This section refers to equipment used at both field and packing house.
Per FSMA Agricultural Water requirements, the water used to clean and sanitize equipment shall be tested for generic. E.coli and results shall show no detectable E.coli in the water source.
All product label directions of chemicals and sanitizing products will be followed, for use and dilution ratios..
All Field equipment cleaning is documented on the Harvest Cleaning Log (Appendix D) by writing the initials of the person in charge of that equipment's cleaning in the appropriate box, unless noted otherwise.
All cleaning of equipment used daily at the packing house is documented on Packinghouse Equipment and Facility Cleaning (Appendix U).
21 CFR 110.3 g Definition. Food-contact surfaces are those surfaces that contact human food and those surfaces from which drainage onto the food or onto surfaces that contact food ordinarily occurs during the normal course of operations. "Food-contact surfaces" includes utensils and food-contact surfaces of equipment, tables, ice machines, ice storage, hydrocooler, etc.
All knives will be washed daily at the end of the shift with Simple Green All Purpose Cleaner. The dilution should be based on Simple Green's dilution chart. Picking carts are washed with simple green once a week.
All harvest tools and utensils must be sanitized before use and maintained in a sanitizing solution while workers are on breaks. All knives must be kept in their designated locations and not be removed the field.
Following label instructions on Jet Oxide for food contact surfaces:
Using potable water, make a diluted sanitizing solution using 1-1.5 fluid ounces to 5 gallons of water.
Test the strength of the solution by dipping in a test strip and matching the color code.
This should provide 160 ppm sanitizing strength
When the sanitation solution is in the appropriate strength, pour into spray bottles. The steps above will be done at PMC Cooling packinghouse to better maintain the chemical. The spray bottles will be transported to the ranches as need be.
Spray the knives with the solution and let set for 60 seconds.
Let air dry, and use.
Throughout the day's use of knives, retest the solution to ensure it remains in the 160 ppm range.
If not, add additional sanitizer
If water becomes visibly dirty, dump out solution in drains and mix another solution.
Sanitation of tools and utensils will be documented in the Harvest Cleaning Log (Appendix D)
All harvest buckets must be kept in their designated locations and not be removed the field.
Before using the equipment Field Management will inspect all harvest equipment for signs of dirt, debris, chemical substances, and trash that might contaminate the produce
All harvest buckets are washed every day of use in the field with soap and water, following USDA National Organic Program section 205.601(a))
The cleaning must be documented in the Harvest Cleaning Log (Appendix D.)
Prior to loading pallets used to transport packed produce on flat bed truck, they will be inspected for signs of dirt, excrement, and other substances that might contaminate the produce.
If any contaminant is observed and cannot be controlled the pallet must not be used.
Discarding the palette will be documented in the in the Daily Food Safety Log
Tables used to repack or inspect product will be inspected prior to use for signs of dirt, excrement, or other substances that might contaminate product.
Prior to use, tables will be sprayed down with Peroxyacetic Acid.
Cleaning and sanitation of tables used in the fields is documented on the Harvest Cleaning Log (Appendix D.)
Cleaning and sanitation of tables used at the packing house is documented on the Packinghouse and Facility Cleaning (Appendix U)
Jet-Oxide will be sprayed on the tables before and after their use.
Make a diluted Peroxyacetic Acid 5% solution with a ration of 1.5 oz Peroxyacetic Acid (Jet Ag or Jet Oxide) to 5 gallons potable water in a spray bottle. Also, if tables are cleaned at the same time as the RPCs (below) a spray bottle can be filled up with the water used to clean RPCs provided that the RPCs have not been used.
Test the sanitizing solution with a test strip to ensure its up to 160ppm
Note the ppm in the Packinghouse and Facility Cleaning (Appendix U) "ppm column"
Spray the solution on the table, using a circular motion with a disposable paper towel, apply the sanitizer and let set for 60 seconds.
Do not rinse.
Cleaning and sanitation of tables used at the packing house is documented on the Packinghouse and Facility Cleaning (Appendix U) by writing the initials of the person who performed the cleaning.
At the end of the shift, tables will be cleaned with Simple Green All Purpose Cleaner. The dilution should be based on Simple Green's dilution chart.
RPCs are intended to store product. They are not meant to be used for personal use.
When the RPCs are delivered to the farm, they are maintained on palettes on a flatbed and wrapped in plastic until use.
All RPCs are inspected prior to use for signs of dust, dirt, decay or odors, or evidence of animals. If any bad odors, liquids or signs of animals are observed, the RPC will not be used and marked as such
RPCS are delivered from farm to packing house on pallets to the covered dock area. All RPC that are used for culls or donated produce will be marked as such while in use.
RPC boxes will be cleaned and sanitized at the packing house monthly:
Place the 100 gallon plastic tub on the dock area of the cooler next to the drain. Fill the 100 gallon plastic tub with potable water to 80 gallons
Mix 16 oz Jet Oxide or Ag Jet 5% peraoxyacetic acid with 80 gallons of water (dilution rate of 1 oz Jet-Oxide to 5 gallons of water),
Test the strength of the diluted peraoxyacetic acid with test strip and not the ppm on the Packinghouse and Facility Cleaning Log (Appendix U).
Submerge 5-10 RPCs at a time in the water for at least 60 seconds.
Take the RPCs out of the solution, and place on a pallete to drain.
Submerge up to 240 RPCs before draining the solution.
Rinse out the plastic tub
Repeat steps 1-4 until all RPCs have been sanitized.
