SANITATION

IN FOOD INDUSTRY

LECTURE 5
WATER and PEST
Water is one of the most important components of
a seafood establishment since it is used:
•  As an ingredient;
•  To convey or transport products;
•  To wash foods;
•  To make ice and glazed products;
•  To clean and sanitize facilities, utensils, containers
and equipment; and
•  For drinking.
Additional uses of water:
•  In the form of steam used for cooking, blanching,
and cleaning;
•  As a solvent to make cleaners and sanitizers;
and
•  To thaw frozen food/raw, materials
Key Sanitation Condition

Safe supply for water that contacts food and food

contact surfaces.
•  Safe water supply for production of ice: and
•  No cross-connections between potable and non-
potable water.
Common sources for water used in food
processing:

•  Municipal (=PAM)
•  Private wells; and
•  Seawater.
Most common water source obtained from
municipalities have:

•  High chemical and microbiological standards;

•  Been purified or treated; and
•  Been tested on a pre-determined schedule.

Indonesia à PAM ????

Chemical and Microbiological contamination of
well water can occur due to:
• Flood or heavy rains;
• Location too close to cesspools, septic tanks,
agricultural sites, or associated drainage fields; or
• Cracked or improperly sealed well casings or liners.

Local problems can affect well water safety

such as gasoline contaminating a well from an
underground storage tank.
World Health Organization’s recommendations
(WHO) defines ‘clean sea water” as seawater
which meets the same microbiological standards as
potable water and is free from objectionable
substances.
Potable according to EPA’s National Primary Drinking Water Regulations
Monitoring: Minimum of four samples per month to assure zero E. coli.

Storage; Tanks do not share common walls with the vessel hull or with tanks
containing non-potable water or other liquids; interior tank coatings approved
for portable water contact (non-corrosive); tank vents and overflows protected
from contamination; and device used to check tank water depth will not
contaminate.

Piping: Must be colored (blue) and labeled for potable water use; no potable
water piping to pass under or through sewage or other tanks holding non-
potable liquids; no non-potable liquids passing through or under tanks holding
potable water.

Hoses: Colored and labeled for potable water use only; unique hose fittings
from all other hose fittings, flush before use and drain after use.
Causes of In-Plant Water Contamination
•  Cross-Connections
•  Backflow
Most common form of “cross-connec@on” with the
poten&al for contamina@ng the water supply.
Backpressure can be a source of contamination
when
•  A potable system is connected to systems
operating under higher pressure by means of a
pump, boiler, elevation difference, or air or stream
pressure.

Monitoring should focus on systems that

automatically mix water with steam, detergents,
or sanitizers or have reservoirs from which water
is pumped for cooling, spraying, or supply.
 Pest control

No pests in the food processing plant.

Pests are all animals that may carry contaminants into a factory
environment, or food, e.g. dogs, cats, birds, lizards, rats, mice and insects.
 Good hygienic practices should:

u  prevent pests from entering the premises

u  protect food from pests

u  eradicate infesta@ons immediately

u  include regular inspec@ons

Foodborne illnesses that may be passed on by
pests are numerous:

u  Flies and cockroaches may transmit Salmonella,

Staphylococcus, C. perfringens, C. botulinum,
Shigella, Streptococcus, and others;
u  Rodents are sources for Salmonella and parasites;
and
u  Birds are hosts for a variety of pathogens such as
Salmonella and Listeria.
Cockroaches
•  The most common pests in food-processing
plants and foodservice facilities throughout the
world (even at home)

•  These pests must be controlled because they

carry and spread various diseases.

•  Many carry the microorganisms that cause

diseases.
•  Cockroaches spread microorganisms when they
crawl on, bite, and chew food.

•  They prefer high-carbohydrate (starchy or sweet)

foods, but will eat any food, human waste,
decaying food scraps, dead insects (including
other cockroaches), shoe linings, paper, or wood.

•  Cockroaches are most active in dark places and

at night where humans are less likely to disturb
them.
•  Each month, these pests lay small egg cases
containing 15 to 40 eggs. Some cockroaches
deposit the egg case in a hiding place to protect it.

