Tips for Preventing Foodborne Illness in Commercial Baking Equipment

Tips for Preventing Foodborne Illness in Commercial Baking Equipment

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that around 48m people contract a foodborne illness each year in the US. For commercial bakers, poor food safety doesn’t just harm the health of customers, but also damages the company’s brand name and image, encourages lawsuits, and brings about possible FDA enforcement action.

As such, food safety and foodborne illness prevention should be considered a top priority for every member of the baking industry. To help you maintain high standards and support your continued success, here are some tips for preventing foodborne illness, product contamination or allergen cross contamination as a result of poorly designed bakery equipment. 

Use equipment with a hygienic design

Food processing equipment is considered to have a hygienic design when it’s easy to clean, resistant to wear, and free of areas in which product residue and moisture can gather. To achieve hygienic design, equipment manufacturers typically:

• Utilize a standard that guides in design and construction of equipment that can be easily maintained and cleaned.

• All surfaces constructed to prevent retention of food particles, condensation, spillage and other foreign material.

• Design surfaces which are or can be quickly exposed for inspection and cleaning using simple tools.

• Eliminate dead ends, keep areas closed and tightly fitted to prevent product or ingredients from becoming trapped.

• Include smooth surfaces free of pits, cracks, crevices or other imperfections.

• Use construction materials that are compatible with the work environment, ingredients and cleaning methods.

• Design equipment that is compatible with dry cleaning methods or we wash down when appropriate.

• Use corrosion resistant materials that can withstand the production environment.

• Design equipment and processes to prevent lubricants, debris and liquids, etc. from falling tinto product and product zones.

Hygienic design is a staple of high-quality food processing equipment and is typically required to meet baking industry standards and regulatory requirements for production equipment. These machines also save you plenty of time and money, as they reduce the resources and downtime required for cleaning and sanitization. Purchasing equipment with a hygienic design is an investment in your company as it boosts your profitability with a short ROI while improving food safety and preventing product contamination and foodborne illness.

Maintain a thorough and consistent cleaning schedule

Flour, dough, crumbs, oils, and other raw materials build up in your machines as you use them throughout the day. When left uncleaned, this debris creates the ideal conditions for mold and bacterial growth, which leads to product contamination and foodborne illness.

That’s why a combination of daily cleaning and regular deep cleaning is essential for product integrity and foodborne illness prevention. Daily cleaning is a standard practice across the food industry as it limits the accumulation of contaminants and ensures insects, mold, and bacteria don't have the time to grow.

Regular deep cleaning

Hygienic design for bakery equipment is a fundamental aspect of effective and efficient cleaning practices and the basis for a proactive food safety and quality program. Hygienic equipment design and rigorous cleaning practices safeguard product integrity.

Regularly scheduled deep cleaning during product changeover in scheduled downtime is a must. To make sure assigned schedules are followed, bakeries must operate with a Master Cleaning Schedule and clear Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP).

Keep your compressed air lines clean

Most, if not all, bakeries use pneumatic systems. These push compressed air through your machinery to drive or automate production.

However, failure to clean your compressed air lines means the air you run through your pneumatic system will contain high levels of debris and moisture. This creates the ideal conditions for mold and bacterial growth in your machinery throughout your baking process. As a result, you not only risk quality issues, product contamination, and foodborne illness, but you might also cause damage to machinery components.

The majority of bakeries feature permanent air compressors. Since these see heavy use, it’s vital to install an air dryer, especially in hot or humid regions. Air dryers use refrigeration to remove all humidity from air lines, giving you dry air that contributes to excellent product quality and food safety.

Use equipment that follows recognized baking industry standards

Federal regulations, third-party certification standards, and industry standards exist to establish a baseline for food safety and product integrity. When it comes to baking industry standards for hygienic design of commercial equipment, these standards ensure you have a foundation for proactive food safety programs.

Utilizing equipment designed to conform to a hygienic design standard will:

• Help prevent product contamination, foodborne illness, and allergic reactions for customers

• Let you build a reputation for superior quality and food safety, which can lead to higher sales

• Shorten labor time by making commercial baking equipment easier to clean and sanitize

• Reduce the need for chemical usage, making your products much safer for consumption

• Protect your bakery against legal action in cases of product contamination or recall

As a frontrunner in baking industry regulations, the Bakery Equipment Assessment Group (BEAG) has developed a process for equipment manufacturers to demonstrate to the baking industry that their equipment conforms to a hygienic design standard.

The ANSI Z50.2-2015(R2020) Bakery Equipment Sanitation Requirements standard is the measure of conformity. It complies with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) process, ensuring due process and industry relevance, and adding an extra layer of legal defensibility. ANSI Z50.2-2015(R2020) is managed by the American Society of Baking (ASB) and the ANSI/ASB/Z50 Committee.

By purchasing machinery from manufacturers that certify equipment with BEAG, you give your bakery a fighting chance for protection against foodborne illness. This offers security and peace of mind with regard to food safety and sanitation, and helps you reach and maintain the highest levels of excellence in food production.

Achieve outstanding food safety with the Bakery Equipment Assessment Group

Using equipment that follows hygienic equipment design standards is an effective strategy for ensuring product quality and foodborne illness prevention. But for bakeries that want to outpace their competitors in food safety and commercial success, it’s also beneficial to join a professional community like BEAG.

Our mission is to support both equipment manufacturers and wholesale bakers in ensuring food-safe production and getting recognition as leaders in due diligence. As a BEAG member, you’re able to:

• Apply baking industry standards with support from BEAG and food safety experts

• Receive more and better business through your listing in the directory of BEAG-participating companies

• Demonstrate to regulatory agencies that your equipment conforms to the ANSI Z50.2-2015(R2020) Bakery Equipment Sanitation Requirements standard

• Pave the way for positive change by helping to create and review sanitation standards on the ANSI/ASB/Z50 Committee

• Recognize equipment with superior hygienic design with access to the Design Handbook for Easily Cleanable Equipment

• Deepen your knowledge of food safety with online and in-person educational opportunities

Start your BEAG membership today to join the fast track to exceptional food safety and commercial baking success.