

The label should say that the product is food safe or has instructions on how to wash food contact surfaces. To determine if the product you are interested in using is a Food Safe detergent, look at the label on the back of the product container. Depending on the type of food establishment you have, there may be a particular type of detergent/cleaning agent that removes food debris from your food contact surfaces better than others. There are many different detergents on the market that are meant for food contact surfaces. What is a detergent and how do I know which of my chemicals is the detergent? In some cases, items with encrusted food debris may need to be scrubbed or presoaked to loosen the debris to allow food employees to effectively clean the food contact surface in the wash basin. Prior to cleaning the item in the wash basin of the three- compartment sink, food employees should ensure that they are scraping excess food debris into a garbage disposal or trash can. In a food establishment, food contact surfaces such as plates and ladles may have excess food debris on them when they need cleaned. Each step plays an important role in ensuring that the dishes and equipment that come in contact with food are clean and sanitized.Īs we provide food to the members of our community, we need to ensure dishware and utensils are properly cleaned and sanitized to sight and touch to prevent foodborne illness.ĭownload our handout on manual warewashing and sanitizing. There are three steps to properly clean and sanitize food contact surfaces such as utensils, slicers, pots and pans, etc., in a food establishment: wash, rinse and sanitize.
