Meat+Poultry - August 2019 - 80

FOOD SAFETY

Controlling pests

MEAT+ POULTRY | 08.19 | www.meatpoultry.com

PERIODIC EQUIPMENT CLEANING
Daily sanitation procedures can remedy
a number of sanitation issues, however,
sanitation design flaws do naturally exist, so
equipment must be periodically disassembled
beyond what is required for daily cleaning.
Periodic equipment cleaning (PEC) is the
process designed to manage this activity.
The basic steps of the process include:
x Start with a clean line.
x Tear the line down to the most complete
level that can be done on-site.
x Keep notes as to what is being done on
each line so they can be repeated in the future.
x Be prepared to do clean equipment
investigational swabbing on areas of the
equipment that could contain harborage points.
x After disassembling equipment, look for
potential harborage points to inspect and clean.
x During the PEC process, never tear down
the equipment beyond the point that local
personnel can reassemble it and always follow
lock out/tag out procedures on all equipment.
x Swab any identified flawed sites, and be
sure to swab the same sites in the future to
determine if the PEC task is effective.
x Initiate any corrective actions if the
equipment is found to be visually dirty, the sites
have out-of-standard swab results or any sites
are found to have sanitary design deficiencies.
Periodic equipment cleaning is just one
of the processes in an effective sanitation
program for a food processing facility. Since
every operation is different, GMPs and SSOPs
should be developed to fit the individual
production environment.

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Pests are an ongoing threat to sanitation in any food
processing facility. Developing an effective pest-control
program is essential and should be worked into plant
sanitation procedures.
The program begins with an understanding of potential
pests, their feeding habits, where and how they live and
various methods of controlling and eliminating them.
The most common pests in food-processing facilities are
cockroaches, insects - including flies, ants and beetles -
rodents and birds.
The most common pests found in food-processing
facilities are roaches, which have been shown to transmit
diseases including bacteria - some in the insect's gut and
others on its exterior surface.
A good way to detect cockroaches is to enter a
darkened production or storage area, turn on the lights
and look for scurrying roaches. They can also be found
by inspecting inside electrical junction boxes, receptacles
and control panels or by looking behind objects and in
floor drains.
The first step to prevent roaches is eliminating places
where they may live, including cardboard boxes. It's
important to seal and fill cracks and crevices throughout the
plant in production and nonproduction areas. Seal openings
around conduits and pipes where they pass through walls
and ceilings. Chemical control of cockroaches requires
EPA-approved insecticides that are generally formulated as
sprays, aerosols and dusts.
The most common flying insects are the housefly and fruit
fly. A single housefly has been estimated to carry up to 3.6
million bacteria. The movement of flies from unwholesome
food sources to fresh-food products, production equipment
and other surfaces provide endless opportunities for them to
transmit disease-causing bacteria.
The most effective method of fly prevention is removing
and eliminating breeding sites. This primarily means the
availability of garbage. It must be located away from doors
and removed frequently.
Electrocution traps with blue fluorescent lights are effective
in helping to reduce flying insects. Sticky traps, baited jug
traps or sticky ribbons are another alternative, and insecticidal sprays or fogs can also be used to suppress flies.
Pests are unavoidable in food-processing facilities, but
proper monitoring, sanitation and control techniques can
help stop pests from causing contamination and possibly
spreading disease. Consulting an industrial pest control
company to assess, monitor and control pests, rodents and
birds around processing plants is recommended.

Gloves and footwear worn by personnel in
RTE processing facilities should be made of
impermeable material and be easily cleanable
or disposable.
Employees need the right kind of outer
clothing to wear in the production facility so
there's a barrier between them and the food.
Clothing should include coats or smocks,
aprons, plastic sleeves, hairnets, gloves or even
full coveralls. Protective plant clothing should
never be worn outside of the production area.
Also, it's important to have clean protective
plant clothing on hand for visitors.

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Meat+Poultry - August 2019

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