Cleaning and Sanitizing in Produce Facilities: Identifying Compliance Gaps and Associated Training Needs, Opportunities and Preferences

Inspections of fresh produce operations for compliance with the Produce Safety Rule (PSR) have identified cleaning and sanitizing (C/S) as a significant challenge. To better understand C/S practices in the produce industry a national survey was administered over a 3-week period in summer 2020 to fresh produce operations in U.S. Survey responses (n = 162) represented 135 produce operations from 18 different states. The most common materials reported for harvesting containers (n = 50 responses) were plastic (80%), wood (30%), cardboard (16%), and canvas (12%), while stainless steel (81%) and plastic (71%) were most commonly used for post-harvest equipment (n = 42 responses). Bleach (40/63), quaternary ammonium compounds (32/63), and peracetic acid (26/63) were the most commonly reported sanitizers. Respondents indicated there is a need for resources on principles and practical implementation of C/S, identification of hazards and prioritizing C/S activities, establishing a C/S program, and verification of C/S effectiveness, in English, Spanish and other languages. High turnover and seasonal workforce (37/65) and no time to C/S (19/65) were indicated as major barriers for improving C/S in a facility. The results of the survey helped guide a virtual C/S workshop in 2021, and an in-person workshop currently in development.