Cleanliness Requirements for Food Handling Areas

To keep food production free of microbial contamination, ingredients, water, and equipment matter—and so does room cleanliness. CHINENG outlines cleanliness requirements for food handling areas.

Cleanliness requirements for food handling areas

Processing premises: places directly or indirectly related to food supply—food handling, non-food, and dining areas.

Food handling area: clean, quasi-clean, and general operation zones.

1. Clean operation zone: higher cleanliness to protect food—dedicated rooms and plating/pass areas.

  1) Dedicated rooms: for ready-to-eat food handling or short holding—cold kitchen, pastry decorating, pantry, portioning.

  2) Plating area: finishing, sorting, issuing, and short holding of finished dishes.

2. Quasi-clean zone: next tier—cooking and clean ware holding.

1) Cooking: frying, braising, roasting, steaming, and other heat processing of prepped foods.

2) Clean ware holding: storage of washed/disinfected ware and ready-to-eat food tools.

3. General operation zone: other food/ware areas—rough prep, cutting/assembly, warewashing, and food stores.

1) Rough prep: sorting, thawing, washing, and removing inedible parts.

2) Cutting/assembly: washing, cutting, weighing, and assembling into semi-finished items.

3) Warewashing: wash and disinfection of ware and ready-to-eat tools/containers.

4) Non-food areas: offices, changing rooms, lobbies, non-food stores, toilets, etc.

5) Dining area: guest seating (excluding guest toilets, lobbies, stages, and similar support spaces). 

CHINENG central-kitchen designers can provide one-stop kitchen solutions matched to your menu and production line.