Discuss integrated pest management line and

batch food plant layouts, importance of cleaning

and sanitizing in food industry.
Discuss integrated pest management line
What is IPM?

IPM is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention

of pests or their damage through a combination of techniques such as biological
control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and use of
resistant varieties.

The Importance of Pest Control in the Food Industry

Pests are inherently drawn towards food. Hence, the food industry is one of the
most vulnerable segments which cannot do without pest control to maintain their
high levels of food safety. Pests are the carriers of a wide variety of disease
causing bacteria, viruses and a host of other organisms. They are a threat to the
health of the staff involved in the processing and handling of food, to consumers

Common Pests in the Food Industry

The types of pests found in food handling, processing or manufacturing facilities

differ on the basis of food, environment and geography. Some of the most common
pests found across the food industry worldwide are:

 Cockroaches – These are one of the most loathed pests and for good reason.
They are known to be the carriers of 6 kinds of parasitic worms, 7 kinds of
human pathogens and at least 33 kinds of bacteria. They may also pick up debris
and germs on their legs while crawling through sewage and other unclean places
which can then be easily transferred to food, work stations, food processing
equipment, thus increasing the chances of contamination.
 Rodents – Rodent control is a major problem which the food industry faces
even today. Rodents include rats and mice. Risks associated with rodent
infestation are damage to property, electrical equipment, machinery, food
 containers, packaging, contamination of food with droppings, fur, urine,
transmission of hazardous parasites thus increasing the risk of serious diseases.
 Flies – Different types of flies are known to be the carriers of over 100
harmful pathogens. They usually breed in decaying garbage and moist unclean
environments and then move to fresh food, manufacturing and processing
equipment and other work stations, thus contaminating them by spreading
disease-causing bacteria.
 Birds – They can cause a great amount of physical damage by blocking
guttering systems with their nests and feathers as well as dislodging roof tiles,
especially the larger birds. Bird droppings, nesting materials and feathers can
contaminate food products, surfaces, preparation areas and equipment. They can
transmit harmful pathogens including bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi.

7Steps to an Effective Pest Management Program

In practice, IPM is an ongoing cycle of seven critical steps:

Step 1: Inspection

The cornerstone of an effective IPM program is a schedule of regular inspections.

For food processors weekly inspections are common, and some plants inspect even
more frequently. These routine inspections should focus on areas where pests are
most likely to appear – receiving docks, storage areas, employee break rooms, sites
of recent ingredient spills, etc. – and identify any potential entry points, food and
water sources, or harborage zones that might encourage pest problems.

Step 2: Preventive Action

As regular inspections reveal vulnerabilities in your pest management program,
take steps to address them before they cause a real problem. One of the most
effective prevention measures is exclusion, i.e., performing structural maintenance
to close potential entry points revealed during inspection. By physically keeping
pests out, you can reduce the need for chemical countermeasures.
Likewise, sanitation and housekeeping will eliminate potential food and water
sources, thereby reducing pest pressure.

Step 3: Identification
Different pests have different behaviors. By identifying the problematic species,
pests can be eliminated more efficiently and with the least risk of harm to other
organisms. Professional pest management always starts with the correct
identification of the pest in question. Make sure your pest control provider
undergoes rigorous training in pest identification and behavior.

Step 4: Analysis
Once you have properly identified the pest, you need to figure out why the pest is
in your facility. Is there food debris or moisture accumulation that may be
attracting it? What about odors? How are the pests finding their way in – perhaps
through the floors or walls? Could incoming shipments be infested? The answers
to these questions will lead to the best choice of control techniques.

Step 5: Treatment Selection

IPM stresses the use of non-chemical control methods, such as exclusion or
trapping, before chemical options. When other control methods have failed or are
inappropriate for the situation, chemicals may be used in least volatile formulations
in targeted areas to treat the specific pest. In other words, use the right treatments
in the right places, and only as much as you need to get the job done. Often, the
“right treatment” will consist of a combination of responses, from chemical
treatments to baiting to trapping. But by focusing on non-chemical options first,
you can ensure that your pest management program is effectively eliminating pests
at the least risk to your food safety program, non-target organisms and the
environment. You’ll also see higher pest control scores at audit time.

Step 6: Monitoring
Since pest management is an ongoing process, constantly monitoring your facility
for pest activity and facility and operational changes can protect against infestation
and help eliminate existing ones. Since your pest management professional most
likely visits your facility on a bi-weekly or weekly basis, your staff needs to be the
daily eyes and ears of the IPM program. Employees should be cognizant of
sanitation issues that affect the program and should report any signs of pest
activity. You don’t want to lose a day when it comes to reacting to an actual pest
presence.

