Pre-Inspection Information

• Building of suitable construction:
• Building generally in good physical repair.
• Floors, walls and ceiling constructed of easily cleanable materials.
• Floors, walls and ceiling kept clean.
• Doors, windows and other openings protected to eliminate entry by insects, rodents and other pests.
• Open windows screened, loading doors kept closed when not in use.
• Interior lighting sufficient to allow adequate inspection and cleaning of premises.
• Food products protected against contamination from breakage of light bulbs and other glass fixtures.
• Firm has a scheduled cleaning and pest control program.
• Outside premises free from spillage, trash, etc., which may attract or harbor rodents or other pests.
• The areas around your firm clear of weeds, grass and brush.

• Incoming lots examined visually for damage or contamination prior to placement in storage.
• Food products stored off the floor and away from walls.
• Firm maintains a morgue area for damaged and returned goods, sufficiently away from the main storage area.
• Morgue items disposed of in a proper and timely manner to prevent a source of pest breeding and harborage.
• Fertilizers, toxic chemicals and other potential adulterants adequately separated from human food storage areas.
• Rodenticides and insecticides properly used and stored.
• Refrigerated storage and frozen storage maintained at proper temperatures (45 degrees or less).
• Cold storage units equipped with suitable thermometers.
• Storage areas free of evidence of current insect, rodent, bird, etc., activity.

• Cleaning of facility done in such a manner as to avoid contamination of food products.
• Detergents, sanitizers, hazardous materials and other supplies used in a safe and effective manner.
• Cleaning compounds and hazardous materials kept in original containers, stored separate from food products.
• Refuse properly stored and protected where necessary from insects, rodents and other pests and/or disposed of in an adequate manner.
• Toilets and dressing rooms in good repair, clean, properly ventilated and adequately separated from storage area.
• Hand-washing facilities clean and supplied with soap, hot water and sanitary towels.

(extract from USDA Center for Food Safety Publication)

By inspecting your own establishment, you can see if your operation could face regulatory problems. This information will aid you in performing a check of your own operations so that the inspection will not necessarily surprise you with its findings. While not a substitute for the establishment inspection, conducting your own "self inspection" can help you to detect and solve compliance problems you might have before they get out of hand.

• It is Good Business

No one wants to deal with poor merchandise. If your business gets a reputation for being shoddy, dirty or otherwise negligent, your prospective customers will seek greener, cleaner pastures. It makes good business sense to keep your operation healthy and reputable. Safe, quality foods help you do this.

• It is Your Responsibility

If you store foods, you are legally bound to prevent contamination of the food while it is in your possession. This is the law.

There are seven problem areas that, if left unwatched and unchecked, can become severe hindrances in your efforts to maintain a sanitary food operation free of compliance problems.

First is the rodent (usually, rats and mice). Rodents carry many diseases and parasites which, because of their biological similarity to people, can be transmitted to man. These diseases and parasites include leptospirosis (Weil's Disease), salmonellosis, tapeworms, trichinosis and others.

Rodents will deposit excreta, urine and other filth on food products and around your facilities. They will also gnaw on materials in order to build nests. Rodents contaminate much more than they eat.

Against rodents, you cannot take the security of your plant or firm for granted. Some rodents can walk along telephone wires or leap horizontally 18 feet. They can squeeze through gaps the width of a pencil or drop 50 feet without being killed. Their instinct for survival is high, and they can deviate from "normal" behavior patterns to trick man. They are extremely prolific creatures, and once they've infiltrated your operations, your problems will multiply.

Birds also carry diseases and parasites potentially hazardous to people. They are capable of flying through any open window, door or other gaps in your building, and, like rodents, will leave insanitary droppings that can contaminate your plant and your food products.

Insects seek heat, moisture and darkness, and once in, can be even more elusive than rodents or birds. However, they aren't invisible, they leave trails in the dust, and can also be spotted around likely insect hideouts: holes, damp places, behind boxes and in seams in bags and folds of paper. Like rodents, some insects (e.g. cockroaches)  have a highly developed survival instinct and they are adaptable, they can develop immunity to poisons you use within a few insect generations. They are even more prolific than rodents. With their hairy legs, they spread dirt, debris and bacteria around your firm. They carry either within or outside of their bodies the causes for many serious diseases and ailments such as boils, food poisoning and typhoid fever. In dealing with any of the above pest problems, you may want to try to cope with them on your own, but it is highly recommended that you seek the help of a good pest control operator, or exterminator. The results will probably be better, and in the long run, this may be a more cost-effective method.

