Sanitation Standards

Another important topic in managing sanitation and food safety is the use of chemicals, which can lead to catastrophic incidences and injuries if handled incorrectly.

Chemistry is for most people a difficult topic. For example, do you know the difference between sodium chloride and sodium chlorite? The difference in spelling is just a ‘d’ vs. a ‘t’, but the difference is monumental. Sodium chloride is common table salt, while sodium chlorite is a power oxidizer, which ignites into flames in a dry state.

To further the confusion, chemicals are usually sold under brand names like KC-568 or Cecure®. If staff members, who are handling such products, are not properly trained, these chemicals must be regarded as hazards that can lead to harmful exposure accidents or chemical contamination incidents.

One trick to reduce the risk of mixing up chemicals is to color-code the containers for easier identification.

Never store chemicals above eye-level to avoid accidents.

The most frequently used sanitizers in the food industry are chlorine based sanitizers, iodophores, and hydrogen peroxide.