Having an effective cleaning and sanitising program will help you prevent the growth of pathogens
in your dairy products and minimise the risk of undeclared allergens.
Your site cleaning and sanitising procedure needs to explain how the cleaning takes place
for each product line and for each piece of equipment.
What does it mean when regulations say clean and sanitary conditions?
Well, it will mean that the processes in place to clean the equipment
must be able to demonstrate that the cleaning process can reduce
the number of microorganisms to a level that is acceptable and will not pose a food safety risk.
Your CIP system should be validated by an expert
to ensure that it will be effective during commissioning prior to first production.
As part of this validation, the expert will recommend particular chemicals and settings
to follow and then run trials to test that those recommendations bring in consistent results.
Your procedure should explain all the required steps for performing CIP,
such as who is trained to carry it out,
how often it is required, and any corrective actions required if there are any deviations.
Considerations should be taken into account for specific factors
that would affect the ability to properly clean the system.
These can include, the type of cleaning agent used,
the strength of the cleaning agent, a pH range of the cleaning reagent,
water temperature required, your equipment capability.
dead spots or hang up, and other parameters specific to your product,
such as protein content, fat content, viscosity, pH, sugar content, etc.
Records should be kept for each cleaning cycle,
demonstrating that the cleaning followed is as per your procedure.
A record showing that CIP occurred,
including the specifics such as pH and temperature, should be kept for each cycle.
The record should include verification activities, including visual checks,
chemical concentration, conductivity, pressure, and time.
Each CIP system is different,
so it's important that the record shows what specifications need to be met and whether they have been met.
For COP processes, the same principles apply.
Your cleaning should occur as per the procedure
and records should be kept showing that the procedure was followed
and that cleaning was effective.
Having an unclean environment can enable microbiological hazards
and pests to thrive,
creating a potential contamination risk to your product.
Therefore, your site cleaning procedures should apply to
all areas of your site, not just your food contact areas.
Some areas you may want to consider are waste bins, footbaths
trolleys, drains, sinks, walls, floors, ceilings, staff amenities, storage areas,
and even your cleaning equipment.
If you are following an environmental monitoring program to keep track of your site's cleanliness,
you must also have a documented procedure for this,
which describes what you are testing for, what the acceptable limits are,
where samples are taken from and how often,
who is trained to do this,
and what corrective actions and notifications
are required if you have any failed results.
So take time to plan, review and implement a procedure that is fit for purpose
and delivers the outcome you desire.
Should you have any further questions,
you can always reach out to our free export facilitator service.