Food Processing Facilities Design Recommendations

Floor drain is at low point of floor, and the floor slopes to the drain.

Building or renovating a food processing plant is serious business. There are many aspects to consider. This publication presents basic recommendations for such a facility.

What are your goals for the plant? A primary reason for being in any business is to make a profit. Your facility should help you to do this and to make it as easy on yourself as possible. Your facility can greatly affect

• The safety and health of your employees
• The production of a safe, wholesome, salable product
• Product meets regulatory requirements
• Safe & sanitary product
• High-quality product
• Affordable product
• Ease and efficiency of production
• Sanitation

These issues are interrelated. The first step in obtaining a suitable facility is to determine your production. What types of products are you going to produce? In what form - fresh, frozen, raw, ready to eat (RTE)? What is the production rate – both now and in the foreseeable future? How are you going to produce it? When you can answer these questions, you are well on your way to the essential element of planning your facility – the process description and flow diagram. The process description lists and describes every step of the process from receiving raw material through production, packaging, storage and shipment of the finished product. Production rates are included at each step of the process. The flow diagram represents this graphically, which helps in visualizing the process and its flows when laying out the facility. The flow of product and people is critical. There should be no crossing between raw and RTE product. Be sure to include flows of by products/waste materials. This is your facility – design it to make it easy on yourself.

Important considerations

Compliance with regulatory requirements

Both FSIS and FDA have requirements for the design and construction of food processing facilities in order to reduce the potential for contamination. FDA’s requirements are found in 21 CFR 110 (good manufacturing practices) while FSIS’s for meat and poultry are listed in 9 CFR 416. Both requirements largely focus on the end result of a sanitary facility rather than specific practices; however, some (limited) detail is provided on how to achieve this. These requirements cover not only the actual processing areas of the facility; they also address the grounds and storage facilities as well. These regulations may be assessed via the internet. Start with assessing the web address http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html, then click on “Browse and/or search the CFR.” This will bring you to a page with a listing of various CFR titles (you may need to scroll down the page to see them). Click on the title/s you want (9 for FSIS, 21 for FDA – you may click on more than one title)), then scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “continue.” This will bring you to a web page with a listing of the contents of the titles you chose. Click on the appropriate range of parts of the title to bring up a page listing the individual parts. Click on the part you want to read. Another source of information that is somewhat more specific is the Web site http://www.cfsan.fda.gov . In particular, check out “A guide to Self Inspection for the Smaller Food Processor and Warehouse “ under “Special Interest, Industry Assistance” and “2005 Food Code” also under “Special Interest.” Prior to the introduction of HACCP, FSIS required prior approval of processing plants and had a construction reference for this purpose. This is no longer in effect; however, that reference can still provide useful guidance. It may be assessed at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/retrieve.html by clicking the 1997 federal register and entering the page number 45027 in the box to the right of the “CLEAR” button, then clicking “SUBMIT.”

Reduce the potential of cross contamination

Especially for Ready-To-Eat (RTE) product, the flow should be linear with no occurrence of flow from a previous step in the process crossing the path of or coming in contact with a latter step of the process. This includes not only actual product flows but also the flow of personnel or material from one step to another. This may not always be possible. For example, if an existing oven with only one door must be used, raw product enters through the door and cooked product exits the door. Thus, cooked product crosses the path of product from a previous step (raw product into the oven). Avoiding this would require an oven with two doors, one accessible to the raw preparation area through which raw product enters and the other accessible to downstream processes such as cooling or packaging and through which the cooked product exits. This could also be addressed in your SSOP by sanitizing the floor between passage of raw and cooked product. Another example is the use of the same trolley and hoist for delivering a basket of crawfish to the cooker and for removing the basket from the cooker. There is a potential for contamination of the chains (for example by listeria) from the raw product and subsequently contamination of the cooked product by the chains. Use of two hoists, one to deliver the crawfish to the cooker, the other to remove the crawfish form the cooker, would greatly reduce the potential for cross contamination at this step. Obviously, it is easier to maintain proper sanitation with two hoists. While considering the flows, don’t forget the flow of people and material. This may require some thought – and some control -- since people flow is often variable and may occur for reasons not related to production. Material flow is not necessarily obvious either; particularly waste flows and water and air flows. For example, is the floor such that water may flow from a raw area to a finished product area? Is the normal air flow from finished product to raw product (desired) or the other way around? Linear flow of product, people and material, while not absolutely required, will make avoidance of cross-contamination more certain.

Optimize throughput

Sufficient room for people and equipment, and people and equipment (fork lift, pallet jacks) movement (don’t forget overhead clearance); avoid bottlenecks (know required production rates for each steps), avoid “traffic jams” – linear flow could help -- avoid blind turns, delivery and shipping accounted for, waste handling and treatment, if needed, provided for. Plan not only for equipment location but for the necessary utilities (electricity, water, gas, plumbing, etc.) for the operation of the equipment. Good quality lighting of sufficient intensity is a must, not only for production efficiency but also for safety, sanitation and inspection. Light fixtures should be shielded to prevent contamination from broken bulbs and sealed to allow cleaning.

