Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/717894
40 SEPTEMBER 2016 Good Fruit Grower www.goodfruit.com Cleaning and sanitizing tips N ot all packing facilities, some of them decades old, were designed with cleaning in mind, but sanitation workshops hosted by the Washington State Tree Fruit Association offer numerous tips warehouse operators can follow to keep their facili- ties as clean as possible. People —Adopt a mindset of actively seeking out contamination. —Create incentive programs, such as gift cards or pizza parties, for meeting cleanliness standards. —Give sanitation employees strong, water-resistant flashlights. —Hire roaming sanitation workers to remove standing water and pick up debris, such as cardboard scraps, during production shifts. Water and chemicals —Clean hidden areas and cavities, such as hollow legs or the undersides of surfaces. —Lift out drain gates to clean both drains and gates more thoroughly. —Calibrate water pressure to wash dirt but not spread it through excessive splashing. —Use correct chemical concentrations. More does not always equal more effective. —Restrict access to cleaning chemicals. —Apply antimicrobial powders or foams to the floor at entry points. Machinery —Sanitize floor-scrubbing machines periodically. —Clean forklifts periodically. Designate them for certain areas. —Test rubber flaps often. —Remove parts, such as belt cutter blade caps, for periodic cleaning. —Take out wax brush rolls and soak them in cleaner. Use two sets to clean on a rotation. —Use silicone rubber padding instead of foam. —Line wooden orchard bins with a plastic bags to use them as soak tanks. —Consider installing automatic belt cleaners that can be retrofitted to existing lines. Work spaces —Place floor mats only in areas for standing, not in transition traffic areas. —Soak floor mats in solution while cleaning the floors beneath them. —Remove or replace peeling grip tape from floors and stairs. It can harbor pests, as well as trip people. Tools —Designate cleaning tools, such as brushes and brooms, for certain areas. Color code them. —Store brushes, brooms and mops head down to prevent dripping onto the handle. —Use "captive" tools and personal protective gear that never leave the facility to prevent cross-contamination. —Gloves protect surfaces and fruit, not the worker. Wash or replace gloves every time they touch something unrelated to the job, such as handrails or catwalks. —Use disposable green scrubbers. —Haul brooms and mops on a tool caddy with castors to prevent them from touch- ing the floor when not in use. —Whenever possible, clean with ladders and long-handled brushes to avoid climb- ing on equipment. —Establish a schedule for disinfecting maintenance tools, such as wrenches and screwdrivers. Building or upgrading a packing facility? Here are some design tips: —Locate drains centrally for cleaning access. —Use continuous smooth belts instead of segmented belts. —Use stainless steel whenever possible and avoid soft metals, such as aluminum. —Avoid wood. —Keep welds smooth for easier cleaning. —Set up equipment so sanitation workers can reach it with ladders instead of climbing. —Consider a water treatment system to prevent rust and buildup of soap scum. —Install good lighting. —Provide adequate hand-washing facilities. —Provide access to hot water for cleaning hoses. —Drain condensation from coolers outdoors, not to the floor of the building. —Build solid walkways over water or food contact areas to prevent debris from falling. — R. Courtney The workshops primarily cover good manufacturing practices in the wake of outbreaks. However, they include brief updates about the Food Safety Modernization Act, or FSMA. The Tree Fruit Association also holds educa- tional events intended to help growers understand and implement FSMA requirements in their orchards, and future workshops specific to FSMA compliance are planned for warehouses. Collaborators are the Northwest Horticultural Council and the Washington State Tree Fruit Research Commission, as well as the host packing companies. A major message is that all packers should constantly improve their cleaning and sanitation techniques for the good of the entire industry. "Food safety should not be a competitive advantage," said Ines Hanrahan, a project manager for the Washington Tree Free Research Commission during the most recent workshop in Washington's Yakima Valley. Still, food safety is a tough conversation. Workshop organizers struggle to find packers willing to host the tours for fear they will be singled out for minor flaws. "While there are certain things we cannot control, we can certainly improve as people how we react to every- thing, and we can improve what we do on a daily basis," Hanrahan said. Challenges Not all packing facilities are designed with cleaning in mind. For example, Elis Owens, director of technical services for Henderson, Colorado, sanitation company Birko, warned during the recent workshop against climbing on top of packing equipment to clean it to avoid contami- nation from boots that may have just been on an unsan- itized floor. However, that may may be the only way to reach it. Meanwhile, older lines often contain exposed elec- tronics, wooden surfaces and hidden nooks and crannies that may be hard to clean. Owens also has found packing line pipes, discarded after a renovation, coated with biofilm, a generic term to denote a sometimes invisible buildup of organic or material dirt that can harbor patho- gens. Packers should consider flushing pipes and flumes Cleaning in tight areas and around parts and mechanisms is a sometimes tricky — but necessary — step.