<FONT color=blue>[QA Online Extra]:</FONT> Unsealed Soap Systems Can Carry Bacteria

Editor's note: Read more about plant sanitation in 'Munchicize the Elephant.'

Handwashing is a critical control point in the food processing industry. Washing hands with soap and water is supposed to rid hands of contaminants, but University of Arizona studies on soap dispensed from open refillable bulk dispensers show that you may actually be washing your hands with germs.

The studies showed 23 percent to 25 percent of samples taken from open refillable bulk soap reservoir dispensers to be contaminated with unsafe levels of bacteria, with Coliforms found in between 16 and 22 percent of the samples. In contrast, no bacterial contamination was found in soap dispensed from sealed systems.

The studies, conducted under the direction of Charles Gerba, professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona, and funded in part by GOJO Industries of Akron, Ohio, concluded that open refillable bulk soap reservoir dispensers may become a breeding ground for germs and result in a public health risk.

The bacteria found in greatest numbers, said Gerba, were opportunistic pathogens; that is, pathogens capable of causing serious infections in the young and immunocompromised.

Any open refillable dispenser could be subject to contamination, including stainless steel dispensers, Gerba said. “Stainless steel will not control microbial growth. They are very easy surfaces to clean. But, they won’t control microbial growth.”

Gerba said he is unaware of any established protocol for effective cleaning and sanitizing of the open refillable dispensers, and suggests that data on product efficacy and use frequency be reviewed for any such recommendation. In addition, because the studies showed that no pathogens were found in soap collected from sealed systems, he believes that the only safe solution is to use sealed systems. This is, in part, because plant employees who refill the bulk soaps may dilute them with water, adding contaminants or may put their fingers in the soap.