RPCS will be taken back out to field.
The cleaning documented in the Packinghouse and Facility Cleaning (Appendix U)
Unused RPCs are stored at the packinghouse in the covered yard on pallets with pest control devices within the area.
Plastic wash bins will be cleaned and sanitized prior to loading on pallet and sending back to the field following these steps:
Place the 100 gallon plastic tub on the dock area of the cooler next to the drain.
Scrub the bin with soap and potable water
Rinse with potable water
Mix 16 oz Jet-Oxide or Jet Ag 5% peraoxyacetic acid with water in a dilution rate of 1.75 oz to 5 gallons of water (160ppm).
Test the strength of the diluted peraoxyacetic acid with test strip and note the ppm on the Packinghouse and Facility Cleaning Log (Appendix U). It should be around 160 ppm.
Spray peraoxyacetic acid into the tub
Allow to stand 1 minute
Air dry and do not rinse.
All swabbing performed is for Listeria spp, Salmonella, and E. coli O157 on a monthly bases. Microbiological swabbing is conducted by the Compliance Specialist as follows:
1. Wash hands, sanitize hands with hand sanitized, and put on gloves. Use hand sanitizer again.
2. Label the sample bags with the swabbing location for identification. All samples are properly coded with date, time and location. The Lab Analysis Request Form filled out to note where and when the swabs were taken and who took the swabs.
3. Open the bag by pulling on the tabs on the sides of the bag. Be sure not to touch the inside or edges of the bag.
4. Working from the outside of the bag, move the sponge up so that the handle protrudes from the bag.
5. Using one hand, grasp the handle & remove the sponge so that it does not touch the edge of the opening.
6. Thoroughly swab the area to be sampled using even back & forth motions. Swab an area of about 10x10 cm (4x4 in).
7. Replace the sponge back into the bag only far enough so that you can grasp the sponge in one hand from the outside of the bag.
8. With one hand on the bag and grasping the sponge, and the other hand on the handle, separate the sponge from the handle.
9. Close the bag by rolling the top down & folding in the tabs.
10. Place the sample in a cooler with ice
11. Repeat steps 2-10 for all samples. Sanitize gloved hand before every new sample
12. Fill out Sample Submission Form and take samples to IEH Laboratories in Salinas within 3 hours of taking the samples.
13. After receiving the results, the Compliance Specialist will review the results, sign off on them if they are acceptable, and fill them. If the results are not acceptable, the Compliance Specialist and President will do corrective actions as well as a root cause analysis.
Above Acceptable Results
Where results indicate positive for Listeria spp., Salmonella, and/or E. coli O157 corrective actions are to be implemented.
1. Corrective actions might vary to suit the situation, but usually, the following steps are involved
Review SSOPS to see if any improvements could be made
Re-clean affected area and/or contract professional cleaners.
Retest for Listeria spp., Salmonella, and/or E. coli O157 using Vector Swabbing for 3 consecutive days.
Repeat steps 3-4 until the swabbing results are negative for 3 consecuative days.
Details are noted on the Contamination Incidence Log (Appendix F). and include date and time, personal completing the record, name or identification # of equipment in question, reference to laboratory certificate test.
5. Management Review- In view of the potentially serious nature of microbiological related issues and the fact that they should be a rare occurrence, results are reviewed at the next convened food safety committee meeting in order to ensure that the correct procedures were followed and that the procedures do not need amending. During the the management review meeting, a root cause analysis will be conducted to determine the root cause of the problem. The template for the root cause analysis can be found at the bottom of this page.
APT Testing
Sampling Procedure:
1. Identify the location to be tested and turn on the luminometer. Select the test location from the programmed locations. Remove the ATP testing device from the outer tube. If conducting a surface test, press firmly down on the swab tip and collect a sample from a 10 x 10 cm (4 x 4 in) area. Use a side-to-side and up-and-down motion while rotating the swab tip.
2. Place the swab back into the swab tube. The ATP testing device is now ready to be activated or can be left inactive for up to 4 hours. Once activated, the test must be read within 60 seconds.
3. To activate, break the plastic valve at the top of the device by bending the bulb backward and forward. Squeeze the bulb twice to expel the liquid in the bulb to the bottom of the tube.
4. Bathe the swab bud in the liquid by shaking gently in a side-to-side motion for 5-10 seconds.
5. Place the entire test device into the luminometer and close the lid. 6. Holding the luminometer in a vertical position, press ‘OK’ to initiate reading. The test result will appear on the screen in 15 seconds.
7. Document the results on Appendix B1
8. If RLU is more than 30, corrective actions must be done.
Above Acceptable Results
If ATP testing indicates that the tables are not sanitized, there are a number of steps that the Packing House Supervisor must conduct. Any actions done will be documented in Contamination Incidence Log (Appendix F).
Test the Jet Ag solution. If it is under 160 ppm, throw out the solution and mix a new one with 160 ppm of Jet Ag.
Clean tables again and retest ATP
Replace all Jet Ag Solution in all other spray bottles
If the solution is in the right threshold, sanitize the tables again.
Retest for ATP
If the ATP results indicate that the tables are still not sanitized, clean and calibrate the ATP tester
Retest
Any action will be documented under the corrective action log
Revise how often the Jet Ag is being replaced. If test results indicate that tables are not sanitized, sanitation program must review by the food safety committee.
If solution is in the right threshold but must be sanitized repeatedly, retrain the employees on sanitation procedures.
During daily facility monitoring, corrective actions will be reviewed to ensure continued efficiency.