Salt Lake Valley Health Department

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Sanitization of Food Equipment and Utensils

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Sanitization of Food Equipment and Utensils

Brochure (PDF 74 KB)

Sanitization Defined

Sanitization is the application of heat or approved chemicals to cleaned surfaces to achieve a five fold reduction in the number of micro-organisms.

Sanitization Required

All food contact surfaces of equipment and utensils must be sanitized after washing and rinsing to remove disease causing micro-organisms that may cause food borne illnesses.

Two methods can be utilized when sanitizing: heat or chemical.

Heat Sanitization

Heat sanitization requires immersion/rinsing of the food contact/utensil surface in hot water that is hot enough to heat the surface to 160 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of 30 seconds. Hot water sanitization through mechanical operations (dish washing machine) requires an irreversible registering temperature indicator to verify that utensil surfaces have achieved a minimum temperature of 160° Fahrenheit.

Chemical Sanitization

Chemical Sanitization is achieved through immersion or rinsing clean equipment in warm water containing a concentration of 50-200 parts per million (ppm) chlorine for 30 seconds or immersion/rinsing of equipment in a chemical concentration of quaternary ammonia (or “Quats”) that is generally 200 - 400 ppm. Chemical sanitization may also be applied to cleaned equipment by swabbing, brushing, or pressure spraying with the chemical concentrations and contact times described above. In order to verify that the chemical concentrations are correct, test papers that are specific for the chemical sanitizer in use must be provided and available at all times for routine use.

Vitally Important

In summary, sanitization when properly performed is crucial to safely reduce the level of microbial hazards (bacteria, viruses, etc.) on food contact surfaces and equipment.