As the number of vegans in the UK quadrupled between 2014 and 2018 to 600,000 people or 1.16% of the population* the number of food manufacturing sites that produce vegetarian and vegan dishes is increasing. 

Food processing businesses must prepare products which can safely be consumed by the end user, consequently physical, chemical and biological cleanliness is a prerequisite for food safety. In line with this process ancillary equipment need regular and effective cleaning and disinfection, and the cleaning and disinfection programmes in food manufacturing sites are required to cover off a number of objectives:

• To control a hazard such as a pathogen or an allergen
• To control a brand protection issue such as presence of meat in a product labelled for vegetarians or vegans
• To prevent quality and organoleptic issues in subsequent products e.g. the presence of previous products, colours or taints, or to promote process control or safety e.g. prevent fouling of heat exchanges.

David Childs from Holchem said:

“With the increase in demand for vegetarian and vegan dishes our teams are working more and more with customers to ensure that their cleaning and disinfection programmes meet the required standards and enable them to safely produce both non-meat and meat products on the premises.”

For more information, see our article on Hazard Management.

*Vegan Society.