Sanitation is one of the main components of food safety. It is a responsibility that foodservice providers should accept for their customers. Good sanitation practices promote the well-being of your workers, equipment, and customers. A good sanitation policy and proper training of the employees are the key factors that are important for implementing effective food safety programs in a company.
In the food manufacturing environment, consistent application of the basic elements of good sanitation practices enhance the food safety programs in a company. Good sanitation practices can be achieved by providing training to a wide base of employees, which also includes personnel outside of the sanitation department.
The basic elements of an effective Sanitation Monitoring Program include:
- Commitment to continuous improvement of sanitation practices.
- Assessment of environmental factors to develop effective sanitation procedures.
- Proper application of daily sanitation procedures.
- Verification of effective sanitation.
Implementing an Effective Sanitation Monitoring Program
The first step to implementing an effective food safety program is having an understanding of the risk factors and the level of cleanliness required to prevent contamination of food, wares, and equipment. How effective a sanitation program is, depends on the people who execute it. This implies that food safety plans should be easy and simple to execute by frontline food employees. The steps to implement an effective sanitation monitoring program include:
- Develop a Cleaning Plan
A highly effective sanitation plan can be put together by working with your sanitation vendor(s) and identifying the potential contamination risks within your facility. When you have identified the risks, you can create a cleaning plan, with a goal of going beyond the conventional cleanliness levels. The plan must outline what to clean, how to clean, when to clean, and who should clean.
- Training is Key to Food Safety
Training and education are key factors responsible for the success of any food sanitation program. An effective training program must provide employees with an understanding of the importance of thorough cleaning, and how to ensure that their efforts meet the most rigorous of cleanliness standards.
- End-to-End Approach to Cleaning and Sanitation
Food safety needs an end-to-end cleaning and sanitation regimen, which is monitored continually, and where a constant feedback is provided for achieving the overall goals of the program.
The main objective is reaching and maintaining a state of continuous improvement of sanitation practices. Continuous improvement is important to assure effective transfer of knowledge, effective training, and effective sanitation. For more insights on the key elements of effective sanitation monitoring programs, attend this Webinar by expert speaker Natasha Rowley-Phipps, who has had an experience of more than 18 years in food quality, nutrition labeling, manufacturing and research. You will also get practical steps to creating, implementing and monitoring of the sanitation monitoring programs.