Step 7: Documentation
Let’s face it, the food safety auditor’s visit can make or break your business. Since
pest control can account for up to 20 percent of your total score, it’s imperative
that your IPM program is ready to showcase come audit time. Up-to-date pest
 control documentation is one of the first signs to an auditor that your facility takes
pest control seriously. Important documents include a scope of service, pest
activity reports, service reports, corrective action reports, trap layout maps, lists of
approved pesticides, pesticide usage reports and applicator licenses.

Benefits of Integrated Pest Management

Health

People who suffer from allergies or asthma can become particularly vulnerable
during a pest infestation. Pests such as rodents, dust mites and cockroaches can
pose serious problems to these people. By reducing the likelihood of infestations,
IPM helps protect people’s health and comfort.

Economics
IPM requires a committed, labour-intensive effort to eliminate pest problems. This
may appear expensive at first. However, in the long term, IPM can reduce business
costs by effectively dealing with the root causes of pest problems and reducing the
likelihood of infestations reoccurring in the future. Also, the pest prevention
methods can bring other benefits by, for example, making buildings more energy
efficient.

Environment
IPM reduces or eliminates risks to the environment, such as contamination or
pollution, because it offers alternative, less harmful pest-control strategies. In
addition, this ensures that other species are not harmed by the process. And in turn,
this helps protect the brand by increasing public confidence in the business’s
commitment to protecting the environment

 What Prevention Measures Are Recommended?

Facility managers are the first line of defense as they are closely involved in the
monitoring of potential entry points and signs of infestation.

 Exclusion and sanitation are two of the most basic yet most effective
preventive measures the food industry can take when it comes to keeping their
 premises pest-free. This essentially helps prevent infestation and leads to a more
safe, efficient and organized workplace.
 Eliminate incorrect garbage disposal. Follow a specific system to ensure that
the premises of your food facility within and outside remain clean and free from
any type of unnecessary clutter and debris.
 Seal all potential pest entry points such as cracks and crevices in areas
around the pipes, loading docks, foundations etc.
 Perform regular inspections of areas prone to pest infestation.
 Having a rock or gravel perimeter around the facility will discourage the
growth of vegetation which could harbor pests.

Batch food plant layouts

batch process 
is a process in which one batch is made and finished before the other is started.
Plant layout
Plant layout refers to the arrangement of physical facilities such as machines,
equipment, tools, furniture etc.in such a manner so as to have quickest flow of
material at the lowest cost and with the least amount of handling in processing the
product from the receipt of raw material to the delivery of the final product.
Need of Plant Layout:
Many situations give rise to the problem of plant layout. Two plants having similar
operations may not have identical layouts. This may be due to size of the plant,
nature of the process and management’s caliber.
Advantages of batch processing
The great advantage of batch processing is that it is a flexible process. You can
make small batches of products and it is easy to make slight variations in your
products from batch to batch.
  Another advantage is that you have some flexibility in how you perform
your process. If your ingredients behave slightly different, it is relatively
easy to change some aspects of the batch slightly and still make it work.
 Also, equipment for batch processing tends to be cheaper.
 A batch process can be started and stopped relatively easily.

disadvantages
is that you have to keep on cleaning/starting up between every batch. That said,
overall risk with a batch process

Objectives of good Plant Layout:

 A well designed plant layout is one that can be beneficial in achieving the
following objectives:
 Proper and efficlent utilization of available floor space
 Transportation of work from one point to another point without any delay
 Proper utilization of production capacity.
 Reduce material handling costs
 Utilize labour efficiently
 Reduce accidents
Batch plant layout of vegetable oil refining process
Batch refining consists of following sections.

Neutralizing
Bleaching
Deodorizing
Neutralizing
Oil phase free of hydratable gums flows to a Centrifugal mixer after heating in a
plate heat exchanger, where it is added with phosphoric acid from acid storage tank
by a metering pump. The mixture is further taken to a Centrifugal mixer where it is
added with caustic lye from lye solution service tank by a metering pump. The
caustic solution circuit is completed with storage tank and recirculation pump. The
mixture is then taken to a centrifuge where the non-hydratable gums and soap
stock are separated and are pumped out of the system by a pump via a soap
collecting tank.
Bleaching
The purpose of Bleaching is to remove the color pigments contained inside
Vegetable Oils. The neutralized oil is heated at additional temperature through
thermic boilers to ultimately raise the temperature of oil upto 120 C to 130 C.
The oil is then treated with Bleaching Clays that adsorb the color pigments.
Filtration
Once the bleaching process is completed, filtration is done to the crude oil. The
purpose of filtration is to remove the spent chemicals. The clay is filtered either on
Plate Type Conventional Filter Presses or on Vertical Pressure Leaf Filters.
Deodorization
 is actually a stripping process in which a given amount of a stripping agent
(usually steam) is passed for a given period of time through hot oil at a low
pressure. Hence, it is mainly a physical process in which various volatile
components are remove. Than oil is polished filter. at the end oil is stored.
 Importance of cleaning and sanitizing in food industry
Cleaning

Cleaning is designed to remove all visible dirt, soil, chemical residues and
allergens from equipment, utensils and work surfaces.

