
Food industry companies in growth mode all have something in common --- they want to expand production safely and efficiently. However, they each have goals, processes and concerns unique to their business, which vary dramatically depending on which food submarket they are in (meat, produce, bakery, etc.). I find that working closely with the owner’s team to understand their challenges related to food safety helps us determine effective solutions. Infrastructure for easy sanitation maintenance might be considered, for example, but we might also suggest elements such as sloped floors, temperature monitoring or Clean-in-Place (CIP) systems.
Whatever form it takes, sanitary design must be integrated with facility planning from the very beginning of a project. This approach promotes client trust and confidence in the Design-Build experts’ ability to provide the best process flow and building components for a superior sanitary facility. Equally important, if food company executives are engaged from the outset of design, they will be in a great position for success as the end users.
Why Sanitary Design?
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that each year 1 in 6 Americans gets sick from contaminated food or beverages and 3,000 die from foodborne illness. In 2022, illnesses caused by foodborne germs –E Coli, Salmonella and Listeria -- exceeded or returned to levels observed in 2016-2018, a time period which saw the most cases of multi-state outbreaks in 20 years. The removal of many pandemic era interventions has resulted in a resumption of illnesses, international travel and other factors leading to intestinal infections.
Foodborne illness can be prevented in part by food processors recognizing and reducing contamination hazards in their operations. While the FDA routinely inspects food facilities and sets forth guidelines such as the Food Safety Modernization Act’s (FSMA) Final Rule , implementing sanitary design best practices remains one of the best ways to avoid contamination in a food facility.
Sanitary design is sometimes referred to as hygienic design. Sanitary/hygienic design is the practice of designing and constructing food facilities to minimize contamination risks and enable effective cleaning and sanitation.
Superior design will always safeguard against microbiological hazards, facilitate easy sanitation maintenance, and protect product integrity. It should also anticipate change in client business models, setting them up for a productive and profitable future.
Someone once told me that this type of design work isn’t exciting, but I strongly disagree. I’ve been designing food processing and food distribution projects for more than 16 years and I have become more passionate about this line of work as I gain more experience. What follows are some top considerations for thorough sanitary design, including change-making strategies and elements.
Hygienic Zones/Material and Personnel Flow
Creating hygienic zones in food processing facilities through physical separation is becoming a more frequent practice for ensuring food safety. It is imperative to reduce the likelihood of transferring hazards and allergens between different areas of the plant or process. For example, adding physical separation between process lines can help with wash-downs and/or prevent cross contamination.
During discussions with food processing facility executives, we consider critical questions: How should material and personnel flow throughout the facility? What rooms will accumulate water via the process or wash-downs? What are the room temperature, humidity, airflow, and air quality requirements? Can we provide space to promote sanitation? What zones will have special material requirements? How should the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems be designed to prevent contamination? And lastly, how can we integrate a sanitation program into the building design?
A seafood manufacturer might receive fish in different forms, necessitating different paths through the facility. My team’ challenge in this case, would be to create pathways, spaces and conditions that will ensure superior product safety and integrity.
Fish moving down the one path might require a dedicated refrigerated space for the griller/flamer with an extraction fan that pulls air from the environment in and around the grill, then up and out of the facility. To use this equipment in a refrigerated space, we would work with the client and our refrigeration vendor on a custom system, including a mixed-air unit that would bring in recycled and fresh air to supplement the removed heat.
Building Components & Construction
The methods and materials used to construct a building can also facilitate sanitation in food facilities. It’s imperative to prevent harborage points, ensure sealed joints and the absence of voids, and to use durable components that can be properly cleaned. Carefully selecting materials for the floors, wall finishes and coatings, and items such as walk-on ceilings, can aid in these efforts.
Working with bakeries, for instance, I often notice accumulation of flour dust on the floors and overhead horizontal surfaces – primarily produced during the dough mixing process. The exposed roof structure, including utilities and light fixtures suspended above the process equipment, increases the surface areas which require attention during the sanitation process.
Many baking company owners are extremely interested in a design for new expansion spaces or greenfield facilities that can be more efficiently cleaned and maintained and would promote food safety.
One solution I introduce is a physical separation, or hygienic zone, to contain the dust to that area of the plant. Next, an interstitial space, or walk-on Insulated Metal Panel (IMP) ceiling, over the entire process area will separate process areas from utility services and overhead structural components. Utility services above the IMP ceiling can be routed horizontally to a location within the plant that can then drop vertically to their required connection point -- significantly reducing the number of horizontal surfaces within the process areas.
In conclusion, these strategies will benefit food industry companies by reducing contamination risks and downtime for sanitation and/or maintenance, and serve as a blueprint for future expansion.
Tyler Goodwill is the design leader at A M King.