TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 3.1 Sanitation

Practices

Why Clean and

Sanitize?.........................................................................................

What Needs to Be Cleaned/Sanitized?

(Exercise3.1.1)...........................................

Cleaning
Procedures................................................................................................

Master Cleaning
Schedule.......................................................................................

Exercise
3.1.2..

Sanitation Program Steps (Exercise

3.1.3)..............................................................

Wet Cleaning (Exercise

3.1.4).................................................................................

Dry
Cleaning...................................................................................................
..........

Exercise
3.1.5..

Documented
Procedures..........................................................................................

Exercise 3.1.6

Section 3.2 Effectiveness Tests and Pre-Operational

Assessments..

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Effectiveness
Tests..................................................................................................

10

What is a Pre-operational
Assessment? .................................................................

10

How is a Pre-operational Assessment

Done? ........................................................

10

Pre-operational
Checklists........................................................................................

11

Exercise
3.2.1..

12

Module 3 Review Questions

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Name: __________________________Date: ________________________

SECTION 3.1 SANITATION PRACTICES

Why Clean and Sanitize?
Cleaning and sanitizing are important activities in a food safety
program. Food contact surfaces of equipment, tools and utensils
must be cleaned and sanitized at regular intervals to avoid crosscontamination. It minimizes the risk of product contamination and
pest infestation.
Without a proper sanitation program, product can become
contaminated and harmful to customers as is illustrated by the
following example:
164 cases of Salmonella infection that occurred in some northern U.S.
states led authorities to issue a recall of cheese produced by a
particular processing plant. Concerned as to what was contaminating
the cheese, investigators inspected the plant and found that little to no
sanitation procedures were in place. The poor state of cleanliness in
the factory was leading to continued contamination of the cheese
being produced. It is important not only to have proper sanitation
procedures in place, but to make sure they are being followed on a
daily basis.

Cleaning
Cleaning is the chemical or physical process of removing dirt or
soil from surfaces.
Cleaning removes up to 99% of the bacteria, but thousands of
bacteria may still be present.
All food contact surfaces must be cleaned
Following each use
Anytime you begin working with another type of food
Anytime you are interrupted during a task and the utensils
or equipment you have been working with may have been
contaminated
Mid-shift if the materials you are working with are
susceptible to the growth of micro-organisms

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Sanitizing
Sanitizing is the process that kills microbes on clean surfaces.
Common sanitizers used include

Chlorine

Iodophors

Quaternary ammonium compounds (also called quats)

Sanitation programs should be conducted in the following areas:

Buildings and grounds
Raw material handling and storage areas
Processing areas
Employee hygiene facilities
Finished product storage
Transportation vehicles
Waste disposal containers and storage areas

What Needs to Be Cleaned/Sanitized?

Exercise 3.1.1
List equipment and areas in your plant that require cleaning and
sanitizing in the category that has been assigned to you.
Daily Cleaning

During Production
Cleaning (Operational
Cleaning)

Non-Daily Cleaning

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Daily Cleaning

During Production
Cleaning (Operational
Cleaning)

Non-Daily Cleaning

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Cleaning Procedures
Procedures need to describe:
Who is responsible?
Tasks, step by step
Chemicals and handling instructions
Disassembly and reassembly
Inspection
Records to be completed
Tools/equipment to be used

Master Cleaning Schedule

A master cleaning schedule lists all cleaning tasks in the plant, who is
responsible for their completion, and a place to record the time and
date on which they were completed.
Exercise 3.1.2
What tasks are you responsible for on the master cleaning schedule?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
How do you know when it is time to do a task?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

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Sanitation Program Steps

Exercise 3.1.3
Write down the reason for each step in a sanitation program. Typical
steps involved in cleaning a food surface include:
STEP

FUNCTION

1. Prepare

Removes all finished product,

packaging, rework, etc., from
the area. It also may include
protecting water-sensitive
items with plastic or covering
other items to protect them
from the sanitation process.

2. Pre-clean

Removes loose food or dirt on

equipment by sweeping,
vacuuming or scraping floors
and picking up dropped items.

3. Pre-rinse

Softens soils and melt fats. It

also removes soils.

4. Apply
cleaning
solutions

Makes food soils soluble.

Removes food waste, grease,
dirt that is clinging to surface.

5. Post-rinse

Removes cleaning solution and

dissolved dirt and grease.

6. Inspect

Ensures that there is no visible

soil remaining.

REASON

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STEP

FUNCTION

REASON

7. Sanitize

Further reduces the number of

micro-organisms.

Wet Cleaning
Exercise 3.1.4
List the areas where wet cleaning is used in your plant
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Factors Affecting Efficiency of Wet Cleaning

Type of soil to be removed
o Fats and oils
o Proteins
o Carbohydrates
o Mineral salts
Water quality
The detergent or cleaner to be used
Factors in the Cleaning Variables Diamond
o Water temperature
o Mechanical action (water velocity/force, elbow grease)
o Amount of time detergent is in contact with the surface
o The concentration of the cleaner

Dry Cleaning
Dry cleaning is the removal of powdery residues (especially residues
that absorb moisture from air) or the initial removal of high fat product
residues without the use of water.
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How Is Dry Cleaning Accomplished?

