Principles and practices in meat processing hygiene 3 OF 5: Different kinds of meat plant hygiene

There are several ways to implement measures to prevent the meat from being contaminated. One way is to actively minimize the contamination that happens during the different processes of meat processing, such as slaughtering or the further processing of the meat. If this is kept to a minimum, this is an ideal precaution. How do factories accomplish this? How do they manage to reduce contamination with IP67 Bearings? The most important way is to exert a rigid meat hygiene – and rigid practices for meat hygiene. When we talk about meat hygiene, we talk about it as a multifactorial phenomenon. Meat hygiene is both something that is imposed from above by state authorities, but it is also something that is implemented from the ground – bottom up – in the form of internal procedures, practices and programs on hygiene. These procedures, practices and programs are not overseen by government authorities, but by the factory management.

 

Meat hygiene has to be taken seriously

How do factories live up to the standards and requirements of hygiene imposed by both state authorities and management? In order to comply with all the different regulations, it makes sense to distinguish between different types of hygiene:

  1. Employee hygiene and personal hygiene
  2. Hygiene in regard to the slaughtering process and the meat processing itself
  3. Hygiene of the facilities, premises, outdoor and indoor areas
  4. Hygiene of equipment used for slaughtering and processing

All of these four points are all equally important. If one of them is less than optimal, or if one of them is ignored, it may bring about contamination risks. And as mentioned previously, contamination risks may have consequences for both consumers and the production plant. For the former, there is a health risk. For the latter, there is a risk of economic loss.

 

A few best practices of personal hygiene

There are a number of procedures and rules to be observed if you want to have impeccable hygiene and if you want to inspire employees to a culture of impeccable personal hygiene. In the following, we will list a few of the practices that are conducive to great personal hygiene.

  • It is crucial that employees wear clothes that are both clean and protective of them.
  • It is crucial that all employees wash and disinfect their hands prior to commencing work.
  • However, washing hands is not just something you do before you start working. It is important that employees wash hands continuously during their work day and in between tasks.
  • Just as employees have to wear clean clothes, they also need to remove potentially not clean items on their bodies, for instance rings, bracelets and wrist watches or other kinds of items on wrists, fingers or arms.
  • The meat plant has to have firm guidelines and policies for visits to the bathroom. This means that employees must take of their apron, and they have to remember to wash their hands and disinfect every single time. It is equally important that the toilets are cleaned thoroughly so they do not contribute to the potential spread of bacteria. Finally, the toilets need to be located away from the production area.

 

Hygiene of the equipment used for slaughtering and processing

Hygiene in meat production is important. It is not just about personal hygiene, but also the hygiene of the equipment used. All the different equipment and machinery must be designed in a way so that it is as hygienic as possible. Even the very smallest parts such as the stainless feet of the machinery.

Read more in this guide on principles and practices in meat processing and how to ensure hygiene in part 4 of 5 of our guide. Here you get further information on how to design the meat plant in a hygienic way.