Have You Been Cleaning Wrong: How Overlooking the Cleaning Step Hurts the Goals of the Food Code

Are food contact surfaces that look clean to the naked eye clean? Food soils can remain undetected on dishes, glasses, utensils, and equipment, rendering sanitizers ineffective to kill pathogens to safe levels. In this technical presentation, we'll unpack why decontamination, i.e., the process of properly cleaning food contact surfaces before sanitizing them can occur, is inadvertently overlooked in food establishments by dishwashers, persons in charge or even inspectors. Scientific evidence supporting the need for further scrutiny of the cleaning process, and cleaning products, is provided to inform stakeholders on how to best achieve the sanitation goals of the Food Code through better cleaning.