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Ceiling & Lighting Requirements For Food Processing Plants
By Dr Deryck Pattron, Ph.D., Fri Dec 9th
INTRODUCTION Ceilings in the food processing plants can be asource of contamination and therefore they should be carefullydesigned and constructed to prevent adulteration of foodproducts. Ceilings play an important part in the food processing plants.The type of ceiling used in a particular plant depends on thenature of the food being prepared and/or manufactured. Ceilingsmust not adulterate food products physically, chemically ormicrobiologically, as to render food products unsafe for humanconsumption. Similarly, ceiling fixtures such as lighting fixtures should notadulterate food products. Lighting fixtures and hence lightingmust be arranged in such a manner as to reduce eye strain,maintain and/or increase efficiency and to prevent errorsassociated with food preparation and manufacture.
The objective of this paper is to present a very conciseoverview of the main principles associated with ceilings andlighting in food processing plants. STANDARD REQUIRMENTS FOR CEILINGS IN FOOD PROCESSING PLANTS •Ceilings should be of crack and moisture resistant material. •Ceilings should be painted with light color. •Ceilings in theprocessing area must be cleared of any fixtures that maycontaminate food and equipment. •Horizontal beams, pipes andsimilar items should be avoided over exposed products and foodcontact surfaces. •Dropped ceilings should be avoided inprocessing areas. If false ceilings are needed, they should besloped at 45 degree angle to the wall. •Proper vents should beinstalled to prevent moisture accumulation over processing areasand equipment that release steam. PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS USED IN MAKING CEILINGS •Smooth. •Impervious. •Inert. •Non-rusted. •Non-cracked. •Durable. •Easily cleaned. •Heat resistant. •Water resistant. •Chemicalresistant. •Fire resistant. •Corrosion resistant. •Impactresistant. SOME MATERIALS USED IN MAKING CEILINGS •Stainless steel sheets.•Aluminium sheets. •Wood. •Concrete. •Plastic. •Glasbord. •Sanigrid. LIGHTING Good lighting
is an essential component in all foodprocessing facilities. It is recommended that fluorescent tubesbe used for general work. But, care should be taken when usingfluorescent light with rotating machine parts. A rotatingmachine part can appear to be standing still if its velocitymatches the number of cycles of the mains electricity runningthrough the fluorescent tube. It is therefore prudent to usenormal incandescent lighting for safety reasons. Lighting fixtures should be constructed in a manner that they donot leak, corrode or cause fires or electrical problems. Sincesanitation is critical to food processing industry, a great dealof time is spent washing and sanitizing ceiling, floors, wallsand lighting fixtures. It is therefore necessary for thesefixtures to be water proof and capable of performing in a wetand damp environment. It is not unusual for high-pressure washdown with hot water and/or sanitation chemicals may approach1000 psi water pressure. Lamps used should be suitably protected so that they would notbreak, for any reason, glass or other matter would not bedispersed throughout the production area. In general a workingarea should have an illumination of 220 Lux and where closeexamination is carried out, the illumination should not be lessthan 540 Lux. LIGHTING REQUIREMENTS •Lighting sources should be enclosed toavoid falling glasses or other materials from breakage that maybe introduced into the food during manufacturing. •Lightingfixtures should be watertight to permit hose down. •Lightingshould not be allowed to alter the color of food. •There mustbe proper lighting at dark corners in the building and atopenings into the building to prevent entry and harborage ofpest. •In general working areas the lighting intensity shouldbe 220 Lux. In detailed working areas, an illumination of notless than 540 Lux is required. CONCLUSIONS •Ceilings and lighting are important sources ofcontamination in all food processing plants. It is thereforeessential that great care should be taken in the design ofceilings and only the best materials and competent authorityshould be used in the construction of ceilings and lighting. •The type of ceiling is dependent on the nature of the food beingprocessed. High temperature environments should use stainlesssteel coupled with extractor fans. Low temperature environmentsmay use wood or inert plastic polymers. •Lighting fixturesshould be positioned for maximum illumination withoutinterfering with the true nature and/or color of food. •Lighting fixtures should be durable enough to withstandcleaning. •Work areas requiring a great detail of examinationshould use an intensity of 540 Lux, while work areas requiringnot so much detail should use an intensity of 210-220 Lux. REFERENCES Minnesota rules on food sanitation, 2000. Longreen K.Quantity Food Sanitation, John Whiley and Sons Inc., 1980. FactSheet, Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences, University ofFlorida, 1997. Public Health Service, Food and DrugsAdministration, 1998. Pattron, D.D. Food Safety. New York,Scientific Publishers, 2004. About the author:Dr Pattron is a Public Health Scientist and ManagementSpecialist in the Ministry of Health, Trinidad. |