Sanitation

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Studies funded by the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) are investigating ways to improve produce packinghouse brush sanitation, including the use of antimicrobial light and choosing the best time to replace brushes.

This article previews upcoming sessions at the 2026 Food Safety Summit and ties in topical learnings from recent Food Safety Insights columns. 

Researchers have developed and validated a rapidly vaporizing antimicrobial liquid designed for dry sanitization, which, after further optimization and regulatory approvals, could offer a potential alternative to highly flammable alcohol-based solutions.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, Richard Stier, M.S., a consulting food scientist and longtime Food Safety Magazine contributor, recalls lessons from decades in food processing facilities, discussing crisis preparedness, internal audits, facility sanitation and employee hygiene, HACCP, and why strong food safety programs must be continuously improved to remain effective.

This article presents the conceptual understanding and objectives of hygienic zoning for food and beverage processing facilities. It discusses linear workflow and cross-contamination, the design of cleaning and disinfection strategies, pathogen environmental monitoring, and the legal implications of hygienic zoning and positive outcomes for industry.

Applying wet sanitation in dry environments often increases risk. Food processors need a balanced understanding of these risks and their desired cleaning outcomes; specifically, the impact of different sanitation practices and how those impacts are driven by hygienic design challenges in their facilities.

This episode of Food Safety Five discusses updated USDA-FSIS guidance on Listeria testing in RTE facilities, the latest on the Boar’s Head facility behind the fatal outbreak of 2024, and a real-world Listeria “Seek and Destroy” success story.

Drawing upon insights shared by UK food safety professionals, a report produced by the Food Safety Research Network (FSRN)/Quadram Institute identifies emerging defenses against microbiological risks in food production environments, including science-backed approaches, advanced technologies, and culture-based initiatives.

Boar’s Head has reopened its Jarratt, Virginia production facility, which was closed after being implicated in a fatal listeriosis outbreak in 2024. The company says the plant, which had exhibited serious food safety and hygiene violations, has undergone renovations and enhancements.

A new report from PMMI, the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies reveals trends driving food safety and sanitation decisions among food and beverage manufacturers, and what these trends mean for original equipment manufacturers and suppliers.