Optimize cleanup

Materials and method of construction should be applicable to cleanup procedures. Floors should actually slope to drains. The slope should be continuous so that water does not form pools or puddles and gradual so that it does not cause difficult working conditions. Drains should be large, protected by grating and feature a trash basket or screen under the grating to prevent clogging the drains and provide for easy cleaning. Floors and walls should be constructed of washable materials which are resistant to cleaning and sanitation materials and to product and process materials. Floors need to be slip-resistant. Among suitable floor materials, concrete has a relatively low cost. The concrete should be finished and sealed to produce a hard, dense surface which will resist penetration by liquids. Sani

Trap prevents waste from clogging drains and adding to waste loading.

tary coving between the floor and the wall should be sealed to prevent water penetration behind the wall. Ceilings, walls and sealants must also be moisture-impervious and cleanable. Walls and ceilings should be light colored.

Sanitation friendly

Construct it so that it is accessible for cleaning. Avoid niches, cracks or blind openings and horizontal surfaces. For example, pipes and utility service lines (including any insulation) should not be installed against a wall or ceiling or on the floor were it would be difficult to clean behind or under. Pipes and service lines should not run above any exposed food or packaging material. If any porous material (such as insulation) must be used, it should be covered by a hard-surfaced material and sealed to prevent moisture penetration to the porous material. Keep in mind how the facility and production will interact. For example, if potable ice is used, it not only needs to be made from potable water in clean and sanitary ice-making equipment but also stored and transported under sanitary conditions. For example, could the floor of a cooler used as part of the ice storage bin be contaminated by water flow from other areas of the facility or by the boots of individuals harvesting the ice? Perhaps a raised platform would be preferable to the floor. The facility must be structurally sound and resistant to penetration by water (rain) and pests. Any areas that are likely to receive damage from processing traffic (carts, fork lifts, pallets) should be protected by a guard.

Adequate storage

Space to put stuff can be a problem. Processing facilities need space that protects finished food and containers; raw materials such as meat, fish and spices; and packaging from contamination or physical damage. All these areas, including dry storage, refrigerated storage, spice handling/formulation rooms, must be sanitary and cleanable. Environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity must be adequate for the material stored. The storage area should be designed to control pests, and there should be separation of products, particularly toxic or allergenic compounds. The need for controlling the environment is often overlooked for shelf-stable materials such as packaging and finished product. Even shelf-stable material needs protection from extremes of temperature and humidity and from condensation. This may require insulating or even heating and cooling the storage area. This is particularly true for high-heat-capacity material (such as cans containing liquid or high-moisture products) in a space that experiences temperature swings sufficient to cause condensation. Pest control is always a high priority. Avoid creating spaces that are difficult to access or inspect. An open strip 18 inches wide, painted white around the inside perimeter makes it easy to observe signs of pests such as rat droppings. Storing material above the floor also helps. Note: rats and mice can and have lived in coolers and freezers. Provisions for keeping toxic and allergenic materials separate should be provided. For example, one or more locking closets with restricted access may be used for toxic material such as pesticides and sanitizers.

Adequate refrigeration

Refrigeration typically serves two purposes. It maintains a product's low temperature, and it lowers the product temperature. Ideally this is accomplished in physically separate locations; that is, there are dedicated freezers and coolers for reducing the temperature of the product and other dedicated coolers to maintain the low temperatures. This separation minimizes the fluctuation of refrigerated temperatures that may result from cooling hot product. Stable refrigeration temperatures maintain quality better than fluctuating temperatures. Refrigeration units should have adequate capacity to meet the anticipated refrigeration load. The load should be calculated and compared to the rated capacity of the refrigeration unit rated under conditions (refrigerated temperature and environmental temperature) expected during operation. Ideally, backup should be available in case a unit goes down or power is lost. Coolers and freezers should be constructed and designed in a manner so that they are easy to maintain, clean and sanitize. They should be sufficient in number and location to reduce the potential for cross contamination, optimize throughput and provide security for the product. Energy efficiency results from insulation and choice of refrigeration equipment and controls. Reliable temperature measurement and recording devices that will o

Security includes both physical and procedural systems.

perate not only under normal conditions but also in the absence of electrical power as well are critical. An alarm with dial-up feature is a desirable option. Do not have exposed RTE products in the same cooler as raw products or potential sources of cross contamination (listeria m.).

Security

A primary component of security is the ability to control ingress and egress. This can be done by not only limiting access – partly a function of facility design -- but also by providing for visibility such as lighting and eliminating hiding places. See “FSIS Security Guidelines for Food Processors” http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/topics/SecurityGuide.pdf

Personnel needs

This includes training or class room, lockers, break room, smoking area, FSIS office, restroom facilities, sinks and sanitation stations (foot bath, foam spray, hand wash and sanitize before entering room), office area and visitor reception area. These facilities should be arranged to minimize contamination resulting from traffic patterns.

Site Selection

• Meets regulatory guidelines
• Surrounding properties do not present a problem such as
• Harboring or attracting pests
• Dust generation
• Chemical releases
• Potable water
• Wastewater treatment feasible
• No adverse history such as a chemical waste dump
• Adequate drainage to prevent potential problems such as contamination by seepage or foot traffic or provide a breeding place for pests
• Services
• Utilities, availability, cost and reliability
• Electric
• Water
• Wastewater treatment
• Fuel – natural gas, propane, etc.
• Communications – phone, internet
• Transportation
• Waste disposal – trash, garbage, processing waste
• Security/law enforcement
• Neighbors
• Burden on you
• You, a burden on them
• Size and characteristics
• Large enough to accommodate needs of building, delivery and receiving, auxiliary buildings, treatment and storage facilities, and parking for employees and customers.
• Soil amenable to building at a reasonable cost.