February 4, 2014

US meat foundation releases updated sanitary equipment design principles

With an aim to reduce Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, the American Meat Institute Foundation (AMIF) released its new Sanitary Equipment Design Principles which have been a leading factor in food safety advances in meat and poultry plants.

The Principles were developed through an Equipment Design Task Force (EDTF) which was charged with developing equipment sanitary design principles that meet the expectations of the meat and poultry industries.

The design principles provide an opportunity for equipment providers and users to work together to identify issues of common concern before equipment reaches the plant floor while creating a standardised food safety focus for equipment evaluation. The principles also include a checklist, glossary and new photo examples for plants to use when evaluating their equipment.

The 10 principles of sanitary design are: cleanable to a microbiological level; made of compatible materials; accessible for inspection, maintenance, cleaning and sanitation; no product or liquid collection; hollow area should be hermetically sealed; no Niches; sanitary operational performance; hygienic design of maintenance enclosures; hygienic compatibility with other plant systems; and validated cleaning and sanitising protocols.

The Sanitary Design Principles were originally developed in 2002. The original EDTF was honoured with AMI's 2003 Industry Advancement Award for their work. The updated Principles were developed by an EDTF comprised of representatives from 11 meat and poultry processing companies who consulted equipment manufacturers, certifying organisations and government officials to identify the critical nature of equipment design in reducing the risk of contamination by pathogens.