Comprehensive training and a culture of understanding and supporting food safety practices are key components of producing safe pet food and snacks. (Source: AIB International)

This article was published in the Pet Food Processing Journal in September 2021. Read it and other articles in this issue in our September digital edition.

Hygiene and disinfection in pet food processing is more important than ever. In the past, the factory was not only shutting down for cleaning, but now regularly scheduled shutdown days for cleaning. Randy Kohal, vice president of food safety and reliability at Nexcor Food Safety Technology, Buford, Georgia, said that the importance of process hygiene and disinfection has increased over the years, from early concerns about dirt and accumulation to a modern understanding of microbial risks.

"Risk reduction is the foundation of hygiene practices, and having scientific understanding and a food safety culture is the key to success," he said. "The benefit from this is that the workforce understands the importance of hygiene, proper food safety, and execution in the most economical way."

Hygiene is one of the most important pillars of food safety. Joe Stout, the founder of Commercial Food Sanitation (CFS) in New Orleans, Louisiana, points out that without proper sanitation and disinfection, there is no safe food production environment.  

"If we don't start production from a clean factory, all other plans and practices are not enough to avoid product risks," he said. "They are critical to the success of other sectors within the food manufacturing facility, and most important to consumers."

This commitment to hygiene and disinfection leads to higher quality products.

Technical solutions can help processors comply with new sanitation protocols and manage resources. (Source: Nexcor Food Safety Technology)  

"Many people understand that for sanitation and disinfection to be successful, they must follow procedures," said Donald Rushing, an AIB international food safety expert in Manhattan, Kansas. "This includes knowing how much caustic and water should be used, the water at the right temperature, how long they will leave it on the equipment, and when to remove it for best results. If the cleaning chemicals are removed too early, they will not They will be effective. If left for too long, they will not only leave dirt residues, but also residues of the cleaning chemicals themselves."

Most facilities today also have procedures that must be followed before setting foot on the production floor. Everyone in the processing area must wear work clothes and go through a foot disinfection bath to limit cross-contact.

In the past six years, Evan Reyes, Sales Director of Goodway Technologies' Hygiene Division in Stamford, Connecticut, visited more than 600 factories to improve safety and promote hygiene best practices.

"I see huge growth and capital investment in the pet food industry, and many new factories are being built faster than ordinary food factories," he said. "As a result, we have seen improvements in food safety and quality. Five years ago this was not a big deal."

Brian Wood retired from the director of HydriPet Ingredient and Sanitation Solutions in Brookfield, Wisconsin in July. He noted that many hygiene practices have changed since the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) ruling was established a few years ago. From a regulatory perspective, pet food is required to be treated like human food, which is a good thing for safety.

"Many customers have developed food safety plans required by FSMA, and each factory must be equipped with PCQI (Preventive Control Qualified Personnel) on site," he said. "That person is responsible for integrating everything together and determining the prevention and control area."

Today's pet food manufacturers are looking for better tools to help them clean the challenging areas they must clean, and determine the right solutions to help them produce safe, high-quality food.

One area that can be simplified is cleaning equipment or systems to clean and sanitize trash bins, pallets, shelves, handbags, buckets, or anything in contact with finished products or any raw materials in the process. Proper cleaning of these items is a key step in providing safe, pathogen-free products.

Another area critical to food safety is training. Food safety experts agree that training is critical to any success, because operations that actively respond to their food safety culture treat risk aversion as an expectation rather than a theory.

"The importance of training employees who use equipment, employees who clean equipment, and training personnel who verify equipment and regional hygiene cannot be underestimated," Kohal said. "Training is the most direct and universal way to achieve good hygiene practices. Regardless of the type of processing and the size of the facility, an educated workforce who understands the costs and risks of improperly performing hygiene is invaluable."

Another important approach is to ensure the establishment of a health team to achieve efficient and effective success. Stout explained that this is achieved through pre-hygiene preparation, following a methodical/orderly scientific process, providing them with more effective cleaning tools and involving other departments instead of just relying on sanitation to perform.

Health workers often use a variety of chemicals, and it is important to properly train the procedures for using these chemicals.

