For food companies, cleaning plans are essential. A good cleaning plan can effectively control the cleaning and disinfection process as well 

as inspection and monitoring. Let's talk about this in this passage.

A complete cleaning plan should include the following items for each tool, equipment and facility that needs to be cleaned and disinfected:

• Area
• Frequency
• Cleaning tools
• Cleaning disinfectants
• Cleaning and disinfection methods
• Inspection content and standards
• Verification content and standards
• Executors, principal, inspectors, etc.

The steps for formulating a cleaning plan can be roughly divided into the following steps:

1. Statistics of areas, equipments and facilities, and tools

The statistics of equipment and facilities and tools can be improved on the basis of the equipment and facilities list. According to the 

processing process, the equipment and facilities, tools (turnover baskets, etc.), operating tables, floors, gutters, window sills, etc. involved in

each area are counted step by step to form a statistical table similar to the figure below.

It should be noted that the equipments and facilities involved are not only the cleaning and disinfection of the equipment surface, but also 

the internal equipment and some supporting drains, drainage pipes, etc. need to be paid attention to.

Area	Item	Area	Item	Area	Item	Area	Item
Batching room	Work clothes	Processing area	Gloves	Inner packaging area	Work clothes	-External packaging area	Delivery port
	Gloves		Cleaning towels		Gloves		Operating table
	Cleaning towels		Work shoes		Cleaning towels		Tool
	Work shoes		Plastic baskets		Work shoes		Floor
	Plastic baskets		Transfer port		Operating table		Drainage ditch
	Transfer port		Processing equipment		Plastic basket		Window/screen
	Electronic scale		Operating table		Transfer port		Metal detector
	Floor		Plastic buckets		Packaging machine		and more......
	Ditches		Knives		Tool
	Windows/screens		Floor		Electronic scale
	and more ......		Ditches		Floor
	and more ......		Windows/screens		Drainage ditch
			and more......		Window/screen
			and more......		and more.....

2. Clarify the required cleaning and disinfecting agents, cleaning tools and methods
According to the statistical table of cleaning and disinfecting equipment and equipment facilities required for each area listed in the first step, list the corresponding cleaning tools, cleaning agents, disinfectants and cleaning and disinfection methods.

3. Confirm the cleaning frequency, inspection and verification content and corresponding standards
Based on the second step, the quality control personnel will improve the corresponding cleaning frequency, inspection and verification content and corresponding standards according to the requirements of the equipment and facilities of each area and tools (such as whether they are in direct contact with the product, etc.).

4. Clarify the executor, person in charge and inspector
List the personnel who implement the cleaning plan, the person in charge of the area and the corresponding inspectors in the cleaning plan so that the relevant personnel can clarify their responsibilities and better play the role of supervision and supervision.

5. Review and approval
Before the finalization of the cleaning plan, it is best to confirm it with the production supervisor and quality control before submitting it to the quality manager for review and approval.

Several important tasks

After formulating the cleaning plan, there are several very important tasks that we should not forget.

First, make the cleaning plan into a billboard so that employees can view it at any time. By the way, the billboard should be enlarged and properly waterproofed before being put on the wall. It is not advisable to simply print it on A4 paper and put it directly on the wall, which often does not work. The cleaning plan can be divided into various equipment, facilities and tools in each specific operation area, and put on the wall in the form of a work instruction book with pictures and texts.

Second, design a record suitable for filling in. The record suitable for filling in here refers to the consideration of the record format and some warning information, such as which content of the cleaning plan needs to be put in the record and which is not suitable.
Third, the training of relevant personnel. We should arrange training in different places according to different work contents. For example, the on-site executive personnel can be arranged to directly conduct relevant cleaning and disinfection operation training in the workshop, including the configuration, process, frequency, and record of disinfectant.

Appendix: Cleaning and disinfection methods and precautions for some common tools, equipment and facilities
01-Cutting board:
Depending on the different processed products, choose the cleaning method for tools that directly contact the products for cleaning and disinfection. After cleaning and disinfection, the surface of the cutting board is free of grease and product debris.

For greasy products, it is advisable to ensure that the cutting board used is scraped and washed once a day with special stainless steel hanging strips and other tools. The purpose is to scrape off the grease on the surface of the cutting board and the aging part of the board itself, so that it has the original color of the cutting board, and prevent the phenomenon of falling off due to long-term use and steaming, which becomes a hidden danger of foreign matter mixing;

For non-greasy products, the cleaning frequency can be appropriately increased, such as scraping and washing once a week.

