Article by Abbey Warren, Food Safety Auditor FSA/0288

A common non-compliance I see when auditing early childhood settings is the use of agents other than sanitisers to sanitise.

Anything that may come into contact with food must be cleaned and then sanitised. This includes all food preparation equipment, bench tops and eating tables. Sanitising destroys microorganisms and reduces the number present on a surface to a safe level.

There are 3 ways to sanitise:

• Hot water greater than 77°C
• Steam
• Chemical

Hot water and steam are often used as the sanitising agent in a dishwasher and food grade chemicals most often on bench tops and eating tables.

What is a Food Grade Sanitiser? It’s time to check your products

A food grade sanitiser is called exactly that a “Food Grade Sanitiser” or it may be a diluted bleach solution made up following the manufacturer’s instructions and then discarded after 24hrs.

Alternatives such as vinegar, lemon juice and methylated spirits are not sanitisers.

If you have a food safety question or need an Onsite Compliance audit or Notice of Written Advice for a food safety program please contact me on awarren@naqld.org or call 07 3257 4393 – I am more than happy to help.