ACO hygienic drainage design ensures food safety is met with ease

The Australian Government Comcare initiative recognises the need to carry out hygienic practices, including educating all stakeholders (including day-to-day shift workers) about food safety, offering first aid training practice, implementing policies and systems such as a nut free environment, a designated hand washing station, systems for labelling food storage boxes, signs and signals as reminders to wash hands or to use certain coloured chopping boards for different ingredients to avoid contamination.

Food ratings that matter

Abiding by the Australian and New Zealand Food Premises and Equipment Standard 3.2.3, a food processing plant should be fitted out to avoid instances of food contamination. All fixtures, fittings and equipment – including transport vehicles used by contracted food handlers – are to be constructed, cleaned and sanitised wherever possible.

Whether a new or existing business, the design of a food processing plant must follow these requirements. The facility must be appropriate for food preparation or serving activity and it must be constructed from materials that are easily cleaned and maintained to not attract unwanted pests or lead to food contamination. The facility must also provide for sufficient working space around fixtures, fittings and equipment to conduct necessary tasks, and to do so in such a way to “permit the food premises to be effectively cleaned and, if necessary, sanitised”. No matter the aesthetic design or construction of such a premise, the business owner must do everything in their power to not harbour the introduction of pests, dirt, dust, fumes, smoke or other contaminations (Australian and New Zealand Food Premises and Equipment Standard 3.2.3 Chapter 3, p. 123)

Hidden hazards aplenty

ACO Building Drainage Divisional Managing Director Andy Buchan highlights the importance of a good drainage system to control harmful bacteria within commercial kitchen and food processing environments. In Drain Brain, speaking on behalf of the ACO team to Foodservice Consultant Magazine, he says:

“Good drainage mitigates the risk of bacteria coming into the premises. People are eating out more these days and poor hygiene can cause major food poisoning outbreaks. Environmental health officers will immediately shut down restaurants for poor hygiene standards. Drainage gives kitchens an outlet for a lot of gunk. Restaurants have to ensure drainage doesn’t harbour bacteria – it must be able to be cleaned effectively so it isn’t a host for bugs.”

The scary reality is that contaminants are incredibly easy to spread and food preparation areas are a welcome breeding ground for their growth. In the Food Premises and Equipment Standard, contaminants are found in any biological, chemical or foreign matter and may compromise the safety or the suitability of the food (p. 137). “Food contamination can be minimised by physically separating the areas where raw products are handled from where the final product is ready for dispatch or service” (p. 133).