Skip to main content
          Skip to FDA Search
          Skip to in this section menu
          Skip to footer links


U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government

					Here’s how you know
          			Dot gov**The .gov means it’s official.**Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.
							      SSL**The site is secure.** The **https://** ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. 
			U.S. Food and Drug Administration
				
        Search
            Menu
							
						Search FDA
									
									Submit search 
		Featured
							Contact FDA
	                FDA Guidance Documents
	                Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts
	                Press Announcements
	                Warning Letters
	                Advisory Committees
	                En Español

					Products
            Food
							Drugs
							Medical Devices
							Radiation-Emitting Products
							Vaccines, Blood, and Biologics
							Animal and Veterinary
							Cosmetics
							Tobacco ProductsTopics
            About FDA
							Combination Products
							Regulatory Information
							Safety
							Emergency Preparedness
							International Programs
							News and Events
							Training and Continuing Education
							Inspections and Compliance
							Science and ResearchInformation For
            Consumers
	            Patients
	            Industry
	            Health Professionals
	            Federal, State and Local Officials 
 In this section:

                Retail Food Protection

Retail Food Protection

                        


                        FDA Food Code
          Food Defense & Emergency Response for Retail Food
          Retail Food Industry/Regulatory Assistance & Training
          Retail Food Risk Factor Study
          Retail Food Safety Initiative
          Standardization of Retail Food Safety Inspection Personnel
          Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards Home
          Food
          Guidance & Regulation (Food and Dietary Supplements)
          Retail Food Protection
          Allergen Removal and Transfer Using Wiping and Cleaning Methods in Retail Food EstablishmentsRetail Food Protection Allergen Removal and Transfer Using Wiping and Cleaning Methods in Retail Food Establishments
  
  	
    Share
    Post
    Linkedin

    Email
    PrintDownload in PDF

Allergic reactions to foods are the most common cause of anaphylaxis in the United States. Preventing food allergen cross-contact is an important aspect of retail food safety. Allergen cross-contact means the unintentional incorporation of a food allergen into food. For this reason, it is important to better understand and address how wiping and cleaning of food contact surfaces relates to the transfer of food allergens in retail food establishments.
Food Allergens: Milk, Nuts, Eggs


Existing FDA Food Code recommendations for wiping and cleaning food-contact surfaces have focused on preventing microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses from contaminating foods. To determine the effectiveness of these wiping and cleaning recommendations at preventing allergen cross-contact, FDA has conducted a study that investigated:

allergen removal from surfaces by wiping with paper wipes, terry cloths and alcohol/quaternary ammonium chloride (quat) sanitizing wipes;
	cleaning of allergen-contaminated surfaces using a wash-rinse-sanitize-air dry procedure; and
	allergen transfer from contaminated wipes to multiple surfaces.Food-contact surfaces (stainless steel, textured plastic and maple wood) were contaminated with peanut-, milk- and egg-containing foods, and subjected to various wiping and cleaning procedures.

Key Findings

Overall, the nature and amount of allergen on a surface, as well as the type and state of wipe cloth, food-contact surface texture and material composition, influenced the effectiveness of wiping and cleaning on allergen removal and the extent of allergen transfer on surfaces.
	Full cleaning (using a wash-rinse-sanitize-air dry method) as recommended in the FDA Food Code was effective at allergen removal and minimizing allergen transfer.
	Pre-scraping food from surfaces prior to full cleaning aided allergen removal.
	Wet cloths/wipes and alcohol/quat wipes were more effective in allergen removal from surfaces than dry wipes.
	Storing cloths in sanitizer solution minimized allergen transfer between surfaces.
	Allergens were more difficult to remove from textured plastic than stainless steel or wood surfaces.More Information

A copy of the full article is available via open access in the Journal of Food Protection.

The FDA Food Code is available at: http://www.fda.gov/FoodCode.

Send questions to the Retail Food Policy Team at: RetailFoodPolicyTeam@fda.hhs.gov.

                                                                                  Content current as of:
      03/07/2022
              
              
Regulated Product(s)
		 Food & BeveragesTopic(s)
			  Retail Food ProtectionRetail Food Protection

          
                        


                        FDA Food Code
          Food Defense & Emergency Response for Retail Food
          Retail Food Industry/Regulatory Assistance & Training
          Retail Food Risk Factor Study
          Retail Food Safety Initiative
          Standardization of Retail Food Safety Inspection Personnel
          Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards
 
 Footer Links
    FDA Archive
          About FDA
          Accessibility
      Visitor Information
          Website Policies / Privacy
          No FEAR Act
          Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
      FOIA
          HHS.gov
          USA.gov
    Contact FDA
      Follow FDA on Facebook
      Follow FDA on X
      Follow FDA on Instagram
      Follow FDA on LinkedIn
      View FDA videos on YouTube
      Subscribe to FDA RSS feeds
    FDA Homepage
    Contact Number
      1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332) Back toTop