Queen City Acres Washline SOP

Summary

Overview of our CAPS washline SOP for leafy greens and root vegetables.

Steps

1. Wash station worker washes and sanitizes their hands
2. The greens dunk tank and bubbler are inspected for standing water, organic material, and dirt
3. Inside of the tank is sprayed with a dilute bleach solution in 3 revolutions: once around the top 1/3, once around the middle 1/3, and once around the bottom 1/3 and bottom of tank
4. PVC components of the bubbler are installed. We left several joints un-sealed so they system can be taken apart and cleaned after use.
5. Dunk tank is filled
6. Leafy greens crop is brought to the wash area in a Rubbermaid tote
7. First rinse is performed by filling the tote with cold water
8. All greens of same type are transferred to the dunk tank. Bubbler turned on for 1-2 minutes.
9. Greens are collected from the dunk tank into polypro laundry bags and hung above the dunk tank so that the heaviest water flows out (The Greens machine couldn't handle very heavy wet leaves and the motor would get too hot). A short hang dry solved that pr
10. Greens dumped into Spinner that has been previously sprayed clean and then with dilute bleach solution
11. Greens transferred onto drying table - also sprayed clean prior. Allowed to dry as needed depending on humidity levels
12. Transferred to clean totes and brought to cold storage
13. We use the turbidity of the water and time to determine the change. The PVC tubing for the bubbler at the bottom of the tank is a good indicator, if we can't see it, it's time to change the water.
14. If there will be more than 30 minutes until the next wash occurs, we will drain the water. This is rare, we aim to have all product ready to clean in one uninterrupted session.