Edge: The Role of Cleaning in Food Safety

This Food Protection Connection CE article appeared in the 2025 March/April issue of Nutrition & Foodservice Edge magazine. To view a PDF of this article click HERE.

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The Role of Cleaning in Food Safety

By: Michael Kopec, CDM, CFPP

THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC) estimates that each year roughly one in six Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases. And according to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 600 million people worldwide become ill from consuming unsanitary food. While foodborne illness is not considered “out of control,” it remains a serious public health concern with millions of people getting sick each year, and significant work still needs to be done to effectively prevent and manage it. Prevention strategies such as cleaning and sanitizing, along with proper hygiene, can help to manage these issues effectively.

One of the crucial building blocks for a successful food safety culture is basic food hygiene. It’s a logical progression that the food industry must make a commitment to creating a hygiene culture. Far too many problems can be traced back to failures in basic hygiene such as poor cleaning, insufficient pest management, inadequate personal hygiene, or a failure to follow fundamental procedures.

If you work in the food industry, you must be committed to creating products that are safe to eat, so it’s important to follow good cleaning and sanitizing procedures in your establishment.

Exposure to harmful microorganisms such as bacteria, spores, fungi, and viruses can contaminate the food products that you work with. And if your customers eat this contaminated food it can result in foodborne illnesses. But by adopting sound cleaning and sanitizing practices, you can help eliminate these microorganisms and protect the products from adulteration.

CLEANING VERSUS SANITIZING

We’ve all heard the saying “Cleanliness is Next to Godliness” at some point in our lives. It’s an old proverb that means maintaining a clean and tidy environment is considered virtuous and desirable, implying that keeping one’s self and surroundings clean is close to being godly.  That being said, I firmly believe that cleanliness is truly essential to assuring safe food for our families and clients.

The most important part of your sanitation program is cleaning. People tend to talk about cleaning and sanitizing in the same breath, but of the two, cleaning is most important.  Sanitation expert Dennis Bogart of Randolph Associates has defined cleaning as “the process of removing visible dirt, dust, and other soil particles from surfaces by mechanical, manual, or chemical means.” Sanitizing means reducing the number of microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and fungi on a surface, after it has been cleaned. Bogart further emphasizes that cleaning “prepares” the surface for sanitizing. If the surface is not clean, it cannot be properly sanitized. In other words, if the surface has not been suitably cleaned, it is dirty! Applying sanitizers to dirty surfaces is both ineffective and a waste of money, since the efficacy of that sanitizer is reduced by the presence of residual soil.

Since many of us don’t have the necessary expertise to make the best decisions regarding the most effective and appropriate chemicals to use in our food establishments, the smart choice is to look for a competent and knowledgeable cleaning chemical supplier to work with.  Please note the emphasis on the words competent and knowledgeable. Simply buying chemicals is not a good idea. Using the wrong materials or improperly using the correct ones will not only compromise the efficacy of cleaning, but may leave your operation dirtier than it was prior to starting the process.

TACT FOR THE WIN

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), sanitation maintains or restores a state of cleanliness and promotes hygiene for the prevention of foodborne illness. Implementing cleaning and sanitation solutions that work starts with understanding the basics. The food safety industry often uses the acronym TACT WINS to summarize the components and considerations for an effective cleaning program. It refers to:

TIME – Contact time on the surface being cleaned. The amount of time a sanitizer stays on a surface is critical; too long and the product could lose its effectiveness and build a residue on the surface, or too little time and the soil and bacteria might not be removed.

ACTION – Physical force exerted onto the surface. Some products may require manual brushing, mechanical action, foaming, or high pressure.

CONCENTRATION – Type and amount of cleaner used. Achieving the correct concentration through proper dilution of cleaning and sanitizing chemicals is critical for their effectiveness.

TEMPERATURE – Each cleaning solution has a temperature range in which it should be applied to get the effectiveness desired. Assessing the temperature of water or cleaner that you can use on a surface beforehand is essential.

WATER – Water is used at various steps in the cleaning and sanitizing process to remove soils, dilute detergents, and rinse sanitizers. Be mindful of the type of water used; hardness can impact the effectiveness of cleaning and sanitizing products.

INDIVIDUAL – All individuals involved in the cleaning process must have appropriate training and understand the steps involved, including appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Best practice is to have these steps clearly outlined in written procedures used to train employees and easily referenced in the future.

NATURE OF SOIL – There are five basic kinds of soils the food industry must deal with:  fats/grease, proteins, minerals, sugars, and complex carbohydrates. The nature of the product being manufactured will determine the selection of cleaning and sanitizing products and the appropriate approach required.

SURFACE – This is the composition of material being cleaned. Equipment surfaces, such as steel, aluminum, plastic, and rubber, can be affected by cleaners and sanitizers.

A comprehensive cleaning and sanitation program is necessary to prevent contamination, control allergens, and meet regulatory requirements in the food industry.  Remember, TACT WINS in food safety and sanitation.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HYGIENE

It’s nearly impossible to keep surfaces and equipment clean unless you maintain good personal hygiene yourself.

Personal hygiene starts with keeping your hands clean and germ free. Food workers who don’t wash their hands properly can contaminate food and other surfaces, which can make people sick.

The CDC states that as much as 30 percent of all foodborne illnesses are caused by employees in food service who have poor personal hygiene habits and, in many cases, inadequate hand washing was the leading cause for illnesses.

Hand washing is a key, often-overlooked behavior that is important for food safety, disease prevention, and personal health. Yet, most Americans underestimate the potential seriousness of foodborne illness and its correlation with hand washing practices.

In a 2023 observational study by the USDA, participants failed to wash their hands correctly 97 percent of the time.

Nearly half of the participants cross-contaminated spice containers because they didn’t wash their hands adequately.

It’s important for food handlers to keep their hands clean throughout their shifts by knowing when, where, and how to wash hands and wear gloves. It’s up to us as managers and food establishment owners to make sure our employees understand the key times when germs can spread easily:

• Before, during, and after preparing any food
• After handling uncooked meat, chicken or other poultry, seafood, flour, or eggs
• Before and after using gloves to prevent germs from spreading to your food and your hands
• Before eating
• After touching garbage
• After wiping counters or cleaning other surfaces with chemicals
• After coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose

Don’t let germs ruin your food or put your business in jeopardy. Make handwashing a healthy habit while preparing food for yourself, your loved ones, and your customers.

CONCLUSION

When you work in the food industry, whether a restaurant, processing facility, or healthcare institution, there is always a chance that the products you’re working with could be contaminated by harmful microorganisms which could lead to your customers contracting a foodborne illness. But you can greatly reduce the risk of contamination by using proper cleaning procedures and following good hygiene practices.

Cleaning and being clean are activities that most of us were indoctrinated as children. Food operators and managers must do the same with their workforce. Cleaning and then sanitizing assures that foods and ingredients are not contaminated, thus reducing the risk for illnesses and outbreaks. Furthermore, keeping an establishment and its grounds clean and well maintained eliminates harborage sites for pests, reduces the potential for contamination, minimizes the chances of injury (which can really cost you if you’re found liable), and helps to create a more pleasant workplace. It’s just good for business.

About the Author

Michael Kopec, CDM, CFPP

Michael Kopec is the Food Service Specialist at the Waukesha County Mental Center in Waukesha, Wisc., and has been a CDM, CFPP since 2001.  He holds a B.S. in Business Management & Leadership and an M.A. in Leadership & Innovation from Wisconsin Lutheran College. He also serves as an advisory board member for the dietetic technician/dietary manager program at Milwaukee Area Technical College.