Why Proper Sanitation Is Important For A Food Processing Facility

Industrial & Manufacturing Blog

If you run a food processing facility, proper sanitation has to be at the top of your list of priorities. Although it may seem like a no-brainer, there are actually quite a few facilities that don't adhere to proper sanitation protocols.

Discover why proper sanitation is so important for a food processing plant.  

The Impact of Foodborne Illnesses

Foodborne illnesses are a serious problem in the United States.

In fact, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that approximately 48 million people are sickened, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3000 die from foodborne diseases every year. While that's a staggering number, it's a decrease from previous years, thanks partly to better food safety practices in food processing plants.

How Do These Illnesses Spread in a Food Processing Facility? 

There are three main ways that foodborne illnesses can be spread:

  • Through contaminated food or water. This can happen if the water supply to the facility is contaminated or when the ingredients used to make food are contaminated.
  • Through contact with contaminated surfaces. Sometimes, bacteria can live on food processing equipment, and if the equipment isn't properly cleaned, the bacteria can contaminate food. This is why it's so important to clean and sanitize all food contact surfaces regularly.
  • By person-to-person contact. If food workers don't practice proper hand hygiene, they can spread bacteria to food. This is why it's so important for food workers to wash their hands thoroughly and often.

If there's an outbreak of foodborne illness, investigators will first trace it back to its source. In many cases, that source is a food processing facility.

And while many factors can contribute to foodborne illness, you can ensure your facility does its part to prevent the spread by maintaining the proper sanitation protocols.

Food Safety Protocols at a Glance

There are many different food safety protocols that food processing facilities must follow, but some of the most important ones relate to sanitation.

For example, food processing facilities must have a sanitation program in place that includes procedures for cleaning and sanitizing all food contact surfaces. There are actually guidelines that food processing facilities must follow when developing their sanitation program.

In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has developed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Sanitary Transportation Rule to minimize the chances of food contamination during transportation and after processing. The rule requires food processors to have written sanitation procedures for transportation operations and to train all employees involved in food transportation on those procedures. 

To learn more, contact a company like Sanixperts Inc.

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19 September 2022

The Industrial Sector Is The Foundation Of Everything

There are many careers that you can choose to pursue, but few are as crucial as the industrial sector. It is the foundation upon which so much more is built and it is this fact that makes it so much more fascinating. My name is Jane Adams and I have had a fascination with the industrial and manufacturing sector my entire life. It may be that my family comes from a long line of car manufacturers, but I feel like a lot of my interest in manufacturing comes from how I love to know more about the world. For this reason, I have decided to dedicate my blog to the manufacturing industry.