if using diluted sanitiser, when the sanitiser batch was made up - it may need to be made up daily,
• pay special attention to blenders, stab mixers, meat slicers and can openers - you may need to dismantle them to get access to properly clean and sanitise them,
• leave equipment to thoroughly air dry (bacteria can be transferred from partially dried equipment to food),
• use clean, dry tea towels because if they get contaminated / dirty they may then transfer harmful microorganisms between items. Ideally single-use paper towels,
• not use tea towels without hot washing and machine drying between uses.
  
  

Are there organic sanitisers available?

Yes. Sanitisers which have the following active ingredients are considered to be organic:

• Peracetic Acid
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Organic Acids
• 70% Alcohol solutions that do not contain Quaternary Ammonium Compounds

 

Where do I purchase a sanitiser?

Unscented household bleach and other appropriate chemicals can be purchased at the supermarket.
Other sanitisers can be purchased from a chemical supplier in your area.

Things to ask when purchasing a sanitiser:

 

• Is the sanitiser ‘food grade’ – safe for food contact surfaces?
• Can I use the sanitiser on all surfaces and equipment?
• What is the contact time and does the sanitiser need to be rinsed off?
• How much do I need to use?

10 Tips for Sanitising

• Make sure your chemical sanitiser is ‘food grade’.
• Sanitisers are most effective when used at the correct dilution – check the label or with your supplier.
• Prepare chemical solutions daily to make sure the solution remains effective.
• Chemicals must be clearly labelled, especially if you are removing the solution from the original packaging.
• They need time to work – check the contact time as this will vary for each product.
• Check to see if the sanitiser needs to be rinsed off after it has been applied.
• After sanitising make sure the surface is thoroughly dry before it is reused.
• Check the best before date of your chemicals to make sure they remain active.
• Make sure your staff know how to correctly use your chemical sanitiser.
• Chemicals must be stored away from food to minimise the risk of contamination.
  
  

Final tips: 

• Prior to cleaning ensure bowls, pans and other utensils are not under work benches where water, cleaning chemicals or food scraps can fall in during cleaning.
• Never combine different chemicals, and using more of a detergent or chemicals does not mean that it will work better.