WHAT IS GOOD HOUSEKEEPING?
Housekeeping is the practice of ‘cleaning as you go’. Continually cleaning up is the best way of reducing the likelihood of contamination. Good housekeeping means we remove fat, meat scraps and blood from the work area and amenities on a regular basis. Fat, meat and blood are a food supply for the bacteria. Fat and meat scraps should be put in the correct tubs and chutes.
Inedible product must be kept separate from edible product and is usually stored in red tubs.
Edible trimmings and off-cuts are stored in white tubs in boning rooms and on slaughter floors. These tubs must be kept on stands off the floor to minimise the possibility of accidental contamination.
WHAT IS CLEANING?
The basic aim of cleaning is to remove material that is harmful to the product, unsightly or likely to provide food for bacteria.
WHAT IS SANITISING?
After cleaning plant and equipment thoroughly it has to be sanitised. Sanitisers are used to destroy micro-organisms like bacteria and moulds. We use two types of sanitisers in abattoirs:
- hot water at 82oC or more
- chemicals which are applied as foams or sprays.
WHY DO WE CLEAN ABATTOIRS AND BONING ROOMS?
The main reasons we clean are:
- to minimise the risk of food poisoning
- to meet government regulatory requirements
- to improve the work environment
- to produce a good quality product