02-Knife
For non-greasy products, follow the cleaning method for tools that directly contact the products. After cleaning, the knives are free of product debris and grease;

For greasy products, two sets of knives are required. The knives are soaked in hot water for 15 minutes after each use and cooled before use.

03-Plastic pallet
According to the cleaning method of tools that directly contact the product, the pallet after cleaning should be free of product debris, grease, foreign matter and impurities.

04-Foam pallet, gasket
Visual inspection (foreign matter, quality) - 30ppm disinfectant disinfection for 1 minute/15 minutes change once - running water cleaning - water control for standby; reusable pallets should be operated according to the cleaning method of tools that directly contact the product (six-step method).

05-Electronic scale
The scale pan should be cleaned and disinfected according to the oily condition of the processed product. The cleaning and disinfection steps for other parts are: wipe with a wet towel containing 100ppm disinfectant - spray the surface with 75% alcohol - wipe off the attached water droplets with a wet towel containing 100ppm disinfectant.
(Note: The water remaining on the scale surface will cause damage to the electronic scale due to moisture)
The surface and chassis of the electronic scale after cleaning should be clean without product debris and dirt in the gaps.

06-Packaging machine
The packaging machine must be cleaned and disinfected before and after use. The specific method is: use a towel disinfected in 200ppm disinfectant to carefully wipe all parts of the packaging machine that contact the product; the requirement is that the surface of the packaging machine is free of product debris, grease, water and other dirt.

07-Work clothes and hats
Put the work clothes in batches into a pool of prepared laundry detergent and soak for 20 minutes, and change the laundry detergent for each batch of work clothes.

-Put the soaked work clothes into the washing machine for washing for 30 minutes (which can be extended or shortened depending on the degree of cleanliness)

-Rinse the washed work clothes

-Put them in the dehydrator for dehydration

-After dehydration, the laundry staff puts the work clothes in the dryer for drying until they are dry and neat

-After drying, the work clothes are temporarily stored in the storage room

-Hanging: Before production every day, the laundry staff transports them to the secondary dressing room of each workshop in a clean and closed plastic bucket

-Turn on the ozone generator or sterilization lamp for ozone sterilization of the hung work clothes and hats for more than 30 minutes

08-Transport vehicle
Rinse the vehicle with a water pipe to remove residues - spray the vehicle compartment with cleaning liquid and keep it in contact for more than 5 minutes - 4.2.4 Rinse: Rinse the surface of the vehicle that contacts the cleaning liquid with a water pipe to remove the residue of the cleaning liquid - spray the surface of the compartment with 600±50PPM chlorine-containing disinfectant or 40-50PPM chlorine dioxide disinfectant for disinfection - flush all disinfectant residues on the disinfected surface with a water pipe.

09-Turnover basket

Rinse and scrub the inside and outside of the basket with a high-pressure cleaner and a brush. It is required that there is no dirt or foreign matter attached to the edges, corners and bottom of the basket.

10-Operating table
Scrape off impurities on the table - high-pressure water cleaning - detergent cleaning - clean water cleaning - 100ppm disinfectant disinfection - wipe dry with a wiper or towel for use. The cleaning of the operating table should be carried out from top to bottom. It is required that there are no product debris and grease on the table top, the back of the table, the pillars, and the horizontal railing under the table, and there is no water accumulation on the table top.

11-Wall
The cleaning procedure is: high pressure cleaning machine with detergent scrubbing - rinse with water - disinfect with 200ppm disinfectant; spray the moldy parts with 75% alcohol.

12-Floor
The cleaning procedure is: sweeping - high pressure cleaning machine cleaning - rinse with water - vacuum cleaner water absorption - 200ppm disinfectant disinfection

13-Ditch
The cleaning method is the same as (floor). The specific method is to open the stainless steel fence, use high pressure water to rinse off the product debris on the fence, and use a brush with detergent to carefully scrub it clean; the requirement is that there is no product debris and grease on the ditch and stainless steel fence; in the mosquito season, after work every day, cover with plastic sheets to prevent insects from entering.

Note: The cleaning methods of different product tools will be different. This is for reference only (this part comes from the Internet)

For more information about cleaning and hygiene in food factories, please communicate with us!



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