Campden BRI fosters discussion on hygiene guide

By Gavin Kermack, 20-Nov-2008

Source of Article: http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Quality-Safety/Campden-BRI-fosters-discussion-on-hygiene-guide

Food hygiene reps are set to gain a greater insight into guidelines on the cleaning and disinfection of factories, with a conference aiming to bridge the gap left by the withdrawal of support from cleaning chemical suppliers.

Campden BRI, publisher of The Cleaning and Disinfection of Food Factories: A Practical Guide, say that the suppliers are beginning to offer less support to food factories on the design and implication of cleaning programmes, for instance in the provision of cleaning schedules, for fear of the legal consequences.

“Good hygiene and disinfection practices in the food industry are so important,” Campden BRI spokesperson Elaine McLaren told FoodProductionDaily.com. “Despite this, it was apparent that there was a lack of good advice on good practice and techniques, so the guidelines were produced to rectify this.”

The guidelines were published in June and Campden BRI has deemed them so important that they are now forming the basis of a two-day conference.

Step-by-step

The guide claims to be unique in bringing together advice on all the individual aspects of hygiene available from the wide range of disparate sources.

“The guidelines… help manufacturers by giving them a step-by-step guide to the most up-to-date methods of cleaning and disinfection,” said McLaren.

Small- to medium-sized businesses in particular can benefit from the advice. Their smaller orders of cleaning chemicals have previously been insufficient to cover the provision of a support service from chemical manufacturers.

The document was put together by scientists at Campden BRI working in collaboration with cleaning chemical suppliers. It is aimed primarily at managers responsible for the design and implementation of sanitation programmes.

However, the publishers say that anyone working in a food factory environment can benefit from the advice, as all members of the workforce can play a role in cleaning.

Best practice

The guideline discusses the importance of cleaning and disinfection and the basic principles behind it, as well as management responsibilities and the more practical aspects such as the different chemicals that are used, the various cleaning techniques and the timing and frequency of cleaning.

McLaren elaborated: “There is… a need for continual improvement in the area of hygiene in the food sector, so Campden BRI felt it should offer support.”

She emphasised that the publication is not a legal document and simply offers advice on best practice, rather than a set of rules which must be enforced.

The conference, to be held at Campden BRI’s headquarters in Chipping Campden, UK, is the first European update to address such issues as cost effectiveness and efficacy and will feature speakers from both industry and academia.

Karen Middleton, the firm’s technical hygiene contracts manager, who authored the guidelines, will lead the conference.

“Ensuring that factories are cleaned and disinfected effectively is a fundamental prerequisite in the production of safe and wholesome food,” she said.

“This event will give delegates an excellent opportunity to update themselves on the latest information and legislation.”

The conference will take place on 2nd and 3rd December.

More information on the guidelines and the conference can be found on Campden BRI’s website.

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