Topic of the Month: SANITIZING FOOD CONTACT SURFACES

Topic of the Month: SANITIZING FOOD CONTACT SURFACES WHAT IS Walk The Talk? Four short food safety training activities - one for each week - to help train your frontline employees. WHAT YOU GET Four short, interactive activities (approximately 10 minutes each) -- demonstrations, practice and discussions Handout: recap of key points Short quiz Attendance roster WHAT YOU NEED - TRAINING RESOURCES T.O.P.S. instruction card from T.O.P.S. module Cleaning & Sanitizing item # 5013 (English / Spanish), #5013F (English / French) HOW TO USE Walk The Talk Use for groups or "one-on-one" training. Use one activity per week or combine two or more activities. Keep a training record on file (training topic, date, attendees) or use the attached sample tracking sheet. Use this material for future training. File it in a 3-ring binder or keep it in your T.O.P.S. Learning Box for easy reference. Sodexo All rights reserved. page 1 No. 12 Source: Food Safety Information Services

EXPLAIN: Any surface that comes in contact with food must be first cleaned and then sanitized. Without this important step in our food safety program, food can easily become contaminated. REVIEW: The difference between cleaning and sanitizing, how to prepare and check sanitizing solutions, and how to correctly sanitize food contact surfaces. TRY THESE ACTIVITIES - ONE EACH WEEK OR COMBINE TWO OR MORE: RTY ACTIVITY 1 Ask employees to describe the difference between food and non-food contact surfaces and why it s important to know the distinction. Then ask them to explain the difference between cleaning and sanitizing. Finally, ask them how often food contact surfaces must be sanitized. Answer key: A food contact surface is any surface that comes in contact with food, i.e., utensils, equipment, cutting boards, prep tables, etc. Review the T.O.P.S. instruction card Food Contact Surfaces and review non-food contact surfaces to ensure full understanding of the difference. Food contact surfaces must first be washed and rinsed, and then sanitized. Non-food contact surfaces do not have to be sanitized after the cleaning and rinsing steps. Cleaning means removing food and other types of soil from a surface. Sanitizing means reducing the number of harmful microorganisms on that surface to a safe level. When to sanitize: Clean, rinse and sanitize after each use, when beginning to work with a different type of food, when interrupted or when equipment you have been working with may have become contaminated. ACTIVITY 2 ACTIVITY 3 Ask employees to identify the proper strength of either Mikroklene or Oasis 146 (U.S. operations), Oasis 144 (Canadian operations) by selecting one of three prepared sanitizing solutions (from concentrations that are (1) too weak, (2) accurate and (3) too strong). Answer key: Review the required concentration of the approved sanitizer (choose the type used in your operation): Mikroklene 12.5 to 25 ppm for pot sink, 25 ppm for spray bottles, solution for storing wiping cloths, dispensing equipment; Oasis 146 150 to 400 ppm (U.S.), Oasis 144 200 ppm (Canada) for both immersion and spray. Remind employees that it s important to test the concentration, not just guess by looking at the color. (This leads to the next activity.) Ask one or more volunteer(s) to prepare a sanitizing solution and to demonstrate how to check the concentration (with test strips) and record on the Sanitizer Solution log. (Can combine activity 2 and 3.) Answer key: Remind employees that sanitizing solutions must be at the correct temperature to be effective -- at least 75ºF (24ºC), but no more than 115ºF (46ºC) for Mikroklene, Oasis 146 (U.S.) and Oasis 144 (Canada). Solution may evaporate at temperature that is too high. A solution that is too strong can become unsafe or may stain walls and equipment or corrode metals. ACTIVITY 4 Ask one or more volunteer(s) to demonstrate (or describe) how to sanitize food contact surfaces, using a spray bottle and / or a bucket filled with the solution. Ask employees to describe when to change the solution. Answer key: Spray bottles and buckets must be clearly labeled. Always wash and rinse first, then sanitize. After washing surfaces, rinse cloth thoroughly in clear water to remove any cleaning chemical residue. Then wipe washed surfaces with the clean cloth. Replace cloth when it becomes soiled. Then sanitize (using spray bottle or bucket with clean cloth) and let solution stand for one minute. Allow to air-dry. Change the solution when it is visibly dirty or the concentration has dropped below the required level. Keep wiping cloths stored in sanitizing solution. Remind employees: Always use a separate cloth for cleaning surfaces that have come in contact with raw animal foods. Follow up after training: What has been learned? Observe and provide feedback. Sodexo All rights reserved. page 2 No. 12 Source: Food Safety Information Services

