Complex equipment and E. coli O157

E. coli O157 needs special attention. A very small amount can cause serious illness, and it spreads easily from raw meat to ready-to-eat food. FSA guidance on controlling it followed serious outbreaks in Scotland in 1996 and in Wales in 2005.

Complex equipment means machines such as slicers, vacuum packers and mincers. They have parts that are hard to clean. Bacteria can stay in joints, blades, seals and gaps that a cloth cannot reach. A quick wipe does not make these machines safe.

FSA guidance requires separate complex equipment for raw and ready-to-eat food. A machine should not be used for both during a normal business day. For example, a deli must not use one vacuum packer for raw steaks and then for cooked ham. It needs two machines. The order does not matter, and a wipe between jobs does not solve the problem.

If a business ever changes a machine from raw use to ready-to-eat use, the machine must be taken apart. All its surfaces must then be cleaned and effectively disinfected. This is not a job for a short gap during service.

Separation is the safest control. It can mean separate rooms, staff, utensils and equipment. Where full separation is not possible, shared areas must be cleaned and disinfected between uses. The guidance treats this as the highest-risk approach, so it must be done with great care.

Many kitchens set up a raw side and a ready-to-eat side. Each side has its own boards, knives, cloths and probes. Moving equipment across without cleaning and disinfecting it undoes the separation. Wash your hands each time you cross from the raw side.