If you were to take all the rodents and insects in the world, they would be outnumbered by the bacteria to be found in one vat of spoiled egg batter. Bacteria are a worse problem than any of the previously mentioned creatures because they can't be seen, yet they can sicken or kill just the same.

Bacteria cannot be eliminated, but they can be defeated. Like any creatures, bacteria need a combination of food, water and the proper temperature to survive. By regulating the availability of each, you can take a big step toward keeping their population down.

Molds will grow on almost anything, especially where there is moisture. The presence of mold in a product is an indication that the product contains excessive decomposed material and may also indicate insanitary practices on the part of the processor. Molds can make you ill, and scraping off mold or getting rid of the one bad apple doesn't always solve the problem.

While the other problem areas are active, aggressive opponents, chemical contaminants can only become a problem through misuse or neglect. The end result of their presence can be equally disastrous. Still, this is one of the easier problems to control.

This brings us to the seventh problem area, ignorance and carelessness. As a problem, this can be just as dangerous as any of the preceding, but it can combated by applying the guidelines given in this booklet, and by just using common sense. Now, let's get on with the tactics for waging an offensive against the problems.

Self-inspection is a most cost effective way for you to maintain a firm that is in compliance with federal requirements for food processing and storage. By assuming the role of an investigator, you can uncover potential problems and solve them before they become big problems.

Let's "walk" through an operation, your operation, using the following checklist to investigate major areas of concern. This checklist can serve as a basic guide to help you maintain or improve compliance with federal requirements and to ensure that only safe, quality products reach the consumers.

1. This checklist is a guide to be developed according to the needs of your operation.
2. As you inspect, use the checklist to make a record of the problems you encounter so you won't forget them. You can then make corrections based on the checklist.
3. Formulate inspection, clean up and maintenance schedules and stick to them.
4. Define your employees' responsibilities; make sure each one understands his duties so that no essential details are ignored.
5. Be diligent in your sanitation efforts. The struggle to control pests, bacteria and the other problem areas is a full-time effort.

We'll begin the check with your employees. They are your most important resource.

• Are the employees' well trained in what they do? You can avoid many problems by making sure that your employees clearly understand their functions.
• Is the traffic within your plant controlled to prevent contamination of the processing areas?
• Other Employee practices that need attention

• Is the area around your firm clear of weeds, grass and brush? This sort of foliage can be an effective cover for pests to infiltrate your firm.
• Is there any standing water on your ground which also attracts pests?
• Other outside Plant conditions that I want to look into

• Do windows and doors seal tightly to ward off pests and contaminants?
• Do windows have fine mesh screens to keep out insects?
• Will a pencil pass under the door? That's all the space required for a rodent to enter.
• Have all holes and cracks been filled so as not to provide hiding places or entry points for pests?
• Not only should your firm be free of vermin and pests—there shouldn't even be evidence of the presence of domestic animals such as cats and dogs.
• Are rest rooms cleaned regularly?
• Are the hand-washing facilities furnished with paper or air hand dryers and soap?
• The hand-washing facilities should be furnished with running water at a suitable temperature for washing hands.
• They should provide effective hand-washing and sanitizing preparations.
• Does the roof leak? This can add to the problems of humidity, standing water and product contamination.
• Are the overhead lights covered with shields to prevent contamination of products by broken glass in case the lamps burst?
• Other Building/Facility problems that need to be addressed