WHAT IS IT? Food contact surface Cleaning Rinsing Sanitizing Any surface or utensil that normally touches food. Removing food or other types of soil from a surface. Removing cleaning solution residue from a cleaned surface. Reducing the number of microorganisms on a surface to safe levels. PREPARING THE SANITIZING SOLUTION Prepare the proper concentration (measured in parts per million or ppm): Pot sink Mikroklene: 12.5 to 25 ppm; Oasis 146: 150 to 400 ppm (U.S. operations), Oasis 144: 200 ppm (Canadian operations) Spray bottles, solution for storing wiping cloths, dispensing equipment Mikroklene: 25 ppm, Oasis 146: 150-400 ppm (U.S. operations), Oasis 144: 200 ppm (Canadian operations) Make sure the temperature is right: At least 75ºF (24ºC), but no more than 115ºF (46ºC) Place prepared solution in designated, clearly labeled spray bottles or into buckets used only for sanitizing. TESTING THE SANITIZING SOLUTION Test solution (from bulk supply) at least twice each day. Use the correct test strips. Don t guess by just looking at the color. Record on Sanitizer Solution log. SANITIZING FOOD CONTACT SURFACES First clean and rinse and then sanitize food contact surfaces: after each use when you begin working with a different type of food when you are interrupted during a task when the equipment you have worked with may have become contaminated After washing the surfaces: rinse cloth thoroughly in clear water to remove cleaning chemical residue; then wipe washed surfaces with the clean cloth. Then sanitize the cleaned surfaces: spray or wipe with sanitizing solution let stand for one minute and allow to air-dry Change the solution when it is dirty or it no longer has the proper concentration. Keep wiping cloths stored in sanitizing solution between use. Replace cloths that have become soiled. Sodexo All rights reserved. page 3 No. 12 Source: Food Safety Information Services

SHORT QUIZ Circle either True or False 1. True False It is not necessary to check our sanitizing solution with test strips. We know from experience what the color of the solution should look like. 2. True False Floors, walls and the outside of refrigerators and freezers don t need to be sanitized. 3. True False A food contact surface must always be sanitized again before we begin using it for a different food. 4. True False The correct way to sanitize a work table is to clean, sanitize and wipe dry. 5. True False Just because the sanitizing solution has some pieces of food in it doesn t mean we have to discard it. If we add a little more Mikroklene (or Oasis 146 [U.S. operations] and Oasis 144 [Canadian operations]), it should last until the end of our shift. Sodexo All rights reserved. page 4 No. 12 Source: Food Safety Information Services

SHORT QUIZ -- ANSWER SHEET Circle either True or False 1. True False It is not necessary to check our sanitizing solution with test strips. We know from experience what the color of the solution should look like. False The strength of the sanitizing solution must always be tested with a test strip to make sure the solution is both effective and safe. Remember, a solution that is too weak won t properly sanitize the food contact surface. A solution that is too strong can be unsafe or may stain walls and equipment or corrode metals. 2. True False Floors, walls and the outside of refrigerators and freezers don t need to be sanitized. True Only those surfaces that come in contact with food have to be sanitized after cleaning. 3. True False A food contact surface must always be sanitized again before we begin using it for a different food. True This is an important step for preventing cross-contamination. For example, a red cutting board must always be cleaned and sanitized between using different types of raw food such as first working with raw chicken, then with raw beef. 4. True False The correct way to sanitize a work table is to clean, sanitize and wipe dry. False After sanitizing we must let the surface air dry. Wiping it dry may re-contaminate the surface. Remember also that the sanitizing solution must make contact with the surface for a specified time (one minute) so that the microorganisms are reduced to a safe level. 5. True False Just because the sanitizing solution has some pieces of food in it doesn t mean we have to discard it. If we add a little more Mikroklene (or Oasis 144 [U.S. operations] and Oasis 144 [Canadian operations]), it should last until the end of our shift. False If the solution has become dirty with food particles or other soil, it will lose its effectiveness. That is also true if the surface has not been rinsed sufficiently after cleaning since cleaning chemical residue can also deplete the sanitizer. And remember, a solution that is too strong can be unsafe or may stain walls and equipment or corrode metals. Sodexo All rights reserved. page 5 No. 12 Source: Food Safety Information Services