According to Graham (1992), program
planning should involve:
- Preventive measures to reduce food
spoilage and growth of potential
microbial contaminants that can be
extremely costly to a firm - Employee input, especially that of pro-
duction supervisors and line workers - Quality assurance (QA) personnel to
identify areas that require attention or
improvement and have knowledge of
current technical developments in sani-
tation and control of microbial growth - Plant engineering evaluation of equip-
ment and layouts, as required equip-
ment must be maintained for effective
sanitation - Purchasing department input to reduce
expenditures for equipment and sup-
plies - Delegation of sanitation responsibility
to a trained sanitation manager who
reports directly to the plant manager
and has authority and accountability to
make the program work
A complete sanitation program should
incorporate a Hazard Analysis Critical Con-
trol Point (HACCP) program. Good Manu-
facturing Practices (GMPs) devised by the
FDA are a driving force for sanitary pro-
gram design and hygienic operations
because the primary objective of these prac-
tices is the prevention of adulteration (con-
tamination).
The food industry should consider soft-
ware-based sanitation scheduling. More
regulatory requirements and additional
emphasis on sanitation have complicated the
management of sanitation data using a
paper-based system. Comprehensive food
sanitation management software, including
HACCP program requirements, to replace
the manual process is available. Such soft-
ware can document corrective actions for
CCP’s, tracking of third-party audits, clean-
ing supplies, and inventory (Anon., 2004c).Program Follow-Through
Effective management means that everyone
involved with sanitation works as a team to
share problems, solutions, and knowledge. A
successful sanitation program that has been
developed and implemented must be regularly
checked through monitoring and recording
results. Another effective check is through an
outside sanitation audit. Trained auditors
with valuable experience provide a fresh per-
spective (Graham, 1992) and new ideas. An
inside audit by the sanitation manager or gen-
eral manager should also be conducted peri-
odically. Detailed deficiency lists should be
maintained, and action should be taken to
correct the problems noted on the list.
Sanitation is more than cleaning. It
includes the documentation of scheduled
tasks, employee training, inspection, and
corrective actions. Comprehensive sanitation
scheduling identifies tasks and how to and
how frequent they are to be performed, per-
sonnel requirements, necessary follow-up.
Daniel-Sewell (2004) suggested that sanita-
tion tasks fall in three categories; the master
schedule, shift sheets, and housekeeping
tasks. The master schedule normally includes
the SSOPs for cleaning that typically occurs
before and after production and longer term
tasks such as overhead fixtures. Shift sheets
outline tasks assigned to specific staffers to
perform during the shift. Housekeeping
tasks are those not directly associated with
production and may include offices and wel-
fare facilities.Employee selection
Employees who handle food should be
carefully selected to be free of infectious dis-
eases. They should have a personal hygienic