Sanitizing

Sanitizing is designed to reduce the number of microorganisms to a safe level.

Sanitizing is performed after cleaning. Unclean surfaces will reduce the
effectiveness of sanitizing. All surfaces that come into contact with food must be
cleaned and sanitized regularly. Sanitizing should not be confused with sterilizing.
While sanitizing reduces microorganisms to a safe level, sterilizing removes all
microorganisms from an item.

Importance of Cleaning and Sanitizing

Effective cleaning and sanitizing procedures help reduce your facility’s risk of
spreading foodborne illness and accidentally distributing contaminated food
products. This, in turn, maintains your facility’s public image, prevents costly
recalls and lawsuits, and helps keep your workers safe and healthy. Cleaning
means removing “soils” food residue, oils, grease, and dirt—from a surface. Soils
can harbor bacteria and other microorganisms and can physically block sanitizing
chemicals from reaching the surface. After proper and effective cleaning has been
done, your facility should the sanitize surfaces that have been cleaned. Sanitizing
reduces the number of hazardous bacteria on a surface to levels that regulators
consider safe. Dishes, equipment, work surfaces, and machinery are not properly
clean until they have been both cleaned and sanitized.

WHY Clean?

Simply put, food processing equipment must be regularly cleaned to ensure a safe
and efficient manufacturing environment. Seven of the most important reasons for
keeping processing equipment clean include:

1. Prevent transfer of ingredients from one product to the next. This is

especially important when multiple products are produced on the same equipment.
Proper cleaning is effective in removing trace ingredients to help prevent cross-
contact of allergens.
2. Reduce chances of food contamination that can lead to health hazards or
affect product quality.
3. Provide a clean surface for disinfection. Surfaces cannot be properly
sanitized or disinfected if they are not thoroughly cleaned first.
4. Comply with local and international standards and regulations to ensure
consumer safety and avoid legal issues.
5. Increase plant performance and productivity by diminishing waste,
maintaining equipment and preserving product quality.
6. Enhance worker safety by providing a clean working environment and
smoothly functioning equipment.
7. Produce a quality product that tastes good and is well received in the
marketplace. 

The importance of cleaning and sanitizing

There are three main reasons why cleaning and sanitizing is important:

 Cleaning and sanitizing helps to prevent pest infestations.

Sanitation used to be called "housekeeping," a term many experienced pest

management professionals (PMPs) still prefer because it implies reducing
clutter picking up messes; sweeping, cleaning, and polishing surfaces; and
keeping everything in good repair.

 Cleaning and sanitizing helps your business stay compliant with food safety
laws and regulations.
 Without proper cleaning and sanitization procedures, foodservice operators
are putting their customers at increased risk of foodborne illness. A food
poisoning outbreak will negatively affect customer’s perception and
satisfaction with your business, giving your business a bad reputation. A bad
reputation can mean lost sales and may even put you out of business.
 Cleaning and sanitizing helps to protect customers and employees from
health risks like food poisoning and allergic reactions.
Food poisoning can cause severe illness or even death. Frequent, rigorous cleaning
and sanitizing will help to prevent this from happening in your restaurant or other
food business.

The importance of cleaning and sanitizing

The purpose of cleaning and sanitizing is to prevent the growth of bacteria on

surfaces and equipment used to process, store and transport food..

Importance of Sanitation

 Prevents pest infestation.

Cleaning and sanitizing also discourages pest infestations, as most pests are
attracted to food scraps, crumbs and odours in food preparation and service areas.
Cleaning and sanitizing is also important to create a safe working environment for
staff and to present a good image to customers

 Kills bacteria already present.

It is well known just how easily germs and bacteria spread in the workplace. When
illness strikes, our natural response is to avoid contact with the sick individual and
clean and sanitize the area to prevent others from becoming sick.

 Reduces potential for cross contamination.

Foodservice operators must implement and follow the proper cleaning and
sanitizing procedures to prevent cross-contamination and foodborne illness. Clean
and sanitize all work surfaces is the best way to avoid cross-contamination and to
reduce the risk of your food causing illness is to properly. Simply rinsing
equipment is not enough to eliminate pathogens that can contaminate food.
 Can help increase shelf life.

Effective sanitation programs include good manufacturing practices (or GMPs),

and with the Food Safety Modernization Act, GMPs have been modified and are
required to be implemented to manage food safety. GMPs and environmental
controls play a large role in ensuring products meet shelf-life expectations.

 Minimizes chance for injury

  Helps create a more pleasant work environment

Maintaining cleanliness in the workplace not only creates a healthier environment

for employees but also tends to help companies become more efficient and
productive. Cluttered desks, leftover food and waste paper are just some of the
most common items that contribute towards a messy workspace. It is suggested
that a clean workplace increases the professionalism and motivation of the
employees as well as promoting a healthy working environment.