Under the FDA Food Code, a work table top used for food prep has to be cleaned and sanitized every time you switch from one raw meat or fish to another, every time you go from raw food to ready-to-eat food, whenever it may have been contaminated, and at least every four hours while it is in use with food that needs temperature control. Cleaning alone is not enough: the surface has to be sanitized after it is washed and before it is used again. The rule is the same for stainless and maple tops and for all commercial prep tables, because it covers the food-contact surface, not the table type.
Shop the equipment in this article: cutting boards, three compartment sinks and hand sinks. Freight is included on every order.
The rule, point by point
Section 4-602.11 of the Food Code (Virginia’s adoption, 12VAC5-421-1780) says food-contact surfaces of equipment must be cleaned:
- before each use with a different type of raw animal food, such as beef, fish, lamb, pork or poultry
- each time there is a change from working with raw foods to working with ready-to-eat foods
- between uses with raw fruits and vegetables and with time/temperature control for safety food
- before using or storing a food thermometer
- at any time during the operation when contamination may have occurred
There is one exception to the first point: you may go from one raw meat to another without cleaning in between if each one needs a higher cooking temperature than the one before.
Section 4-702.11 (12VAC5-421-1890) adds that the surface must be sanitized before use after cleaning. Your local health department has the final say on how these rules are applied in your kitchen.
The four-hour clock
If the table is in steady use with time/temperature control for safety food, such as cut tomatoes, cooked rice, sliced deli meat or raw chicken, the code says to clean the food-contact surfaces throughout the day at least every four hours. A cook breaking down chicken all morning still stops at the four-hour mark.
The code allows longer intervals in a few cases. The one that matters for prep tables is a refrigerated prep room: at 41 F or below the interval is 24 hours, above 41 to 45 F it is 20 hours, above 45 to 50 F it is 16 hours, and above 50 to 55 F it is 10 hours, as long as the room temperature and the cleaning schedule are documented. A health department can also approve a different schedule for a specific operation.
Clean, then sanitize
In common practice, a table top is cleaned and sanitized in this order:
- Scrape food scraps into a waste container.
- Wash with a detergent solution and a clean cloth or brush.
- Rinse with clean water.
- Apply an approved sanitizer at the strength on its label and leave it for the contact time on the label.
- Let it air dry. Do not wipe it dry with a towel.
Check the sanitizer strength with a test kit; the Food Code requires a test kit that measures sanitizer concentration.
Wiping cloths
Wet cloths used on counters and equipment must be held in sanitizer solution between uses and laundered daily, and cloths used on surfaces that touched raw animal food must be kept separate from other cloths (section 3-304.14, 12VAC5-421-570).
Do not forget the parts food never touches
The undershelf, legs, edges and the backsplash are non-food-contact surfaces. The Food Code asks for those to be cleaned often enough to keep soil from building up, and many kitchens do that at closing. Pay attention to the seam where the top meets the backsplash. Our stainless work table with undershelf has a 1.5 in. backsplash and the Prepline PCB enclosed base tables have a 5 in. backsplash; food and liquid collect along that line.
A simple daily schedule
This is common practice, not code text, and it fits most prep lines:
- At opening: clean and sanitize every food-contact surface.
- At every product change from raw to ready-to-eat, or between raw meats: clean and sanitize.
- Every four hours of continuous use: clean and sanitize, even with no change. Set a timer or write the time on a strip of tape.
- At closing: clean the top, backsplash, undershelf and legs, and sanitize the top.
Cutting boards count too
A cutting board on the table is a food-contact surface with the same rules. Many kitchens use separate boards for raw meat and ready-to-eat food. A board with deep knife marks is hard to clean and should be resurfaced or replaced.
What to buy
- Stainless tops that clean easily: our stainless steel work table with adjustable undershelf has an 18 gauge type 430 stainless top in 31 sizes from 24 x 12 to 72 x 30 in.
- A table you can pull out to clean behind: the stainless work table with 2 shelves and casters has four casters, two of them locking.
- Separate boards for raw and ready-to-eat work, from our cutting board range.
Express KitchQuip stainless work tables are NSF certified. Freight to the 48 contiguous states is included in the price, and non-powered items have a 14-day return window. Questions about a table size? Call 877-558-2253.