Hygiene auditing plays a crucial role in ensuring food safety standards are met and maintained in the food industry. By conducting regular hygiene audits, businesses can identify potential risks, gaps in compliance, and areas for improvement. It also ensures organisations safeguard consumer health, enhance their reputation, and demonstrate a commitment to providing safe and hygienic food products.
ATP/ Bioluminescent Hygiene Audit
The use of ATP/Bioluminescent swabs to audit the standards of cleaning and disinfection within your food business can be used as a record to demonstrate that you and your staff are able to clean and disinfect effectively.
From March 2011, the Food Standards Agency issued guidance to food businesses that stated that effective cleaning and disinfection of food contact equipment and surfaces was the critical control in preventing the spread of E Coli 0157.
Faster than traditional environmental swabs, ATP produces a measurable result and has the advantage that it can be used as a training tool for staff to understand how different cleaning methods can work.
We would recommend quarterly hygiene audits.
Food poisoning is caused by invisible colonies of harmful bacteria that lurk on surfaces and utensils, posing a risk of cross-contamination. Visible cleanliness doesn’t guarantee the absence of bacteria so it can be challenging to ensure true hygiene. Harmful bacteria could be lurking on your chopping board or wooden spoon, just waiting to spoil your next dish.
To be confident your kitchen environment is clean and safe, you need a way to detect or ‘see’ bacteria. And now you can – with bioscan technology!
As a food business, it’s essential to safeguard both your staff and customers. Beyond the cross-contamination risks of food poisoning, there’s also the concern of virus transmission within your premises. Implementing frequent and effective cleaning regimes is necessary, and Bioscanning can help you demonstrate the efficacy of your cleaning efforts.
What is BIOSCANNING?
BIOSCANNING is a hygiene auditing and monitoring system that can detect the presence of bacteria and food residues on any surface in your kitchen or food preparation area. The results of a bioscan reveal whether your cleaning methods are really working.
How Does BIOSCANNING Work?
The technology used in BIOSCANNING is known as ‘bioluminescence’. It works on the detection of a substance known as ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP is present in all living cells, including bacteria. If a high level of ATP is found on a surface during a bioscan test, it indicates that it is not clean.
What does the BIOSCANNING service include?
Our BIOSCANNING service will give you instant feedback on the quality of your kitchen cleaning procedures.
The service includes the following:
- Regular visits (usually 3-4 times per year)
- Equipment swabs – of chopping boards, knives, handles etc
- Bioscan results available within seconds
- Advice and guidance on achieving targets
- Report left on site for immediate action by manager
- Written report within 14 days for files
Other Benefits of BIOSCANNING
Cleaning is a ‘critical control point’ in all food businesses. To comply with Hazard Analysis legislation, it’s crucial to identify these points, implement controls, and establish monitoring procedures. With Bioscanning, monitoring the effectiveness of cleaning becomes effortless and accurate. It gives you total confidence in the hygiene of your operations, and enables you to prove it to others.
Enhancing Cleaning Effectiveness
Bioscanning not only ensures compliance but also elevates your cleaning practices. It allows you to easily identify areas that require improvement and implement targeted measures to bolster your cleaning procedures.
Strengthening Due Dilligence
By utilising Bioscanning as part of your monitoring process, you establish a strong record of proactive measures taken to ensure hygiene and safety. In the event of any scrutiny, Bioscanning provides valuable evidence of your commitment to meeting and exceeding regulatory requirements.