Preparing Your Food Processing Factory For A Post COVID-19 World

To help you prepare your food processing factory for a post-COVID-19 world, we look at the measures you should take right now. They include:

As the world continues to battle this COVID-19 pandemic and health experts try their best to combat the spread of the virus, it would be best if you also prepare your business for a post-covid-19 world. Even though COVID-19 does not spread through food or food packaging, your factory has to be thoroughly cleaned for one main reason: the safety of your employees and visitors. You will need your employees healthy and safe if your food processing business is to remain operational during the pandemic. Practicing safe social distancing and regular cleaning schedules and standard work procedures do suffice. But if you want to be completely sure that your food processing factory is absolutely safe for your employees and can manufacture clean food, there are additional precautions that you will need to take. In this article, we examine how you can prepare your food processing plant for a post COVID world.

Deep cleaning

While food processing only takes place in food production areas, your employees are spread out all over your premises. One infection could easily spread if other surfaces are neglected. With deep cleaning, you eliminate the possibility that your staff can collect the virus by touching these surfaces. Unlike your usual cleaning service, deep cleaning attends to overhead areas and those that are in hard to reach areas where bacterial bio-films may reside. Cleaning of hard to reach areas and vents is now a necessity since you will want clean air circulating within your food plant. This might seem doable, but what about time? Who will do all the extra cleaning? How does it affect your operations? You want to ensure work flows are at optimum level while maintaining maximum hygiene. For these reasons, it would be best to get the help of a reputable cleaning company.

Regular Disinfecting And Sanitising

Knowing well that Covid-19 survives on stainless steel for several days, adequate sanitising is a necessity. We understand that stainless steel is a common feature in food processing plants since it is used heavily in food processing and production plant surfaces. However, not every sanitiser or disinfectant will be right for this task. First, whatever you choose should be food grade. Some cleaning products are effective but may not be effective for the required task. Consulting a cleaning company will guide you in selecting the right products to use.

Hand Hygiene

In the food industry, hand hygiene has always been a key focus. Other than keeping hands clean for food handling, ensuring employees control and eliminate the spread of infection and disease amongst each other. You can help this by adding more hand wash stations around the factory. As you educate your employees, emphasising on the need to wash their hands more frequently after touching surfaces. To have innovative solutions installed at your food processing factory, consult a cleaning company that deals in advanced cleaning equipment and solutions.

Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Initially, any protective wear in food processing plants was to avoid contaminating the food product. Today, you have to protect both the food and the personnel. Other than comfortable gear, things like face masks, jackets, gloves, boots and sleeve covers should be durable to avoid quick wear and tear. Generally, the PPEs must meet industry health and safety standards and be able to fulfil their purpose. They should also be comfortable so as not to interfere with employee productivity.

Foaming and Fogging

Foaming and fogging applications has the ability to strip any bio-films from your production areas. Note that this could be an expensive process if you have to purchase your own equipment and do the entire process. To avoid all that, you can arrange for periodic foaming or fogging with Ecowize. Safety protocols are constantly being updated, ensure you stay up to date you can put in place measures that will better protect your employees and keep your business going. Meanwhile, start off with these five if you haven’t. Whenever you need extra professional help, don’t hesitate to talk to us here at Ecowize.