CLEAN ROOM FOOD PROCESSING SYSTEMS, METHODS AND STRUCTURES

• US 20100206181A1
• Filed: 04/28/2010
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: West Liberty Foods LLC (Iowa Turkey Growers Cooperative)
• Original Assignee: West Liberty Foods LLC (Iowa Turkey Growers Cooperative)
• Inventors: Cook, Charles F., Garrett, Edward S., Woodford, Richard D.
• Application Number:
  US12/769,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20100206181A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 99/467
• CPC Class Codes: A22C 18/00 Plants, factories, or the like for processing meat for processing poultry only A22C21/00; for processing fish only A22C25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 4/005 Preserving by heating
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/165 in solid state
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/01 involving a cutting member which does not travel with the work
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/00 Packaging individual articles in containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, jars
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 3/00 Buildings or groups of buildings for public or similar purposes; Institutions, e.g. infirmaries or prisons
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/202 With product handling means

Abstract

Some food pathogens are not well controlled by lethality treatments followed by refrigeration. A food processing facility according to this invention reduces the likelihood that food pathogens will be able to enter the food processing facility, or spread should they be able to enter. The food processing facility is divided into a plurality of area, with different areas having different allowed actions that can be taken on the food product, different rules and/or procedures for persons who are allowed entry, and/or different levels of cleanliness. The hod processing facility includes a plurality of separate rooms for processing the food product, each including separate food processing machines, air handling systems, drain systems and/or often-used supplies and tools. Different air pressures within different areas limit the possible movement of airborne food pathogens. Sanitizing stations are placed between various ones of the different areas.

Claims

1. A food processing facility, comprising:

a plurality of single-line food processing rooms, each food processing room comprising a secure area having a single line of series-connected food processing elements including at least one food processing device and at least one food packaging device, each food processing room at a first substantially sterile level of cleanliness which substantially prevents the presence and growth of pathogenic microorganisms including Listeria, the plurality of secure area single-line food processing rooms each being individually atmospherically and structurally isolated from each other to effectively prevent any contamination occurring in any one such food processing room or series-connected food processing element therein from contaminating food products processed in any other of such plurality of food processing rooms and series-connected food processing elements therein;

at least one semi-secure delivery area, each delivery area adjacent to at least some of the food processing rooms, each delivery area at a second level of substantial cleanliness that can be below the first level of cleanliness but will substantially prevent contamination of previously processed food products after at least one selected post-lethality treatment of the food products;

at least one semi-secure packaged food receiving area, each receiving area adjacent to at least some of the food processing rooms, each receiving area at a third level of substantial cleanliness that can be below the first level of cleanliness but will substantially prevent contamination of hermetically sealed food packages within the semi-secure receiving area;

at least some of the plurality of the secure food processing rooms having a first passage to the semi-secure delivery area, and having a second passage to the semi-secure packaged food receiving area;

at least one semi-secure buffer area adjacent to at least one of at least one receiving area or at least one delivery area, each buffer area at a fourth level of cleanliness that can be below the second level of cleanliness but will substantially prevent contamination of previously processed food products after at least one selected post-lethality treatment of the food products within the semi-secure buffer area, and of personnel, clean uniforms, cleaning supplies and equipment located within and passing through such semi-secure buffer area;

at least one common unsecure area adjacent to at least one buffer area, each common area at a fifth level of cleanliness that can be below the fourth level of cleanliness, wherein the fifth level of cleanliness is appropriate for management staff and personnel support activities;

a plurality of sanitizing stations, at least one sanitizing station located between a common area and an adjacent buffer area and at least one sanitizing station located between a buffer area and an adjacent receiving or delivery area.

2. A food processing facility usable to process a food product in an environment having low risk for contamination, comprising:

a plurality of single-line food processing rooms, each food processing room comprising a single line of series-connected food processing elements including at least one food processing device and at least one food packaging device, said plurality of single-line food processing rooms each being atmospherically and structurally isolated from each other to effectively prevent any contamination occurring in any one such single-line food processing room or series-connected food processing element therein from contaminating food products processed in any other of such single-line food processing rooms or series-connected food processing elements therein

a first area, at least some of the plurality of food processing rooms having a first passage to the first area;

a second area that includes at least some of a holding area, a treatment area, a buffer area and a packaged food receiving area, at least some of the plurality of food processing rooms having at least a second passage to the packaged food receiving area; and

a third area that includes at least some of a break room, restrooms, a locker room, at least one office and a reception area;

wherein;

the first area and the plurality of single-line food processing rooms comprise a secure area and are each at least at a first sanitary level of cleanliness, at least some of the single-line food processing rooms each at a substantially sterile condition which substantially prevents the presence and growth of pathogenic microorganisms, including Listeria;

the second area comprises a semi-secure area and is at a second level of substantial cleanliness that may be less than the first level of cleanliness but will substantially prevent contamination of previously processed food products after at least one elected post-lethality treatment of the food products within the semi-secure second area, and of hermetically sealed food packages conveyed and handled within the second area, and of personnel, clean uniforms, cleaning supplies and equipment located within and passing through such second area; and

the third area is an unsecure area which has a third level of cleanliness that can be less than the second level of cleanliness.