Safety and Sanitation

Sanitation and food safety are linked, but each is a separate topic of utmost importance to producing safe, high quality dairy foods. Sanitation is the foundation of making facilities suitable for producing safe food. The framework for food safety is provided by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which is covered in the Regulations section of this website, while the practical aspects of developing and implementing a food safety system are covered in this section.

Sanitation in Dairy Foods Processing Plants

Sanitation practices are the foundation of dairy food processing. A dairy processor should have a solid understanding of the key concepts in cleaning and sanitizing, which includes knowing the types of soils found in dairy plants, the appropriate cleaners and sanitizers for those soils and the basic steps in cleaning and sanitizing. Having well-written Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) will ensure that all employees are following the proper steps and using the proper chemicals to do the cleaning job correctly.

Tips for sanitation in small-scale cheese plants provides guidance on establishing an effective sanitation program that addresses some of the unique challenges for small-scale cheesemakers.

Food Safety Practices

A food safety system consists of the core hazard analysis to determine risks, the preventive controls put in place to manage those risks, the prerequisite programs and good manufacturing practices (GMPs) used to maintain a suitable environment for food processing, and all the monitoring and documentation activities needed to support the system. Full food safety plans are required for large-scale processors, but are not required for some exempt facilities. Regardless of facility size and exemption status, all dairy processing plants have a natural risk of foodborne illness due to the nature of milk production. It is in the best interest of small-scale, exempt processors to have a robust food safety system in place. The Food Safety Plans for Small-Scale Cheesemakers tool contains a Guide to Implementing a Food Safety Systems and an example food safety plan for raw milk Gouda. This information for implementing a food safety system and writing foods safety plans are specific for cheesemaking, but many of the concepts are applicable to all small-scale dairy foods processors.