Facilities, Equipment, Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Pest Control
Facility design exists to make contamination difficult. Handwashing sinks must be accessible, stocked with soap and single-use towels, and used only for hands; each food preparation area needs one, and a mop sink is separate from both hand and dish sinks.
Equipment and cleaning
Food-contact surfaces must be smooth, nonabsorbent, and easy to clean. Clean and sanitize them after each use, after a task change, after four hours of continuous use, and whenever contamination is suspected.
Manual dishwashing uses a three-compartment sink: wash in water at least 110°F with detergent, rinse in clean water, sanitize, then air dry - never towel dry. Chemical sanitizer concentrations: chlorine 50–100 ppm, quaternary ammonium 200–400 ppm, iodine 12.5–25 ppm, following the label's temperature and contact time. Test strips verify concentration, not the clock. High-temperature machines sanitize with a final rinse of 180°F at the manifold, or 165°F for a stationary-rack single-temperature machine. Clean-in-place follows scrape, wash, rinse, sanitize, air dry. Work from the least soiled to the most soiled areas.
Pest control
Integrated pest management denies entry (seal gaps, screens, door sweeps, air curtains), denies food and water (tight lids, clean drains, prompt spill cleanup), and denies harborage (declutter, remove cardboard). Look for droppings, gnaw marks, rub marks, nests, and live insects. Only a licensed applicator applies pesticides, only approved chemicals are used, and baits and traps are placed so they cannot contaminate food or surfaces.
Traps: over-strength sanitizer is a chemical hazard and a violation; wiping a surface does not sanitize it; a fly strip hung over a prep table is itself a contamination source.