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Ensuring Food Safety: Hygienic Design and Facility Requirements for Food Establishments
Food safety starts with proper design and facilities. This blog explains how food establishments can minimize contamination risks by following hygienic design principles, maintaining clean premises, and using safe equipment. Learn how to meet food safety standards and protect your customers while enhancing your business reputation.
ESTABLISHMENT: DESIGN AND FACILITIES
Depending on the nature of the operations, and the risks associated with them, premises, equipment and facilities should be located, designed and constructed to ensure that:
- Contamination is minimized.
- Design and layout permit appropriate maintenance, cleaning and disinfections and minimize air- borne contamination.
- Surfaces and materials, in particular those in contact with food, are non-toxic in intended use and, where necessary, suitably durable and easy to maintain and clean.
- Where appropriate, suitable facilities are available for temperature, humidity and other controls.
- Where is effective protection against pest access and harborage.
Attention to good hygienic design and construction, appropriate location and the provision of adequate facilities, is necessary to enable hazards to be effectively controlled.
LOCATION OF ESTABLISHMENTS
Potential sources of contamination need to be considered when deciding where to locate food establishments, as well as the effectiveness of any reasonable measures that might be taken to protect food. Establishments should not be located anywhere where, after considering such protective measures, it is clear that there will remain a threat to food safety or suitability. In particular, establishments should normally be located away from:
- Environmentally polluted areas and industrial activities which pose a serious threat of contaminating food.
- Areas subject to flooding unless sufficient safeguards are provided.
- Areas prone to infestations of pests.
- Areas where wastes, either solid or liquid, cannot be removed effectively.
Types Of Certification
- ISO Certification
- ISO 9001 Certification
- ISO 14001 Certification
- ISO 45001 Certification
- ISO 22000 Certification
- ISO 27001 Certification
- ISO 17025 Certification
- ISO 13485 Certification
- ISO 20000-1 Certification
- ISO 22301 Certification
- ISO 50001 Certification
- ISO 37001 Certification
- IATF 16949 Certification
- ISO 29001 Certification
- ISO 31000 Certification
- ISO 20121 Certification
- ISO 10002 Certification
- ISO 41001 Certification
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EQUIPMENT
Equipment should be located so that it:
- Permits adequate maintenance and cleaning.
- Functions in accordance with its intended use.
- Facilitates good hygiene practices, including monitoring.
PREMISES AND ROOMS - DESIGN AND LAYOUT
Where appropriate, the internal design and layout of food establishments should permit good food hygiene practices, including protection against cross-contamination between and during operations by foodstuffs.
INTERNAL STRUCTURES AND FITTINGS
Structures within food establishments should be soundly built of durable materials and be easy to maintain, clean and where appropriate, able to be disinfected. In particular the following specific conditions should be satisfied where necessary to protect the safety and suitability of food:
- The surfaces of walls, partitions and floors should be made impervious materials with no toxic effect in intended use.
- Walls and partitions should have a smooth surface up to a height appropriate to the operation.
- Floors should be constructed to allow adequate drainage and cleaning.
- Ceilings and overhead fixtures should be constructed and finished to minimize the buildup of dirt and condensation, and the shedding of particles.
- Windows should be easy to clean, be constructed to minimize the buildup of dirt and where necessary, be fitted with removable and cleanable insect-proof screens. Where necessary, windows should be fixed.
- Doors should have smooth, non-absorbent surfaces, and be easy to clean and, where necessary, disinfect.
- Working surfaces that come into direct contact with food should be in sound condition, durable and easy to clean, maintain and disinfect. They should be made of smooth, non- absorbent materials, and inert to the food, to detergents and disinfectants under normal operating conditions.
TEMPORARY/MOBILE PREMISES AND VENDING MACHINES
Premises and structures covered here include market stalls, mobile sales and street vending vehicles, temporary premises in which food is handled such as tents and marquees. Such premises and structures should be sited, designed and constructed to avoid, as far as reasonably practicable, contaminating food and harboring pests.
In applying these specific conditions and requirements, any food hygiene hazards associated with such facilities should be adequately controlled to ensure the safety and suitability of food.
EQUIPMENT
Equipment and containers (other than once-only use containers and packaging) coming into contact with food, should be designed and constructed to ensure that, where necessary, they can be adequately cleaned, disinfected and maintained to avoid the contamination of food. Equipment and containers should be made of materials with no toxic effect in intended use. Where necessary, equipment should be durable and movable or capable of being disassembled to allow for maintenance, leaning, disinfection, monitoring and for example to facilitate inspection for pests.