•  Shortly after they hatch, young cockroaches begin

eating the same things the adults eat.
• 
•  Young cockroaches look like adults, except that
they are smaller and do not have wings.

•  They develop wings after they grow and shed their

skin several times. Cockroaches may live over a
year and mate several times.
•  Cockroaches live anywhere where food is processed, stored,
prepared, or served.

•  The insects hide and lay eggs in dark, warm, hard-to-clean areas.

•  They like small spaces in and between equipment and under shelf
liners.

•  When cockroaches need food that is not in these areas or they are
forced out by other cockroaches, they will come out into the light.

•  One of the easiest methods of checking for cockroaches is to walk

into a dark produc@on or storage area and then turn on the lights.
Cockroaches produce a strong, oily odor from their glands.

•  They also leave feces (small, black or brown, and spherical)

everywhere they go.
Flies and other insects
Flies

•  It lives all over the world and is an even greater
health problem than the cockroach.

•  It carries several types of pathogens to humans and

their food, causing typhoid, dysentery, infan@le
diarrhea, streptococcal and staphylococcal
infec@ons, and other diseases.

•  Flies eat animal and human wastes and collect

pathogens from the waste on their feet and wings
and in their mouths and guts.

Flies

•  When flies walk on food or eat food, they leave pathogens
on it. Flies take in food as liquid, so they secrete saliva onto
solid food to liquefy it before they suck it up. Fly saliva is
loaded with bacteria that contaminate food and equipment.


•  Control of flies is challenging, because these pests can get into
buildings through openings only slightly larger than the head of
a pin.

•  Flies normally stay close to the area where they hatch, but they
are aSracted to smells and decaying materials.

•  Air currents oTen carry flies further than they would fly .

•  Flies prefer to live in warm areas out of the wind, such as

garbage can rims. Warm, damp, shaded decaying material
provides an ideal place for housefly eggs to hatch and grow as
fly larvae or maggots.
•  There are more houseflies during dry/summer because the
popula@on builds rapidly during warm weather.

•  Flies are most ac@ve at temperatures between 120Cand

350C. Below 60C they are very inac@ve, and below 50C they
die within a few hours. Heat paralyzes flies at about 4O0C
and kills them at 490C.

•  The size of a housefly popula@on is difficult to control,

because they oTen breed away from food establishments in
decaying material.

•  The best ways to control the fly popula@on are to prevent

flies from entering processing, storage, prepara@on, and
serving areas and to reduce their numbers within these
areas.
Ants, beetles, and moths.
•  These pests leave webs or holes in food and packaging
materials, and they can be controlled by keeping the
facility @dy and well ven@lated, keeping storage areas
cool and dry, and rota@ng stock.

•  Ants oTen build nests in walls, especially around heat

sources, such as hot water pipes. Sponges saturated with
syrup can act as bait to find out where ants are living and
where to place insec@cide.

•  Because ants, beetles, and moths need only very small

amounts of food, good sanita@on and proper storage of
food and supplies are essen@al to keep these pests
away.
Rodents
•  Rodents such as rats and mice are difficult to control
because they have highly developed senses of
hearing, touch, and smell. These pests can iden@fy
new or unfamiliar objects in their environment and
then protect themselves against these changes.

•  Rats are dangerous and destruc@ve. The Na@onal

Restaurant Associa@on es@mates that rodent
damage costs $10 billion per year. This includes the
costs of food they eat, food they contaminate, and
structural damage to property, including damage
from fires started when rats gnaw on electrical
wires.

•  The serious health hazard from contaminated food,
equipment, and utensils is even more serious than economic
losses. Rats transmit such diseases as leptospirosis, murine
typhus, and salmonellosis.

•  One rat dropping contains several million harmful

microorganisms. When droppings dry out and fall apart or are
crushed, air movement within a room can carry par@cles to
food.
Control

•  Control of rodents, especially rats, is difficult because
they adapt to the environment so well.

•  The best way to control rodents is by proper
sanita@on.

•  If entrances are sealed off, these pests cannot get in,
and if there is no debris to eat, they will not survive.

•  If sanita@on is not good, poisons and traps will only
reduce the rodent popula@on temporarily
•  Preven&on of entry.

