Growers commonly refer to cleaning things, including surfaces, tanks, tables, containers, and cutting tools. Despite the common reference, the process is commonly misunderstood, and the word is often misused. Effective surface cleaning with water is a multi-step process that combines scrubbing and detergent to dissolve dirt and microbes and then rinse them with clean water. For busy farmers, simply rinsing or dry cleaning may be more realistic, and may also reduce risk, although less effectively. And whatever the method, careful visual pre-inspection will increase its effectiveness.
Authors: Hans Estrin and Vern Grubinger, UVM Extension
This work is supported by the Food Safety Outreach Program Name, project award no. 2023-70020-40688, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.
Design Goals
- All contact surfaces for raw-eaten produce are at least visibly clean and ideally dry before use (harvest blades, bins, tanks, tables).
- Clean containers are easily distinguished from dirty (e.g. dirty bins face up, clean bins face down to drain and dry)
- The difference between “thorough” and “quick” cleaning are technically and functionally understood by all farm workers.
- Farm workers are aware of all contact surfaces to clean, and they clean them frequently enough or as needed to achieve “the pre-use visibly clean” standard.
- Pack out containers for raw eaten produced are cleaned most thoroughly, with detergent, scrub. and rinse before each use (like kitchen dishes)
- Sanitization of surfaces to maximize risk mitigation, when done, is done on only visibly clean surfaces, after cleaning.
- Adjacent non-contact surfaces (e.g. bin exterior, sink backsplash) are cleaned frequently enough (albeit less frequent) to minimize cross contamination of contact surfaces.
Design Elements
- Contact surface cleaning is scheduled and well-integrated and scheduled into the overall production task flow. The grower decides appropriate cleaning frequency, based on use and direct observation.
- Workers are trained on all relevant aspects and SOPs of surface cleaning (inspection, assessment, as-needed, quick-cleaning, dry-cleaning, rinsing, cleaning and sanitization, drying, bin flow and management logistics).
- The standard shared practices are “owned “ by the farm workers; they make sense, and repetition makes them routine.
- Workers are trained to assess and minimize cross contamination risks caused by cleaning (back-spray, power spray mist, degraded or contaminated cleaning tools and equipment).
- Signs and/or in place graphic or photo SOPs when present, help clarify and remind workers of critical cleaning and management procedures. (e.g. In-place, graphic or photo SOPs, Reminder signs, logs, labeled equipment)
Benefits
- Effective cleaning and drying of produce contact surfaces reduces both human and plant pathogens, decreasing the risk of cross-contamination of produce.
- Completion of simple and effective cleaning routines can increase crew efficiency, morale, retention, as well as opportunities for cleaning crew leaders.
- The organization that results from effective cleaning routines can increase overall production efficiency, and product quality control.