Principles of Food Sanitation

Recommended Sanitary Work Habits

Sanitary workers should follow these gen-
eral practices:

1. Store personal equipment (lunch,
   clothing, etc.) in a sanitary place and
   always keep storage lockers clean.


2. Wash and sanitize utensils frequently
   throughout the production shift and
   store them in a sanitary container that
   will not be in contract with floors,
   clothing, lockers, or pockets.


3. Do not allow the product to contract
   surfaces not sanitized for meat and
   poultry handling. If any particle con-
   tacts the floor or other unclean sur-
   face, it should be thoroughly washed.


4. Use only disposable towels to wipe
   hands or utensils.


5. Wear only clean clothing when enter-
   ing production areas.


6. Cover the hair to prevent product con-
   tamination from falling hair.


7. Remove aprons, frocks, gloves, or other
   clothing items before entering toilets.


8. Always wash and sanitize hands when
   leaving the toilet area.


9. Stay away from production areas
   when a communicable disease, infected
   wound, cold, sore throat, or skin
   disease exists.


10. Do not use tobacco in any production
    area.

HACCP

HACCP is regulated through the Food
Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. (Additional dis-
cussion of HACCP, including implementa-
tion of this concept, is included in Chapters
1, 7, 18, and 22). HACCP does not necessar-
ily include major investments or expensive

microbial or other techniques. An example

would be control options for the pasteuriza-

tion step in pork or turkey ham processing.

Design, maintenance, and process control

are successful and relatively inexpensive.

An example of HACCP in a meat or poul-

try operation is the development of a flow

chart of a meat and poultry production line.

The flow pattern is a long sequence of

events, with steps that are difficult or impos-

sible to control. Many relevant factors

related to hazards of each step can be identi-

fied and critical control points determined.

Livestock and Poultry Production

Animals can be produced in a specific

pathogen-free (SPF) environment. Contami-

nation can also be reduced through adminis-

tration of bacterial cultures that exclude

pathogens from the gut flora by competition.

The farm environment (its pastures, steams,

manure, etc.) contributes to the recycling of

excretion, and reinfection. Sanitation prac-

tices must be established to improve hygiene

in this portion of the flow chart.

Transportation

The stressful conditions of live animal

transportation may cause pathogen carriers

to spread these microorganisms. The chal-

lenge is to incorporate sanitary practices

during transportation to reduce contamina-

tion in the processing plant.

Lairage

Stress during this phase of the flow chart

can cause changes in the microbial flora

composition of the intestinal tract, with the

emergence and shedding of Salmonella

organisms. Showering of animals can reduce

stress and contamination.

Hide, Pelt, Hair, or Feather Removal

The protective coats of meat animals

can and frequently do contain species of

Meat and Poultry Plant Sanitation 313