The importance of cleaning and waste management
Outcome. FI: Henkilö ymmärtää puhtaanpidon ja jätehuollon merkityksen elintarviketyössä. EN: The person understands the importance of cleaning and waste management in food work.
Why it matters
Good tidiness and a good hygiene level ensure that food is handled and stored hygienically and is safe for consumers. Dirt feeds microbes and pests, and waste is dirt with a smell.
Premises
- Food premises must be clean and in good repair, not only the production rooms.
- Floors, walls and food-contact surfaces are smooth, washable, corrosion-resistant and non-toxic, so they are easy to clean and, where necessary, disinfect. Unsealed wood does not meet this.
- Worn areas, scratches and cracks in work surfaces and cutting boards collect dirt where microbes multiply.
- Unnecessary items are removed, because they collect dust and make cleaning difficult.
- Toilets must not open directly onto rooms where food is handled.
- Tools and equipment that touch food are effectively cleaned, and where necessary disinfected, often enough to avoid contamination.
- Newly built premises should have at least three water points: hand washing, food rinsing and dish rinsing.
- Doors, windows and ventilation are kept clean and ventilation equipment is maintained regularly. Moisture must not drip onto unprotected food or allow mould on structures. A maintenance plan describes coming repair and renewal needs of surfaces, water points, ventilation, lighting, drainage and equipment.
Pests and animals
- All kinds of pests spread diseases and dirt and spoil food and packages. The cockroach (russakka) may spread Salmonella. Food pests thrive in dry foods such as cereals, dried fruit, nuts and spices at room temperature.
- Prevention: tight doors kept closed, screens on windows and vents, clean loading and storage areas, and in dry storage good ventilation, packages on shelves not the floor, closed containers, storage below +18 °C, first-in-first-out use and checking incoming goods. For rodents, birds, carpet beetles and cockroaches professional help is advisable.
- Adequate procedures to control pests and keep domestic animals away are required.
- Pets are not allowed in the kitchen. In the customer area of a registered premises a pet may come in with the operator's consent; the operator may limit which pets, and consent and limits are posted at the entrance. Assistance dogs (guide, hearing, support, hypo dogs) may enter customer areas. Neither pets nor assistance dogs go into the kitchen or other food handling and storage areas.
Waste
- Waste is removed as quickly as possible from rooms where food is present, so it does not accumulate. It is collected in closable containers unless the operator can show that others are suitable. Containers are in good condition and easy to clean and, where necessary, disinfect. Waste storage areas can be kept clean and protected from animals and pests.
- All waste is disposed of hygienically and in an environmentally friendly way. The operator ensures waste does not accumulate in premises or yards, and describes waste handling in the own-check. Spoiled food, transport packaging and cleaning waste are removed from rooms where food is present as quickly as possible.
- A food business operator keeps records of the amount and handling of its food waste, including where possible an estimate of the edible food discarded, for six years.
- Food may be donated before its use-by date, or up to and after its best-before date, after checking that it is not injurious to health and is fit for consumption.
Cleaning equipment
Cleaning equipment is cleaned, maintained and stored hygienically. Different hygiene areas, such as food preparation and other rooms, have separate equipment, and colour coding helps. Cleaning tools are not kept unprotected by the toilet seat; only the toilet's own protected equipment is kept in the toilet room. With no proper room, use disposable cloths; in very small operations a cupboard may be enough.
Scenario
A bakery stacks cardboard boxes on the back room floor next to an open door, and mice arrive. The owner puts boxes on shelves, closes the door, screens the windows, empties closed bins daily, keeps dry goods below +18 °C and calls a pest control professional.
Numbers to remember
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Water points in new premises | at least 3 |
| Dry storage temperature against pests | below +18 °C |
| Food waste records | kept 6 years |
Myth vs reality
- Myth: Pets are fine in the kitchen. Reality: They are not allowed there.
- Myth: Cleaning tools can be kept by the toilet seat. Reality: Not unprotected.
- Myth: Some pests are harmless. Reality: All spread disease or spoil food.
In the test
Kitchens, toilets and storage: separation is the answer. "Pet allowed in the kitchen" and "cleaning tools by the toilet seat" are false.