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Wes Kline and Jennifer Matthews
Now is the time to think about where there are potential sanitation issues on your
farm. At the start of the season all your bins, totes and harvesting tools that come in
contact with the harvestable part of the crop should be washed and sanitized before
using. First, they should be cleaned with detergent and scrubbed then rinsed off
prior to sanitizing. Rinsing is important since some sanitizers will interact with the
soap and that could reduce the efficacy of the sanitizer. Once they are cleaned and
sanitized let them dry then place in a protected area. Train workers on how to decide
whether a container should be cleaned and the process for cleaning and sanitizing.
During the season picking baskets should be checked after each use to see if
cleaning and sanitizing is required. You do not need to do this every day, but when a
sufficient number of containers are dirty, take the time to clean them. We cannot get
rid of risks on farms completely, but this step is essential to reducing risks.
If you use a packing or wash line, it should be cleaned and sanitized at the beginning
of the season and after each use. This could be done at the end of the day or just
before using the next time. There are four steps to cleaning and sanitizing a piece of
equipment.
1. Remove any obvious dirt or debris from the surface.
2. Apply an appropriate detergent and scrub the surface. There are no set
recommendations as to which detergent to use. Scrubbing is important to
remove dirt that sticks to the surface and any biofilms that can have formed.
Biofilms are a community of microorganisms that stick together and form a
protective layer around themselves.
3. Rinse the surface with clean water making sure to remove all the detergent
and soil. If the detergent is not removed, it may react with the sanitizer
making it ineffective.
4. Apply a sanitizer approved for use on a food contact surface. Make sure
to read the label for the concentration and contact time. Each product may
require different contact time from a few seconds to several minutes.
Remember the label is the law so follow what the label requires.
There is a difference between cleaning and sanitizing. Cleaning is the physical
removal of soil from the surface which includes the use of clean water and a
detergent. Sanitizing is the treatment of a cleaned surface to reduce or eliminate
microorganisms. Remember you cannot sanitize a dirty surface! The surface must
be cleaned first!
For more information, please see the links below or visit our website
onfarmfoodsafety.rutgers.edu
Video on cleaning and sanitizing a packing line: Single Line Pass Surface
Sanitation: Deep Clean (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AEp0ipUvSc)
Choosing the correct sanitizers: PSA EPA-Labeled Sanitizers for Produce
(https://resources.producesafetyalliance.cornell.edu/sanitizer/)
Correct dosage rates for sanitizers: Sanitizer Dose Calculator
(https://ageng.w3.uvm.edu/sanitizer/index.html)