Maintenance

In food safety, maintenance means keeping buildings, equipment and instruments in good repair, and doing repair work in ways that do not introduce metal, lubricants, dirt or germs into food.

  • Food safety
  • Food safety programs

A food plant maintenance program combines preventive maintenance, which services equipment and replaces wear parts on a schedule, with prompt repair of breakdowns and damage. It also controls how the work is done: tools are kept clean or dedicated to sensitive areas, temporary fixes are tracked until a permanent repair is made, gaskets, seals and filters are changed on schedule, and equipment is cleaned and sanitized after work and before production restarts. FDA's cGMP rule requires buildings, fixtures and equipment to be kept in repair, and requires equipment to be designed and used so lubricants, fuel, metal fragments and other contaminants stay out of food.

Maintenance is both a safeguard and a possible hazard. Worn seals, cracked surfaces and failing instruments let residue build up or temperatures drift, while careless repairs can leave behind metal fragments, grease or contamination carried in on tools. FDA's Listeria guidance calls for cleaning and sanitizing equipment after maintenance and before production, and FDA's 2025 draft guidance for low-moisture foods tells firms to check maintenance records for repairs or modifications when tracing the root cause of contamination.

Key facts

Cold storage instruments (21 CFR 117.40(e))
Accurate thermometer or recording device required
Filter changes (FDA Listeria guidance)
By manufacturer specs, pressure differential or monitoring results
Plumbing air gap (FSIS guide)
At least 2× inlet diameter and not less than 1 in
Temporary repairs (Manitoba guidance)
3 steps: record, set a deadline, close out

In a bakery or commercial kitchen

  • Keep a written preventive maintenance schedule for mixers, ovens, proofers, conveyors, seals, gaskets and air filters
  • Choose lubricants suited to food plants and apply them so they cannot drip or splash onto product
  • Account for every tool and part after a repair, and check the area for metal, wire or debris before restarting
  • Clean and sanitize equipment and nearby food-contact surfaces after maintenance and before production resumes
  • Log each temporary repair, set a deadline for the permanent fix and close the record when it is done

For home and cottage bakers

  • Replace mixer beaters, dough hooks and blades that are chipped, bent or losing their coating
  • Check your refrigerator and oven temperatures with a separate thermometer now and then
  • Wash tools and surfaces after any repair or adjustment before using them with food again

Related entries

Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 17, 2026.

  1. 21 CFR Part 117, Subpart B: Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), National Archives
  2. Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-To-Eat Foods: Guidance for Industry (Draft), U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  3. Establishing Sanitation Programs for Low-Moisture Ready-to-Eat Human Foods (Draft Guidance, January 2025), U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  4. Sanitation Performance Standards Compliance Guide, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
  5. Sanitary Design of Equipment, Government of Manitoba, Agriculture