Cleaning Process and Chemicals
Hi, I am new to this industry but my company is looking to achieve BRC certification for food packaging. We make plastic trays using thermoforming machines. The machines and the packing tables, including food contact surfaces are currently being cleaned by wiping them with a clean cloth and methanol. What would be a better solution for cleaning, especially the parts that would be in contact with the packaging? Are there particular chemicals or products that I should look at? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
From what I would understand, you are looking for a surface sanitizer to clean and disinfect. I would suggest you contact your local suppliers for sanitizing products, as they would see which surface you would try to clean/disinfect whether stainless steel or other surface, without damaging your equipment.
The use of methanol to disinfect is highly questionable, as it has the weakest bacterial efficacy. Secondly, please check the link below:
https://www.cdc.gov/... visual failure.
It will give an idea on the H&S of methanol usage on the long run.
You can query for any QAC based sanitizer, or any sanitizers recommended by your local suppliers. If you are looking for BRC certification, I would recommend that you query the latter for any documentation showing that the supplied sanitizers are suitable for use in the food industry.
Ethanol is a better option, but you may need a license to get it
If you're in Ontario I have a recommendation of a vendor (but you need more messages posted to qualify for PMs on here)
Less expensive is either PAA (peroxyacetic acid-based sanitizer/disinfectant), but you should be using a cleaner first
If the goal is to avoid water - something like Alpet D2.
Hi, I am new to this industry but my company is looking to achieve BRC certification for food packaging. We make plastic trays using thermoforming machines. The machines and the packing tables, including food contact surfaces are currently being cleaned by wiping them with a clean cloth and methanol. What would be a better solution for cleaning, especially the parts that would be in contact with the packaging? Are there particular chemicals or products that I should look at? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
If you can provide more details of the contact surface, then it will be easier to provide some recommendations. Because all sanitizer have different chemical properties such oxidizers, corrosivity, and some leaves stains, some reacts with the surface so the risk of damaging your machinery is higher without knowing what you are going to use.
Additionally, what is the goal (what do you want to get rid of, Bacteria, virus, fungi? Lastly, it is important to know if you have any environmental monitoring program in place? because you can test various chemicals in small quantities and see the effectiveness both from food safety aspects, environmental issues and economic issues.
Sayed M Naim Khalid
FSQA Professional