Cleaning of premise

Cleanliness of premise is a basic requirement in food business.  A clean premise will avoid pest contamination on the premise, food contact surfaces and the food product, which would help to increase the confident of customers against the company and the products.  

Business owners should maintain the cleanliness and  tidiness of premise.  Avoid the accumulations of boxes, tin, empty bottles, rubbish or any other stuff which is not related to food processing to prevent the entrance and harbourage of pest. 

Cleaning should be done at least once a day.  Facilities and equipment are the 2 areas we should focus on.  Facilities are Wall, floor, internal ceiling, lights, door, ventilators, rooms and so on whereas equipment are like baskets, cooking apparatus, knife, thermometers, chopping board.  Each item have different cleaning method.  Generally, cleaning and sanitation steps includes the removing of dirts, washing (with detergent), rinsing, sanitize and drying.  

Equipment should be frequently check its functionality.  Broken facilities should be replaced.  Torn / broken equipment might have small particles or corrosion removed and contaminate food while using.  

Cleaning agents, tools and disinfectant should be adequate to ensure proper cleaning on equipment. Business owners should record the cleaning agent's specification and usage , and obtain Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) from supplier.  All cleaning agent should be labelled and should be stored at a place where it is away from food processing.           

Every washing and sanitation activity should be checked, recorded and documented.  So that it helps to verify the cleaning activity.