Cleaning, Sanitising and Pest Control
Cleaning removes visible soil; sanitising or disinfecting reduces microorganisms to a safe level. Candidates must understand that both steps are needed, because a sanitiser cannot work effectively on a greasy or soiled surface. The recognised sequence is clean, rinse where required, apply sanitiser at the correct concentration and contact time, then allow to dry or rinse as the product instructs. Two-stage cleaning suits food contact surfaces, while one-stage detergent-sanitisers are acceptable where the label supports it. Chemical concentration should be checked with test strips, and chemicals must be stored separately from food, in labelled containers, never in unmarked bottles.
Pest control is examined through the signs and the controls. Signs include droppings, gnaw marks, grease trails, insect casings, live or dead pests, and unusual smells. Controls include proofing (gaps, screens, door strips), good housekeeping and waste management, inspecting deliveries, and a documented pest control programme with monitoring points. Traps include the assumption that poison bait is the first response; baiting in food areas is restricted and must be managed by competent contractors, and pest sightings must be recorded and acted upon. Another trap is the mop and bucket left uncleaned, which becomes a reservoir of contamination.
A rule of thumb: cleaning schedules should state what is cleaned, by whom, how often, with what chemical and how it is verified. For example, a chopping board used for raw meat should be cleaned and sanitised after use, checked visually, and the cleaning recorded on the schedule.
Food Safety Documentation and Reporting
Documentation is the evidence that a food safety system exists and works. Candidates should know the core records: temperature logs for chillers, freezers, cooking, cooling and hot holding; delivery checks; cleaning and sanitising schedules; pest control reports; training records; supplier approval and traceability records; and records of corrective actions when something goes wrong. A record is only useful if it is contemporaneous, legible, signed or initialled, and shows the actual reading rather than a tick. Corrective action records should state the problem, the food affected, the action taken and who decided it.
Reporting is the other half. Internal reporting covers illness, deviations, foreign object incidents, pest sightings and equipment failure; external reporting may be required to the competent authority in serious cases, and allergen information must be accurate and available. Traps in questions include the blank log completed retrospectively, the tick-box with no value, and the assumption that a record proves safety. Records prove that checks were done; they do not prove the food was safe. Another trap is failing to record a corrective action because the problem was fixed quickly.
A rule of thumb: if a control matters, there should be a record showing it was applied, and if it failed, a record showing what was done about the food. For example, if a chiller reads 9°C at the morning check, record the reading, move the food to a working chiller or assess it, discard what is unsafe, record the decision, and arrange repair. Traceability is also testable: keep records that identify suppliers and customers so a product can be traced one step back and one step forward.