One of the largest risks to a food processing facility is the existence and persistence of harmful pathogens, lurking somewhere undetected in the food processing environment.

Pathogens are difficult enough to contain and control when they are introduced onto non-porous surfaces such as hard conveyor belts or stainless-steel tabletops, but they become even more difficult to irradicate when they become resident deep inside pieces of food processing equipment and machinery, which are difficult to clean and sanitize. These microorganisms are so small that you could fit hundreds of thousands on the tip of a single paperclip. It is no surprise, therefore, that they sometimes move through food facilities with near impunity while evading detection.

In 2021 (a relatively quiet year for food product recalls), there were a total of 134 food product recalls announced for the presence of harmful pathogens. Over 30% of those recalls involved large amounts of foods that were produced over long periods of time (days, weeks, months or even years) while unknowingly being intermittently contaminated with pathogens. Unfortunately, this has been, and will likely continue to be, a trend we see in food facilities and future food product recalls.

So, what does this data tell us about the food industry’s overall ability to control and eliminate harmful pathogens in the food processing environment? Well, the answer is complicated. Many of the recalls announced over the last decade (for food products containing pathogens) were announced by very mature and sophisticated food companies who, everyone believed, had developed and implemented very robust food safety programs. So, how, then, are those harmful microorganisms continuing to occupy food facilities and also continuing to, over extended periods, infiltrate our food?

Well, in the cases noted above, the contamination is likely resident somewhere in the food processing environment, slowly contaminating foods with a frequency and levels that are small enough to avoid routine detection but high enough to make people sick. So, where are they hiding?

In many cases, niche organisms can survive for extended periods in drains, under equipment footings, inside table legs, within the seals or mechanicals of mixers or choppers, deep within floor cracks, in air handlers, or on overhead equipment. Microorganisms, once introduced into the food processing environment, can spread rapidly, invading an almost unlimited number of locations.

In the battle to control and eradicate these harmful bacteria, clients and colleagues often inquire whether certain cleaning utensils, equipment or methods will be more or less effective in this winning this battle. In some of these conversations, questions are asked more pointedly about floor scrubbers. While floor scrubbing machines can quickly and efficiently clean large swaths of floor, they can also be bulky machines which, depending upon the design, might prove difficult to fully clean and sanitize.

While I readily share my own opinions on the considerations of using such equipment, I also readily admit that my opinions (whether for or against) may be wrong. I am thus interested in hearing from all of you. In the end, I do believe that this is an important question that merits a healthy dose of consideration.

So, what is your own opinion on floor scrubbers in food facilities? Should floor scrubbers be embraced — or should they be scrubbed?

Should Floor Scrubbers be Scrubbed?

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