of the vending machinesevery timetheyare serviced or refilled.The insidesof
vending machines can quickly become a haven for insects including
cockroaches.
7.10 Futuretrends
Theincreased emphasison sanitary design of foodprocessingfacilities and
equipment can be considered a relativelynewphenomenon.Up until10 to 15
yearsago it was normallypracticedby dairy/cheeserelated facilities.We can all
remember seeing pictures of dairies withtile walls, shiny stainless steel
equipment and employees wearingwhiteuniformswithhats overtheirhair.The
foodindustryoutside of dairywasmostly canningand freezing.Meatwas
deliveredin sides or quarters and cut up by the marketor storeon a per order
basis.Over the last few yearsthe worldhas gottenusedto prepackaged foods,
ready-to-eatproducts, and salad bars. Thischangehas addedmany new stresses
to our foodprocessing and distribution systems.Someof thesestresses are:
∑ increased relianceon minimallyprocessedproducts;
∑ emergence of newstrains of foodbornebacteria;
∑ centralized growthof largefooddistributors;
∑ consumerpreferencesfor ready-to-eatfoods;
∑ growing number of peopleat highrisk for severeor fatalfoodborne illness;
∑ allergens.
All thesestresses haveproduced moreand morereliance on and importance of
sanitationand its partner, sanitary design. Food processorsare demanding
processing equipmentthat not onlyis efficientand doeswhatit is supposedto
but is easilyand quicklyaccessibleand cleanablewithout special keysor tools.
The same holdstrue whentheybuildor renovatethe processingfacilityitself.
Theremustbe a minimumnumberof flat areas, niches,roughsurfaces,and
cracksand crevices or other hidingplaces. The processingplantsof the future
will refine these designsevenfurther. Eventoday the term`brightand shiny'is
the keyword for designing even the most common processing facility.
Microorganisms are ubiquitousand are continually changing throughmutation
and adaptation to sanitizers,cleaners, and othermethodsof inactivating them.
The plantsof tomorrow mustexhibit evenmoredynamics of sanitary designin
orderto control the numbers of the mostseriousof the threeHACCP hazards±
microbial contamination. It is safe to say that we probably will nevercompletely
eliminate this hazard but we certainly can control it. Newsurfaces containing
antimicrobialingredientssuchas silverion technology will becomemoreand
morecommonplace.The vendorsare alreadytouting simpler processinglines,
feweroverhead fixtures, and tougher floorsfor moresanitary plants. HVAC
systems are undergoingredesignto make themmoreeffectivein filteringout
organismsthat can contaminatefoodin process.HVACis an important tool in
combating condensationformation in facilities. Condensate is an excellent
Improvingbuildingdesign 145