Donald Rushing of AIB International said: "If the chemicals are not properly prepared, cleaning will not be able to successfully remove the biofilm and enter possible hiding places."

"If the chemicals are not properly prepared, the cleaning will not be able to successfully remove the biofilm and enter the place where it may hide," Rahin said. "The hygiene team should work closely with their chemical suppliers to understand and apply chemical preparation and use instructions."

Technology can and will vary based on many variables in any manufacturing environment. Stout says it’s best to start with processes, methods, and all tools/resources in order to succeed in an efficient and effective sanitation process.  

"The Sanitary Standard Operating Procedure (SSOP) is the key to obtaining repeatable and reproducible results after proper verification and verification of the intended target," he said. "Another important concept to consider is the design of the equipment. A hygienic design of equipment will help the sanitation process. The equipment will be easy to disassemble and access, and will prevent hiding areas."

Many technologies can help in the process from standard cleaning tools and equipment to verification/validation tools and kits to ensure hygiene effectiveness.

"For example, steam cleaning technology for low-humidity environments, and complex cleaning-in-place (CIP) systems for piping and tank operations," Stott said. "Surface residue and microbiological testing instruments can help the cleaning process verify the effectiveness of sanitation execution."

Although this is not a new technology, more and more manufacturers are using bioluminescence to quickly assess the success of their sanitation and disinfection programs.

"They will use this technology to measure the amount of dirt on various surfaces, then clean to reduce that amount, and then measure again to determine the cleaning effect," Rahin said. "Many manufacturers also work closely with certified laboratories to check raw materials and finished products for bacteria, mold, and even pesticides. Based on laboratory input, manufacturers will know if they have problems and can then correct them."

Kohal says that digitization and the use of appropriate mobile computers on the factory floor for training and tracking sanitation tasks can simplify operations and prevent gaps in documentation and human error.

“The ability to self-audit and act quickly on violations prepares them for actual audits and enables them to ensure food safety regardless of the day, shift, product, audit, or any other variable,” he said.

Reyes said that Goodway Technologies provides low-moisture dry steam cleaning equipment, which is very suitable for dry pet food manufacturing facilities because it can clean the soil that exists in the environment more deeply.

"The residue from rough grinding is usually oily and dusty, and hardens, and dry steam will only melt it," he said. "And because it introduces very little water into the environment, it does not flood the area, which has always been a problem in preventing the growth of Salmonella in dry pet food."

Nexcor Food Safety Technologies works with manufacturers to simplify the training of sanitary implementation tools on the factory floor.

"The ability to operate food safety enforcement tools such as mobile devices, sensors, digital documents, dashboards, etc. in real time can reduce risks and protect products," Kohal said. "It also ensures that human error is taken into account and minimized."

CFS continues to innovate to provide solutions to food safety, hygiene and hygiene design challenges in the food manufacturing industry.

"We achieve this goal by focusing on strategic consulting and training on risks related to micro-pollution, foreign bodies and allergens," Stott said. "One of our main expertise is to work with our customers to organize their cleaning process step by step-we call it the'seven steps of cleaning'."

He explained that when employees work in silos rather than in an organized manner, the result is re-cleaning, inefficiency and potential cross-contamination risks. Completing the process one step at a time helps employees work more efficiently and save time.

"Training is the most direct and common way to achieve good hygiene," said Randy Kohal of Nexcor Food Safety Technology.

"It is by understanding the needs/potential problems of our customers that we can use our expertise to guide their plans, processes and execution to make practical and sustainable changes to achieve continuous improvement," Stott said . "We continue to expand our foundation by learning from the challenges of the customers we support. By promoting open communication with industry theme leaders and innovative suppliers, we maintain a knowledge base of the latest and latest practices in hygiene and hygiene design ."

A food safety culture within a supporting facility is the key to a successful and efficient sanitation process.  

"As the industry continues to evolve due to innovation and regulations, all of us should consciously focus on strengthening this culture across the board," Stott said. "Through the efforts of senior management, department leaders and everyone, we will ultimately provide our consumers with safe food."

Read more about pet food safety on our operations page.

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