Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Meat slicers, cheeseboards/wires, bread slicer, cutting boards, preparation
utensils (knives, stirrers, sieves, measuring jugs, etc.), cream machine, mixing
bowls, display cabinet (salad bar, delicatessen counter, cream cake display unit),
serving utensils (spoons, plates, bowls, etc.), weighing scales and packaging (fi lm,
wrap, trays, bowls, bags, greaseproof paper).
The key principle to avoid cross-contamination, be that microbiological or
indeed from allergens, is to use dedicated equipment for each counter in the store
preparing and serving open, RTE food. Such equipment should also be colour-
coded to ensure that it is simple for food handlers and also managers to identify that
the correct equipment is being used in any particular area to avoid cross-
contamination. It also follows that such areas of a store should have dedicated
cleaning and disinfection areas for equipment.
In some smaller stores, it may not be feasible to have separate equipment for all
areas and the normal good hygienic practice applies in ensuring that any shared
equipment is appropriately cleaned and disinfected between use.
Cleaning and disinfection is a critical component of any food safety management
programme. Open foods prepared and served from food service counters in stores
frequently come into contact with equipment used variously to store, prepare, slice,
cut, display or serve the product. Such equipment can readily be a source of micro-
biological contamination, usually representing a vector of contaminants from peo-
ple or the environment, although the equipment itself can become a reservoir of
contamination itself. Cleaning and disinfection is therefore key to preventing cross-
contamination to foods with either pathogenic or spoilage microorganisms. The
requirement to ensure equipment is hygienic is legislated for in Regulation (EC)
852/2004 (Anon.
2004a
) whereby “All articles, fi ttings and equipment with which
food comes into contact are to be effectively cleaned and, where necessary, disin-
fected. Cleaning and disinfection are to take place at a frequency suffi cient to avoid
any risk of contamination”.
Cleaning and disinfection may be through manual means or through the use of
dishwashers. In addition, cleaning may need to occur both throughout the day on
slicers, for example, as well as at the end of a production shift, e.g., cream machines.
The purpose of cleaning and disinfection is clearly to ensure equipment and sur-
faces are suitably cleaned of residual food product and also contaminating microor-
ganisms, be they spoilage or potentially pathogenic. Consequently, it is essential that
an appropriate cleaning schedule is established for each area of the store. Surfaces
that are subject to ongoing handling of product and that are not chilled, i.e., cutting
boards, slicers, preparation surfaces and utensils should be subject to clean as you go
operations using the principle of removing or rinsing food debris away, washing
with a detergent, rinsing and then applying a disinfectant. In some cases, a combined
detergent/disinfectant may be used. Other equipment such as display bowls and
serving cabinets that are under refrigeration are usually subject to a daily clean and
a deep clean when emptied. The importance of stripping down equipment for a full
deep clean is essential for more complex equipment such as cream machines and
even display cabinets, i.e., delicatessen counters, as the build up of food debris and
potential microbial contaminants may be in areas not readily visible, i.e., in pipe-
work in cream machines, under the base plate of a delicatessen counter, etc.
