Food manufactures know they must produce a safe, quality food product that their customers will continue to trust. To do this they must be diligent in their quality assurance programs. Are you giving your sanitation group the proper allotted time and training to always perform their duties correctly? If you are involved in food manufacturing you want to answer “YES.” But in reality, you have to implement programs to ensure the effective cleaning of your processes and equipment prior to each day’s start of production.
To be proactive many food manufacturers use a surface ATP (adenosine triphosphate-the energy molecule stored in all microorganisms) bioluminescence testing method. The ATP that is measured from a sample may be from food residue, bacteria, yeast, mold or some combination of these. Keep in mind the ATP methods only give a broad indication of the presence of organic substances and not specific microorganisms. This is a quick and simple to use system designed to detect ATP on surfaces after cleaning and prior to applying sanitation chemicals. If the ATP level found surpasses your established threshold the equipment must be re-cleaned and tested to confirm the surface is clean. By utilizing ATP testing this allows the sanitization group to improve their work immediately.
Monitoring your facilities hygiene is critical when it comes to HARPC and HACCP compliance. As part of comprehensive food safety program, it can also bring a great deal of peace of mind. If you compare the investment in strengthening your sanitization program verses the total costs associated with an outbreak or product recall (consider possible harm to your customers, litigation costs, wasted product, production downtime, and damage to your brand), the choice becomes pretty clear.
Simply put, ATP testing methods are an important tool in looking beyond the surface when it comes to clean. Keep an eye out for more ATP news right here on the Wide Line blog, including exciting new developments in ATP technology provided by 3M later this year. In the meantime, we’re here to help you with all of your ATP and environmental testing needs! Help is just a click or a call away!
