Instore - December 2018 - 36

FOOD SAFETY

design today will leave a long-term legacy
for the plant. However, it's not just about the
equipment, the infrastructure and layout of
the facility matter as well. We not only need
to make sure that the equipment performs
well but that the infrastructure is constructed with sound hygienic principles. This will
allow for the ability to clean and maintain
them effectively and efficiently over the
course of their lifetime."

Producers should know how to improve sanitation within existing parameters. Photo: Intralox

zones from raw product spill into high-hygiene areas or even when condensation and
dripping water is recognized during food
production."
When it comes to sanitary design, it's important to identify places bacteria can harbor.
"If you can't reach it, you can't clean it," says
Bill Kehrli, vice president, sales and marketing, Cavanna Packaging Group. "You want to
eliminate nooks and crannies, flat surfaces,
closed channels and have no frame-againstframe."
Niche points, joints and connection points
where food and moisture can accumulate
in the manufacturing process are pathogen
and micro-organism collection points. While
manufacturers design new models with
hygienic principles in mind, legacy equipment remains a hurdle for many. Having the
means to replace legacy machines does not
fit into the planning of many companies.
Even if OEMs continue to market it, eventually a company will need a new model with
sanitary design, Kehrli explained.
"Everyone wants new equipment, but manufacturers must also deal with legacy plant
designs," Kehrli says. "The process of sanitary design is always better when you're
able to start with plant engineering for plant
layout and/or equipment selection."
Learning how to improve sanitation within
existing parameters is something Commercial Food Sanitation (CFS), an Intralox
company, knows well. The New Orleans-

36 * DECEMBER 2018 * commissary INSIDER

based provider offers cross-industry Hygienic Design Training classes integrating
infrastructure, hygienic design and designit-yourself using guidelines from GMA, AMI
and EHEDG.
Participants in CFS Hygienic Design Training spend most of their time outside the
classroom engaging in hands-on workshops
designed not only to make learning more
fun but more importantly to ensure that they
leave the training with real-world applications and the ability to share their learnings
when they return to their facility.

Education's role
Ongoing education helps dispel the myths of
sanitary design. In most cases, it's not just
the use of materials like stainless steel but
the way the spouts, nozzles, hoses, clamps,
frames and enclosures are designed, says
Lance Aasness, executive vice president
of Hinds-Bock in Bothell, Washington. Hygienic design should include round smooth
edges, full-washdown capability, properly
enclosed areas with high exposure to food,
modern crimped high-temperature hoses
and the fewest possible number of parts to
clean and maintain.
"We want to teach them to see the big picture," says Anthony Saitta, food safety specialist, Commercial Food Sanitation. "When
we look specifically at equipment, it is important to remember that each piece of machinery will be in food production for many
years to come. The decisions we make on its

This includes splash zones. Product lodged
into areas can cause serious contamination
issues, making it necessary to minimize
flat surfaces and concave material connection points. Hinds-Bock, a manufacturer
of food and bakery equipment, focuses on
creating models with fewer parts to clean
and hinged front-cover plates for rapid
sanitation swab testing. The company's
Servo Pump Fillers offer CIP with hinged
front cover plates, minimal flat surfaces
using slope-top covers, wire looms that
separate all wiring, and airlines for quick
and easy sanitation. Tubular frames allow
wash-through to reach all parts of the filler, and a tilt hopper to quickly access the
product ports.
A CIP system should be fully regulated and
validated to prove that a complete and consistent cleaning process is occurring internally, Weiland says. Staff must be able to validate and monitor in real time the flow rates,
contact times, temperatures and chemical
concentrations. Regular and routine microbial testing of any system, including CIPs,
demonstrates a hygienic condition exists at
all times/phases of food production.
Successful sanitary design also means involving the right people all along the process, including the OEM, developer and
technician, food safety, sanitation and maintenance at the design stage. This collaboration is a chance to brainstorm early and
change things on the front end, thus minimizing modification costs at a later stage of
the project.
"The only way hygienic principles can apply
is through people," Saitta says. "Engagement
and collaboration are the biggest factors
and that requires morale and support; where
leadership provides this support, building
hygienic design into the motto of the company and passing the message to others within
the plant hierarchy. Staff deserve support in
making the job of sanitation easier."

Instore - December 2018

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