Dry cleaning is accomplished by the use of vacuum cleaners,
brooms, brushes and compressed air. The use of compressed air
should be used only where vacuuming or brooms/brushes cannot
reach. If compressed air is used, then use short puffs of air to
avoid creating a dusty cloud that will blow around the plant.
As with any method of cleaning, the order in which you clean is
very important. Start at the top of the machine or the room and
work down. This means that dirt that falls onto the surfaces below
will be picked up as you move down. Those areas requiring
compressed air should be blown first, followed by brushing. The
final surface to be cleaned is the floor, preferably with a vacuum.

Sanitizing
Usually plants producing dry products do not have to be overly
concerned with the growth of bacteria because the products dry
condition is not favourable for growth. However, if a sanitizing
step is required, the use of an alcohol sanitizer can be effective.
The alcohol, usually 70% ethanol, evaporates quickly so that it
does not interfere with production.
Exercise 3.1.5
Identify areas in your plant where dry cleaning would be used.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Documented Procedures
A documented procedure ensures consistency in the cleaning and
sanitizing of the food processing plant. Written cleaning procedures
should include:
What is to be cleaned
Who is to clean it
When is it to be cleaned (frequency)

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The time necessary to clean it
The chemicals, materials and equipment to be used
The cleaning standard required
The safety precautions to be taken
The protective clothing to be worn
Who is responsible for monitoring and recording that it has been
cleaned

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Exercise 3.1.6
Look at your assigned procedure.
Is any element missing? If so, what is missing?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Is the procedure being performed as written? If not, what are the
differences?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

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SECTION 3.2 EFFECTIVENESS TESTS AND PREOPERATIONAL ASSESSMENTS

Effectiveness Tests
Effectiveness or validation tests are used to check that cleaning and
sanitation have been performed properly. Inadequate sanitation can
lead to contamination of food, ingredients, packaging materials, or
other food contact surfaces, and these are examples of tests used to
help ensure that sanitation practices are effective:
Swab surveysin which a sample is taken from the sanitized area
and tested for the presence of micro-organisms or other
contaminants
Bioluminescence (ATP)which uses light-sensitive instruments to
reveal the presence of micro-organisms
Post-sanitation inspections in which the manufacturing area is
inspected after sanitation has occurred
Pre-operational assessments in which the manufacturing area is
inspected before being used; this section of the module will focus
on pre-operational assessments.

What Is a Pre-operational
Assessment?
This is often called a pre-op.
The pre-operational assessment
Is used to ensure that the
sanitation practices were done
properly and that the
manufacturing area is ready to be
used.
Can also include other areas of the
plant that need to be looked at,
such as pest control, temperature
control and equipment
maintenance checks.

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How Is a Pre-operational Assessment Done?

Someone other than the person who cleaned the piece of equipment or
the area must do this check. This is usually the supervisor. Sometimes
in small plants it may be more practical to have a team approach, i.e.,
I check your work and you check my work.

Pre-operational Checklist
To ensure that no areas are missed, a checklist should be developed.
An example of a checklist is provided below.
Daily Pre-operational Checklist Example
Company Name:

Area of Plant:

Clean-up Date: ___________________

Date Checked: ___________________
Equipmen
t piece to
be
cleaned

Used
today?
Yes No

Cleaned?

Sanitized?

Yes

Yes

No

Comments on
any problems
noticed

What action was

taken?

No

Comments:
Signature of person completing checklist: ________________________

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Exercise 3.2.1
Look at your pre-op. What is your role? Are there ways that it could be
improved?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

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NOTES

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MODULE 3: SANITATION
Review Questions
1.

What is the difference between cleaning and sanitizing?

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
______________________________________

2.

Which type of soil is the easiest to remove?

a. Fats
b. Mineral salts
c. Carbohydrates
d. Proteins

3.

The 4 factors that most affect cleaning efficiency (the factors in

the Cleaning Variables Diamond) are:
1.
2.
3.
4.

4.

True or False: Alkaline cleaners are generally more powerful

than acid cleaners

5.

________ treatment and _______________ treatment are the two

general methods used for sanitizing.

6.

Why is chemical sanitizing used more often than heat sanitizing?

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________

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7.

When dry cleaning, you should:

a. Start at the bottom and work up
b. Start at the top and work down
c. Use brushes and vacuums first then blow the area with
compressed air
d. Order doesnt matter, as long as everything is clean by the
end

8.

__________________________ is an example of an effectiveness test

which uses light-sensitive instruments to detect the presence of
micro-organisms.

9.

What type of cleaning makes use of vacuum cleaners, brooms,

brushes and compressed air?
___________________________________________________________

10. What does pre-op stand for, and what is it?

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
11. A master cleaning schedule should list
a. The contact information for outside cleaning firms
b. Cleaning violations according to the plants standard
c. The date of the next visit from an inspector
d. Cleaning tasks, responsibilities, dates and methods
12. True or False: It is okay for the person who has cleaned or
sanitized a piece of equipment or area to perform the preoperational assessment too.
13. A ______________ which lists the areas and equipment used during
production can help ensure that no area is missed during the preoperational assessment.
14. A screw on a grinding machine loosened and eventually fell out,
into the product. This is an example of poor _____________
________________.

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