Food-Safe Sanitising: Getting It Right in Commercial Kitchens

In a food business, "it looks clean" isn't good enough. Surfaces that touch food need to be cleaned and then sanitised with the right product, at the right strength, for the right contact time. Get it wrong and you either leave germs behind or leave chemicals on the food.

Clean first, then sanitise

Sanitisers can't work through grease and food residue. The correct order is:

1. Scrape off food debris.
2. Wash with hot water and detergent to remove grease and soil.
3. Rinse with clean water.
4. Sanitise with a food-safe sanitiser at the correct dilution.
5. Allow contact time and air-dry, or rinse if the label requires it.

Choosing the right product for the job

• Food-contact surfaces (boards, prep tables, slicers): use a sanitiser labelled as food-safe and follow its instructions exactly.
• Kitchen floors and drains: portion-controlled sachets such as Hygenie Capricide Extra make it easy to get the dilution right every time.
• Non-food high-touch areas (door handles, washrooms, staff areas): a broad-spectrum disinfectant such as G-Cide Sanitiser.

Dilution matters

Too weak and the sanitiser won't work; too strong and it can taint food and damage surfaces. Use a measuring jug or pre-measured sachets, label every spray bottle and make up fresh solution as often as the label requires.

Colour-code your cloths

Using one cloth everywhere spreads germs from raw meat to salads to the bar. Colour-coded cloths make it simple. A common system is:

• Red: raw meat and poultry areas
• Green: salads and fruit
• Blue: general areas and front of house
• Yellow: washrooms (never in the kitchen)

Record it

A cleaning schedule with signatures shows inspectors and your team exactly what was done, when and by whom. It's also the easiest way to spot tasks that keep getting skipped.

Stock up

Hygenie Capricide Extra sachets, G-Cide Sanitiser and Colour Coded Spunlace Cloths are available from maxproducts.co.za.

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Products mentioned in this guide

Available now from our sister company Max Products at maxproducts.co.za, in trade sizes and delivered in Cape Town.

Hygenie Capricide Extra 30g SachetsShop now →G-Cide SanitiserShop now →Colour Coded Spunlace ClothsShop now →

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