FOOD CONTROL AND MONITORING EQUIPMENT
In addition to the general requirements in paragraph 4.3.1, equipment used to cook, heat treat, cool, store or freeze food should be designed to achieve the required food temperatures as rapidly as necessary in the interests of food and suitability, and them effectively. Such equipment should also be designed to allow temperatures to be monitored and controlled. Where necessary, such equipment should have effective means of controlling and monitoring humidity, air-flow and any other characteristic likely to have a detrimental effect on the safety or suitability of food. These requirements are intended to ensure that:
- Harmful or undesirable micro-organisms or their toxins are eliminated or reduced to safe levels or their survival and growth are effectively controlled.
- Where appropriate, critical limits established in HACCP-based plans can be monitored; and
- Temperatures and other conditions necessary to food safety and suitability can be rapidly achieved and maintained.
CONTAINERS FOR WASTE AND INEDIBLE SUBSTANCES
Containers for waste, by-products and inedible or dangerous substances, should be specifically identifiable, suitably constructed and where appropriate, made of impervious material. Containers used to hold dangerous substances should be identified and where appropriate, be lockable to prevent malicious or accidental contamination of food.
FACILITIES
1. WATER SUPPLY
An adequate supply of potable water with appropriate facilities for its storage, distribution and temperature control, should be available whenever necessary to ensure the safety and suitability of food.
Potable water should be as specified in the latest edition of WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality, or water of a higher standard. Non-potable water (for use in, for example, fire control, steam production, refrigeration and other similar purposes where it would not contaminate food), shall have a separate system. Non-potable water systems shall be identified and shall not connect with, or allow reflux into, potable water systems.
2. DRAINAGE AND WASTE DISPOSAL
Adequate drainage and waste disposal systems and should be provided. They should be designed and constructed so that the risk of contaminating food or the potable water supply is avoided.
3. CLEANING
Adequate facilities, suitably designated, should be provided for cleaning food, utensils and equipment. Such facilities should have an adequate supply of hot and cold potable water where appropriate.
4. PERSONNEL HYGIENE FACILITIES AND TOILETS
Personnel hygiene facilities should be available to ensure that an appropriate degree of personal hygiene can be maintained and to avoid contaminating food
Where appropriate, facilities should include:
- Adequate means of hygienically washing and drying hands, including wash basins and a supply of hot and cold (or suitably temperature controlled) water.
- Lavatories of appropriate hygienic design.
- Adequate changing facilities for personnel.
Such facilities should be suitably located and designated.
5. TEMPERATURE CONTROL
Depending on the nature of the food operations undertaken, adequate facilities should be available for heating, cooling, cooking, refrigerating and freezing food, for storing refrigerated or frozen foods, monitoring food temperatures, and when necessary, controlling ambient temperatures to ensure the safety and suitability of food.
6. AIR QUALITY AND VENTILATION
Adequate means of natural or mechanical ventilation should be provided, in particular to:
- Minimize air-borne contamination of food, for example, from aerosols and condensation droplets.
- Control ambient temperatures.
- Control odors which might affect the suitability of food.
- Control humidity, where necessary, to ensure the safety and suitability of food.
Ventilation systems should be designed and constructed so that air does not flow from contaminated areas to clean areas and, where necessary, they can be adequately maintained and cleaned.
7. LIGHTING
Adequate natural or artificial lighting should be provided to enable the undertaking to operate in a hygienic manner. Where necessary, lighting should not be such that the resulting color is misleading. The intensity should be adequate to the nature of the operation. Lighting fixtures should, where appropriate, be protected to ensure that food is not contaminated by breakages.
8. STORAGE
Where necessary, adequate facilities for the storage of food, ingredients and non-food chemicals like cleaning materials, lubricants, fuels should be provided. Where appropriate, food storage facilities should be designed and constructed to:
- Permit adequate maintenance and cleaning.
- Avoid pest access and harborage.
- Enable food to be effectively protected from contamination during storage.
- Where necessary, provide an environment which minimizes the deterioration of food (e.g. by temperature and humidity control).
The type of storage facilities required will depend on the nature of the food. Where necessary, separate, secure storage facilities for cleaning materials and hazardous substances should be provided.
Conclusion:
Proper design, location, and maintenance of food establishments are crucial to ensuring food safety and hygiene. By implementing effective contamination control measures, maintaining hygienic premises, and using suitable equipment and facilities, businesses can minimize risks and uphold high food safety standards. Compliance with these guidelines not only protects consumers but also enhances operational efficiency and reputation.
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FAQ
Which ISO standard applies to food establishment design and hygiene?
ISO 22000 sets requirements for food safety management, ensuring hygienic facility design, contamination control, and safe operations.
How does ISO certification improve food safety in establishments?
ISO certification ensures compliance with global hygiene standards, minimizes contamination risks, and enhances consumer trust.
What are the key facility requirements for ISO 22000 compliance?
How can food businesses control air contamination?
Proper ventilation, air filtration, and humidity control help minimize airborne contamination and maintain a hygienic environment.