Food Safety Focus (174th Issue, January 2021) – Food Incident Highlight

Guidance on Disinfecting the Environment and Food Packages of Cold Stores

To further reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 in cold stores, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) produced a set of guidance on disinfection for the working environment and food packages of cold stores with relevant preventive measures.

It is advised to step up cleansing and regular disinfection to the working environment and equipment like refrigerators. For disinfection of outer food packages, disinfection should be completed before bringing into the warehouse or loading for delivery. Food should be well-protected to prevent contamination by disinfectants. If the food package is not sealed, it should be disinfected by wiping the surface carefully. Chlorine-based disinfectants (e.g. 1:99 diluted household bleach) , alcohol-based disinfectants (e.g. 70-80% ethanol) and quaternary ammonium compounds (QUATs) can be used for disinfection.

Besides, precautions have to be taken and personal protection equipment should be put on.

For further details, please refer to the CFS website.