Advantages Of Cleaning And Sanitizing

Cleaning and Sanitizing The Center for Disease Control (CDC) cites contaminated equipment (utensils, meat slicers, cut- ting boards etc.) as a leading cause of food borne disease outbreaks.

Cleaning and sanitizing are often confused as one and the same, how- ever; these are two separate and distinct processes. Cleaning is the process of removing visible contamination – soil, grease, food particles, dirt, etc., from any equipment or utensil. Sanitizing on the other hand, reduces harmful microorganisms to an acceptable level, which in turn reduces the possibility of dis- ease transmission.

It is extremely important that all food contact surfaces are clean and sanitary. Any part of utensil or equipment that comes in contact with food is called

When using commercially prepared sanitizers, simply follow the manufacturer’s instructions. The most common way of making a sanitizing solution is by using regular household bleach (5.25% Sodium Hypochlorite). In this respect, ensure that the bleach is not ultra-bleach or extra strength bleach. It is also worth noting that only pure bleach should be used without any additional additives, and it should never be mixed with detergent which will reduce the strength of the sanitizing solutions. The following table explains how to make various sanitizing solutions using household bleach (5.25% Sodium

The chemical sanitizing feeder should be pitched a minimum of glasses. In these cases an electrical brush device should be used in conjunction with a combination detergent-sanitizer in the sink compartment used for washing utensils. The sink compartments must be large enough to accommodate the largest piece of equipment or utensil to be cleaned and each compartment should be supplied with adequate hot and cold potable running water.

In the case of equipment too large to be sanitized by immersion, the swabbing of such equipment with a solution of at least twice the concentration required should be approved for use with the specific make and model of the machine in question.

A visual flow indicator can be used to facilitate monitoring of the operation of the sanitizing agent feeder. Other indicating devices such as audible alarms may also be used. The flow indicating devices should be installed so as to be easily viewed by the