•  Elimina&ng rodent shelters.

•  Elimina&ng rodent food sources.

•  Poisoning.

•  Gassing.

•  Trapping. (This is a slow but generally safe method of killing

rodents).

•  Ultrasonic devices. (If rats are hungry, they ignore the sound.
These are not effec@ve rodent controls).
BIRDS

•  Birds such as pigeons, and sparrows, can be a problem in
food facili@es.

•  Their droppings are ugly and can carry microorganisms that

cause disease in human beings.

•  Birds can also carry insects into food establishments.

•  Proper management and sanita@on can reduce the bird

popula@on.
IF USING PESTICIDES
Categories of Pesticide Use:
1. General use insecticides; and
2. Restricted use insecticides.
General Standards for Applicator Certification:
1.  Label and labeling comprehension;
2.  Safety;
3.  Environmental factors and the consequence of use
and misuse of the pesticide;
4.  Knowledge of pests; and
5.  Knowledge of pesticides and types of
formulations, including the hazards associated
with residues.
1. Make sure all pes@cide containers have clear labels.

2. Check that exterminators have work insurance to

protect the establishment, employees, and
customers.

3. Follow instruc@ons when using pes@cides. Only use

these chemicals for the purposes on the label. An
insec@cide that works against one type of insect may
not work against other pests.

4. Use the weakest poison that will destroy the pests.

5.  Use oil-based and water-based sprays in appropriate
places. Use oil-based sprays where water could
cause an electrical short circuit, shrink fabric, or
cause mildew. Use water-based sprays in places
where oil may cause fire, damage to rubber or
asphalt, or a bad smell.

6.  Avoid prolonged exposure to sprays. Wear

protec@ve clothing while applying pes@cides, and
wash hands aTerwards.

7.  Be careful not to contaminate food, equipment, and

utensils with pes@cides.
PROPER STORAGE
1.  Store pes@cides in a dry area at a temperature below 350C .

2.  Store pes@cides in a locked cabinet away from food-handling and

food storage areas. Store these compounds separately from
other chemicals, such as cleaning compounds.

3.  Do not transfer pes@cides from their labeled package to any

other storage container. Storage of pes@cides in empty food
containers can cause pes@cide poisoning.

4.  Place empty pes@cide containers in plas@c bins marked for

disposal of hazardous wastes. Even empty containers can be
dangerous because they s@ll contain small amounts of toxins.
Burn paper and cardboard, but do not burn empty aerosol cans.
Follow local regula@ons about use and disposal of pes@cides.
INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT
•  Integrated pest management (IPM) uses several methods together to
control pests.

•  IPM aims to control pests inexpensively using environmentally sound

techniques, including biological control.

•  The goals of IPM are to use pes@cides wisely and to find alterna@ves
whenever possible. With IPM, operators can use less pes@cide
because other control methods are working at the same @me.

•  The term IPM implies that pests are "managed" rather than
removed. However, the final goal of pest management in food
processing is to prevent or get rid of pests.

•  Pest control prac@ces include inspec/on, housekeeping, physical and

mechanical methods, and chemical methods. Integrated use of these
methods allows economical, effec@ve, and safe pest management.
InspecBon

A preven@ve control measure, @me consuming but important
and cost effec@ve in the long run.

Inspec@on is a cri@cal part of IPM. Inspec@on can find problems
early on, pick up poten@al problems before they begin, and
check that the sanita@on program is working.

Sanitarians should carry out formal inspec@ons at least monthly.
The inspector (hired if necessary) should check thoroughly
for signs of pests and evaluate how well the pest
management program is working

Plant personnel should carry out ongoing informal inspec@ons in
their own work areas.
Supervisors should encourage employees to be aware of
sanita@on problems that make pest control less effec@ve.

Inspectors should check raw materials, manufactured or
prepared products, outside the building, inside facili@es, and
equipment.

Inspectors should use a flashlight and have the correct tools to
open equipment and sample containers.

Sanitarians should put together an inspec@on form to make sure
the inspector does not miss anything and to record results.
The forms give a record of poten@al problems and how
problems are solved.