more employees who operate equipment that
fills bottles or cans frequently have time to
pick up debris or to hose down spills or other
extraneous matter.
Effective housekeeping in a beverage
plant depends on training and standards
for the development of appropriate
employee working habits. Rigid sanitation
practices and work habits should be culti-
vated through effective communication,
training programs, educational material,
and continuous supervision and instruc-
tion. Employees should be instructed how,
when, and where to clean to immediately
remove soil and debris that can provide
nutrition for pests and microorganisms.
Leaking equipment should be corrected
immediately. If rodents, birds, insects, or
molds are detected, employees should
either perform the necessary corrective
steps or report the problems. Employees
should be instructed regarding proper stor-
age practices so that pest harborages are
not created and proper cleaning can be
accomplished. Further instruction should
be related to closing doors and windows,
removal of infested and extraneous matter,
and proper storage of tools and cleaning
and sanitizing equipment.
The following sanitation rules apply for
beverage plants:
- All employees visiting a lavatory must
wash their hands before returning to
work. - Any spilled materials or products must
not be returned to the production
area. - Waste materials must be placed in con-
tainers (with tight-fitting covers) suit-
able for disposal. - Each employee is required to keep the
immediate work area clean and tidy. - Tobacco use is forbidden, except in des-
ignated areas.
6. Spitting is prohibited anywhere in the
plant.
7. A periodic inspection of clothing, lunch
rooms, and lockers by management
should be conducted to ensure proper
cleanliness.
8. Headgear should be worn at all times.
Cleaning Practices
There are six standard steps for cleaning
(except cleaning-in-place) a beverage plant:- Prerinse to remove large debris and
non-adherent soil, to wet the area to be
cleaned, and to increase the effective-
ness of the cleaning compound. - Apply a cleaning compound (usually
via foam) to provide intimate contact
of water with the soil for removal
through effective wetting and penetrat-
ing properties. - Hand detail and inspect for cleanliness.
- Postrinse for removal of the dispersed
soil and the cleaning compound to
increase the effectiveness of the sani-
tizer. - Sanitize with quaternary ammonium
compounds (with or without acid),
acid-anionic sanitizers, peracetic acid,
chlorine compounds, or iodophors to
destroy residual microorganisms. - Rinse quaternary ammonium sanitizers
(especially if present in more than 200
parts per million [ppm]) before expos-
ing the cleaned area to any beverage
materials.
Inspection of Ingredients and Raw Materials
Because foreign objects and microbial
contamination does occur in both raw mate-
rials and the finished product, they should
be inspected, including rodent and insect
inspection, for foreign matter. Letters of
compliance should be required of suppliers
stating that the material was processed underBeverage Plant Sanitation 351