39.1 Introduction
Tracing of base materials is an important safety factor in modern food production.
With a fast growing network of suppliers, on a global base, it becomes
increasingly important to know who the producer of a raw material is, how it is
produced and that the supplier complies with the users' quality and safety
standards. In the case of any problem or question, the manufacturer of foodstuffs
should be able to trace any raw material used in a preparation back to its sources.
This requirement is easy to understand and logical ± but what does traceability
mean regarding cleaners and disinfectants? Of course, they are absolutely not
allowed to become an ingredient in a food product but they play a very important
role in food production! Without a strict hygiene regime there is no quality
production of food. A poor quality or wrong composition, or expired shelf-life,
can have an adverse effect on hygiene quality ± in the worst case an unsuitable
product could leave tainting substances in production equipment with a negative
impact on the food quality. But this is only one aspect with such products. Proper
labelling with the product name, main ingredients, manufacturer information and
batch codingwill deal with that regard. Nowadays cleaners and disinfectants are
not sold without safety data sheets that give even more detailed information not
only about safe handling, but also about the composition of the products.
39.1.1 Manufacturers' responsibilities in tracing cleaners and
disinfectants back to their origins
Manufacturers of cleaners and disinfectants are responsible for the constant quality
of their products. They must know the requirements of their customers and select
39 Traceability of cleaningagentsand disinfectants
D. Rosner, Ecolab GmbH & Co., Germany