Disinfection products should meet the BS EN standards.
Businesses must ensure that work areas, surfaces and equipment used for raw and ready-to-eat food are adequately separated.
This can be done by separating raw and ready-to-eat food in separate:
- rooms, staff, utensils and equipment
- areas, staff, utensils and equipment
If this is not possible then you can clean and disinfect areas that are used for both raw and ready-to-eat food. This method carries the most risk and you must follow specific legal requirements to ensure that food is safe.
If you are using a chemical disinfectant or sanitiser, these must meet officially recognised standards and should be used as instructed by the manufacturer. You should pay particular attention to contact times. The contact time is the period of time required by a disinfectant to achieve disinfection, for example of a surface. Contact times vary so it is important that you check the label.
When the same non-food contact surfaces such as worktops, sinks, etc. are used at different times to prepare raw food and ready-to-eat food, they must be cleaned and disinfected between uses.
Chemical disinfectants used in these areas must comply with BS EN 1276:2009 or BS EN 13697:2001 or an equivalent standard. An equivalent standard is one that meets or exceeds the requirements of the British Standard. If you don’t know if the chemicals meet the required standards you should contact the manufacturer. Disinfection will only be effective if carried out on visibly clean surfaces that are free from grease, film or solid matter. Chemical disinfection must always be carried out as a two-stage process.
Stage 1: General cleaning using a detergent - This involves the physical removal of visible grease, dirt and food particles from surfaces and equipment, followed by a thorough rinse to ensure the removal of all residues from the surface.
Stage 2: Disinfection- This involves the use of a disinfectant following the manufacturer’s instructions for its dilution rate and contact time. Disinfectants will not be effective if used on dirty surfaces, or if applied at the incorrect dilution or for the insufficient contact time or the incorrect temperature.
Manufacturer’s instructions must be checked for the correct dilution factor, contact time and rinsing for disinfectants and sanitisers. This is to ensure that the work surface has been effectively cleaned and residue from the disinfectants or sanitisers doesn’t contaminate the food.
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