Allergen control - Proper cleaning
Hello,
We continue to improve our Food Safety in our wholesale production bakery. We were discussing proper cleaning in our food safety meeting the other day, and we came up with questions regarding allergen control:
We currently clean all of our tools that are used in allergen production, through the dishwasher machine.
- Can we clean allergen tools in a 3 compartment sink? Would we have to change the hot soap and water and sanitizer after each cleaning and then clean out the sinks with hot soap and water and sanitizer?
- Can we clean these tools through our dishwasher? The dishwasher recycles water, so will this water contaminate other non allergens?
What is the proper way to clean these tools effectively to prevent contamination?
Thanks,
Blake
I'm sorry I can't be helpful on this one, Blake, but had to give you a big thumbs up :thumbup: for your insightful question on this topic.
~Emily~
Hi Blake,
in order to establish the risks involved you need to carry out a risk assessment on the allergens involved, I am assuming you are dealing with Gluten and Milk but possibly others too such as Lupin.
what allergens are contained within your finished product? if the allergen of concern is found within all of your finished products then any controls which you implemented would be negated by the fact that it was an intentional ingredient. As a result the risk would be negligible but would still need to be documented in your risk assessment as such.
Do you produce allergen free products? it is often easier to manage and control these as they are often found to be the minority of products produced, the lesser of two evils so to speak. If this is the case then physical segregation is the key, if you only have time segregation then hygiene is all the more important.
look at your cleaning process and the equipment used. validate you hygiene procedure with dedicated allergen testing. I would recommend using a rapid test kit to test the hygiene process on 3 separate cycles of hygiene and then lab work.
With the recycled water, start with a clean machine and clean water and test each cycle, with a rapid test kit, until you record a fail. Do this 3 times and compare results, if consistent then follow up with lab work and establish your PPM levels. Once this has been established you can review your working practices and make any necessary changes, such as introducing a full hygiene after 10 cycles for instance.
When carrying out your validation work, use your usual hygiene test equipment alongside so as to establish results, ATP swabbing as an example. Dedicated allergen testing is expensive so having a cheaper method available, for day to day use is desirable.
Once your validation is complete and all necessary changes have been made, don't forget to revisit it and verify your cleaning procedures. Many have fallen fowl of this and have been caught out by food safety agencies and customer auditors. Also, if a significant change happens, such as a change in detergent, re-validate your cleaning immediately and include the cost in your chemical change budget.
I hope that I have not ranted on too much lol
Paul
Hi Blake,
The extracts / links below may answer some of yr queries.
(1) Has the kitchen considered allergen contamination? When food equipment, crockery and cutlery is placed in the dishwasher at 82.c, it will remove all allergens. Hot oil does not destroy allergens in the fryer. Some kitchens will use separate areas or equipment for specific foods helping to limit cross contamination.
http://www.allergen-...lergen-control/
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(2) Make sure all pans, dishes, utensils, knives, measuring cups, chopping boards, pots, pans, grills, oven trays and dishes etc are washed in a dishwasher or with detergent at a high temperature to remove all trace allergens.
https://www.allergya...ets-prevent-it/
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(3) 1.0 Cleaning
1.1 All equipment(s) coming into contact with an allergen(s) or a product containing an allergen(s) must be washed and sanitized prior to changing over to another product.
1.2 Rinse and clean allergen-containing containers LAST. Ensure that the dishwasher and 3 compartment sinks are thoroughly cleaned. There should be no allergen residues.
Never reuse allergen-containing containers (e.g. milk crates, cheese buckets) even after cleaning
Allergen Control Program.doc 53.5KB 146 downloads
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(4) Hands, utensils, cutlery and work surfaces should be washed scrupulously after handling foods containing nuts – they should even be wiped/rinsed before they are put in a dishwasher if they are sticky eg peanut butter, mayonnaise, chocolate sauce, creamy puddings
https://www.allergyu...-food-allergies
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(5) Ideally you should use separate equipment, but if not, everything must be clean and recently passed through your dishwasher, adhere to the cleaning schedules detailed in food hygiene training. You may already be using special utensils and equipment such as the Saf-T-Zone Kit. If not this is a specialised set of equipment, that is passed through a dishwasher after each use and is coloured purple to indicate its use for allergens and intolerances. The case keeps the chopping board and the utensils free from contamination between uses.
Allergen Management.pdf 595.28KB 194 downloads
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I would have thought that the logical solution for all exhausted water is to direct it to an out-going floor drain line in a controlled way. Or is this not logistically possible ?
In some of cases above the testing suggestions of previous post might modify the restrictions (eg No.3). -
Thanks for the insightful posts guys. :smile:
Hello everyone
I was wondering if you could help me design my allergen testing program by answering the following questions regarding our Sanitation schedule.
1. Would we be required to conduct an allergen test after each wash
2. Can we test on a monthly basis instead of a daily basis to validate if our cleaning is effective against Allergens
a. We would still be doing ATP swabbing on a daily basis
Wash
Group
FDA TOP 8 ALLERGENS
Preservatives that must be declared on the label
Fish
Crustacean Shellfish
Wheat
Soy
Egg
Milk
Peanuts
Tree Nuts
Sulfites
1
A
X
2
B
X
X
X
3
C
X
X
4
D1
X
D2
X
5
E1
X
X
X
X
X
Hi FS 101,
Suggest to upload yr files. Semi-incomprehensible.
generic answers (standard unknown) -
1- probably yes
2 - probably no