• Is all equipment, which comes in contact with food cleaned and sanitized as often as necessary to prevent contamination of the product? You should follow appropriate cleaning schedules for each piece of equipment.
• Is the equipment designed, or otherwise suitable, for use in a food plant? For example, equipment for handling or processing foods cannot contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's), which are very toxic (this does not apply to electrical transformers and condensers containing PCB's in sealed containers).
• Is there a build-up of food or other static material on the equipment? This can serve as a breeding place for insects and bacteria.
• Is there any build-up or seepage of cleaning solvents or lubricants on your equipment, which can contaminate foods? All repairs on equipment should be of a permanent nature (e.g., no bobby pins in place of cotter pins), as temporary repair parts can break or rupture and get in the food product.
• Is the equipment hard to disassemble for clean up and inspection? The more difficult it is, the less inclined you or an employee will be to clean it.
• Is there a lot of "dead space" in or around the machinery where food and other debris can collect as a nest for insects and bacteria?
• Can the surface of the equipment be sanitized? Wood is one material that cannot.
• Other Equipment cleaning and maintenance issues that should be covered

• Are trash, debris, and clutter picked up so as not to provide hiding places for pests?
• Do employees eat and smoke only in designated areas?
• Is the food spilled or uneaten by employees cleaned up quickly so as not to attract pests or breed bacteria?
• Has old rodent excreta been cleaned up so you can spot any new activity?
• Additional housekeeping duties that must be attended to

• Is garbage quickly removed and dumped in appropriate bins? It should not sit around your facilities to attract pests.
• Is the garbage kept covered? An open garbage pile is an excellent breeding ground for insects and rodents.
• Other Garbage-handling problems that should be explored

• Are storage areas intended for room temperature subject to extremes of temperature, either hot or cold? This can damage foods.
• For refrigeration storage, coolers should be kept at or below 40 degrees F.
• For freezer storage, the temperature should be kept at or below 0 degrees F.
• Are you keeping a record of temperatures for all storage areas on a regular basis?
• Are you keeping your facilities at the proper temperature range? Insects love high temperatures, and their activity will pick up as the temperature goes up.
• Additional Temperature-related difficulties to explore

• Have you checked to see that the compartment door seals on the truck are intact?
• Is there a clean smell when the compartment doors are opened, or are there signs of contamination such as petroleum distillate, putrefaction, or other off-odors?
• Is any refrigerated compartment set at the proper temperature?
• Are boxes properly stacked and intact?
• Is there evidence of activity by insects, rodents or birds?
• Is there evidence of the misuse of pesticides such as DDT tracking powder, 1080, or insect sprays?
• Additional problems that should be dealt with on Incoming Raw Materials

• Is the storage area over-crowded? Such a condition prevents adequate inspection and clean up and also increases the likelihood of damage to products during handling.
• Are products stored on pallets and at least 18 inches away from the walls? It is important to leave space for inspection aisles so that rodent and insect activity can be seen more readily. You might consider painting a white line on the floor along the walls to indicate inspection aisles.
• Other Storage problems that should be corrected

• Are products stored on a first-in, first-out basis to reduce the possibility of contamination through spoilage?
• Are old products kept in front of the new to help in the rotation process?
• Are all incoming products dated to ensure a proper rotation of stocks?
• Are items overstocked? This increases the chances of spoilage and contamination.
• When checking containers for contamination, are dusty, faded or discolored containers checked first? They are obviously the most suspect items.
• Additional issues to address on the Rotation process

If you hire an outside pest control operator:

• Check regularly on what the pest control operator is doing. Don't accept what he's doing on faith.
• Check to see what poisons he is using. Make sure the poisons do not contaminate foods.
• Learn where and how many bait stations there are.
• They should be placed so as not to present any chance of food contamination.
• They should be checked regularly.
• Check to see if fumigators are being used. Do they represent a hazard to employees or food safety?

If doing your own exterminating:

• Know there is no such thing as an all-purpose pesticide, especially where foods are concerned. Get qualified advice before using any poisons.
• Make a map showing locations of all traps, bait stations, etc., and check them regularly.
• Put money into building maintenance if that will help solve your pest problems. For instance, don't rely solely on rodenticides to control your pest problem and leave gaps in the doors for the rodents to enter. Make sure those gaps are sealed. Extermination is a poor second choice, and will cost you as much, or more, in the long run.
• Other Pest Control situations to explore

Storage and Handling of Hazardous Materials

• Are materials such as pesticides, herbicides, cleaning solvents, lubricants and boiler compounds accessible for use only by authorized employees? This will help prevent accidents such as food contamination and employee injuries due to ignorance and misuse.
• Additional situations to consider regarding Hazardous Material Storage