Maintaining Hygiene in Meat Processing: Best Practices and Essential Tools
Establishing and maintaining strict hygiene protocols is vital in food processing environments, where cleanliness has a direct impact on food safety, the health of your team and regulatory compliance. We at Bunzl Processor Division want to help you in implementing these cleaning protocols to ensure that your operations remain safe without compromising efficiency. See below for a few of our recommended best practices and the essential tools needed to comply with the strict hygienic standards required of food processing facilities.
Best Practices for Hygiene in Meat Processing
- Maintain a Consistent Cleaning Schedule – Routinely clean and sanitize common surfaces including equipment, walls and floors to help eliminate contamination risks in your facility. Be sure to give special attention to high-risk, high-contact and high-traffic areas to minimize potential hazards.
- Use the Right Cleaning Solutions – Ensure that your cleaning agents are compatible with the needs of that specific area, including food-safe options that are rated to protect against common contaminants in processing environments such as fats, oils and proteins. Food processing environments may also benefit from utilizing agents with an NSF Certified D2 Classification, as these products do not require a rinse after use on food contact surfaces.
- Sanitize After a Thorough Cleaning – Remember you cannot sanitize a dirty surface. All food contact surface sanitizers require prior cleaning ensure proper effectiveness. For best results, follow all guidelines on your cleaning product label and allow for the proper contact time.
- Ensure your Staff is Properly Trained – It is essential for your team to understand your facility’s cleaning protocols as well as the importance of proper hygiene and identifying potential contamination risks. Staff should also be fully familiar with cleaning agents and tools to effectively perform cleaning and sanitizing tasks.
- Monitor and Audit your Process – Regularly assessing your cleaning protocols helps to identify areas that require improvement and ensures that your process remains compliant with food safety regulations.
Essential Cleaning Tools for Meat Processing
Selecting the right cleaning tools is crucial to achieving high standards of cleanliness. As the preferred supplier to the food processing industry, we have identified a few must-have cleaning and hygiene tools for your facility:
- Personal Protective Equipment – Utilizing the right personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential to both protecting your workers and maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness. Depending on your specific environment and applications, PPE can include gloves, boots, aprons, rainwear and more to ensure critical protection against cleaning chemicals and sanitizing solutions. Various water temperatures may be required to achieve the optimal effectiveness of cleaning and sanitizing agents, so appropriate PPE may also be necessary in protecting workers against extreme hot or cold water temperatures throughout the cleaning process.
- Bunzl C-R-S Cleaning System - Our Bunzl Exclusive C-R-S Cleaning System is an inexpensive and portable system that combines cleaning/foaming, rinsing and sanitizing for fast and easy production area cleaning. Click Here to learn more about this comprehensive cleaning system and how it can help to streamline your cleaning routine. It is essential to continually monitor all parts and perform routine checks and maintenance to ensure proper and safe usage throughout your applications.
- Squeegees – Squeegees help to remove water, cleaning agents and debris from floors and other surfaces where they could be a contamination or personal safety hazard. Squeegees are available in a rubber or foam blade option, depending on your specific task. Rubber-bladed squeegees are ideal for heavy-duty performance on smooth surfaces such as floors, glass or stainless steel. These rubber blades typically offer improved chemical resistance to stand up to substances commonly encountered in processing facilities. Foam blades on the other hand are ideal for light-duty cleaning applications on uneven or textured surfaces. These squeegees are built for small liquid absorption and are a great choice for small spills or clean-up involving light moisture. Check out our wide variety of squeegees, each designed for specific surfaces and cleaning tasks for heavy-duty performance in your facility.
- Scrub Brushes – Scrub brushes are an essential tool for any cleaning task, designed to tackle stubborn messes, substances and difficult residues with ease. We are proud to supply a wide variety of brushes for any surface that requires efficient and effective cleaning including walls, ceilings, equipment, counters, bottles, and more! Our vast product selection includes various designs, bristle stiffnesses and handle options to maximize efficiency, as well as ergonomic designs to keep the user comfortable and reduce fatigue. Be sure to check out our color-coded varieties, ideal for facilities with strict color-coding or HACCP plans to reduce cross-contamination hazards.
- Nozzles and Hoses – The right hose and nozzle combination can make all the difference in the timely and complete cleaning of your facility. It is important to select a high-quality hose and nozzle to ensure cleaning solutions and water are delivered with precision. Our selection of nozzles are specially designed to withstand the unique rigors of meat processing environments and various extreme temperatures, with varieties that offer adjustable spray patterns and variable water pressure. Paired with a trusted durable hose, you will enjoy consistent and long-lasting cleaning performance.
Why Hygiene Matters
It is vital to maintain high hygienic standards in your meat processing facility, not only for the safety of the end consumer, but to enhance your operational efficiency and protect the reputation of your brand. Properly cleaned facilities have a lower risk of contamination hazards, see improved personal safety and meet the stringent safety standards of the food processing industry.
It is necessary to invest in the right, high-quality tools to keep your facility clean and sanitized, and Bunzl Processor Division is here to help! Shop our website to find a wide variety of cleaning and hygiene essentials or give our team a call at 800-456-5624 for more information on products and finding the right fit for your specific environment. We are happy to assist in elevating your hygiene protocols!
