Food Safety and the Production Environment - Selection, Use and Maintenance of Cleaning Equipment

Synopsis

Cleaning is a critical step in the management of food safety. Consequently, the correct selection, use and maintenance of cleaning equipment by the food industry is essential to minimise the risk of microbial, allergen and foreign body cross-contamination, and thus aid compliance to HACCP pre-requisite programme and audit requirements.

Cleaning equipment for use in the food industry needs to be carefully selected to ensure that it fulfills a number of important criteria, i.e, as appropriate, it should be effective, efficient, durable, hygienically and ergonomically designed, made of food safe/approved materials, produced to quality standards, incorporate specialist features, eg appropriately coloured, meXtal detectable, or be of specialist design.

If poorly maintained, the cleaning equipment itself can become a major source and vector of cross-contamination. Cleaning equipment must therefore be appropriately cleaned, disinfected and maintained.

Careful selection and maintenance of cleaning equipment will help minimise the risk of cross-contamination from the equipment itself but the action of cleaning can increase the risk of cross-contamination, ie through generation and spread of aerosols and particles (including allergens), and consequently this must also be considered and controlled.

This presentation will provide attendees with practical information and advice on how to select, use and maintain their cleaning equipment. It will also detail some of the scientific methodologies that have been used to investigate the efficacy of a number of different types of cleaning equipment and thus provide valuable information to the food industry via peer reviewed publications and industry guidelines.

Programme

Day 1 - 26th January 2016

Venue and Contact

Fees

Booking terms and conditions

CPD Info

SCI Members attending this meeting are able to claim CPD points.

Additional Info

About the Speaker

Debra Smith has over 30 years of food safety/research training and experience. Prior to joining Vikan Debra worked in the microbiology laboratory of Bernard Matthews Farms, a large poultry farmer and supplier (3 years), the Food Safety Division of the UK's Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as a Research Manager (DEFRA, 16 years), and a Food Hygiene Research Manager at Campden BRI (9 years).

She holds qualifications in Applied Microbiology (HNC), Nutrition & Food Science (BSc (Hons)), and Advanced Food Hygiene and HACCP. She is author/co-author of numerous food safety/hygiene publications, including peer reviewed papers, book chapters and a number of food industry hygiene guidelines. She has also presented her research at many National and International food safety events.

At Vikan Debra is responsible for providing expert hygiene advice and support to the food industry and for the development of new and improved cleaning tools. She is also available to conduct hygiene site visits and workshops, and to provide bespoke hygiene training and advice.