1. Purpose
This policy sets out Murzo Group's approach to cleaning, hygiene, sanitation, pest control, waste hygiene, premises cleanliness, cross-contamination prevention, food hygiene, and hygiene records.
The purpose is to protect people, food, products, cultural objects, assets, buildings, farms, storage areas, vehicles, equipment, and brand integrity from contamination, infestation, illness, damage, and legal non-compliance.
2. Scope
This policy applies to Murzo Group premises, farms, storage areas, food handling areas, laboratories, workshops, vehicles, offices, showrooms, events, product development spaces, packaging areas, equipment, tools, waste areas, and supplier-controlled sites where Murzo Group has responsibility or influence.
It applies to workers, contractors, suppliers, cleaning providers, pest control contractors, visitors, food handlers, logistics partners, and site managers.
3. Hygiene Principles
Murzo Group will maintain cleaning and hygiene arrangements that are proportionate to the activity, site, product, asset, and contamination risk.
- Food, ingredients, packaging, food-contact materials, tools, and surfaces must be protected from contamination
- Cleaning schedules must define what is cleaned, how often, by whom, using what method, and what records are required
- Pest risks must be prevented, monitored, and escalated promptly
- Waste, spillages, standing water, residues, damaged stock, and unused materials must be controlled
- Cleaning chemicals and pest control substances must be handled safely and kept away from products unless authorised
4. Cleaning Schedules & Standards
Cleaning schedules should be documented for relevant areas and equipment. They should cover routine cleaning, deep cleaning, changeover cleaning, spill response, post-maintenance cleaning, pre-operation checks, and emergency cleaning where needed.
Cleaning effectiveness may be verified through visual checks, sign-off records, ATP testing, swabbing, allergen checks, environmental monitoring, inspection, or supervisor review depending on risk.
5. Food Hygiene & Cross-Contamination
Where food or food-contact activity takes place, cleaning and hygiene controls must support HACCP, allergen management, traceability, temperature control, pest control, and product integrity.
Raw and ready-to-eat foods, allergens, chemicals, waste, packaging, personal items, cleaning tools, and high-risk materials must be segregated where necessary to prevent cross-contamination.
6. Personal Hygiene & Fitness for Work
People working in food, product, cultural object, laboratory, farming, or hygiene-sensitive areas must follow appropriate personal hygiene rules.
Rules may include handwashing, protective clothing, hair covering, jewellery restrictions, wound covering, illness reporting, clean footwear, visitor controls, and restrictions on eating, drinking, smoking, vaping, or personal items in controlled areas.
7. Pest Control
Murzo Group will take preventive action against pests including rodents, insects, birds, stored-product pests, flies, mites, and other organisms that may contaminate products, damage property, affect biosecurity, or compromise hygiene.
Controls may include proofing, housekeeping, waste management, door discipline, stock rotation, monitoring devices, professional pest control contracts, trend review, corrective action, and investigation of sightings or evidence.
8. Cleaning Chemicals, Tools & Equipment
Cleaning chemicals, sanitisers, detergents, disinfectants, pest control products, and equipment must be suitable for the area and used according to safety instructions.
Chemicals must be labelled, stored securely, segregated from food and sensitive materials, controlled under COSHH where relevant, and used by trained or authorised people.
9. Inspections, Non-Conformance & Corrective Action
Hygiene, cleaning, and pest control issues must be reported and corrected promptly. Affected products, ingredients, assets, or areas may be held, isolated, cleaned, disposed of, repaired, or investigated.
Serious hygiene failures, pest infestation, contamination, illness, or authority concerns must be escalated to managers and handled through food safety, product recall, incident response, or health and safety procedures where relevant.
10. Records, Review & Responsibilities
Murzo Group will keep proportionate records of cleaning schedules, cleaning checks, pest control visits, sightings, corrective actions, chemical inventories, training, inspections, and hygiene reviews.
Site leads, food safety leads, farm leads, operations leads, cleaning contractors, pest control providers, managers, and authorised representatives are responsible for applying this policy. It will be reviewed periodically and after significant hygiene, pest, product, site, or legal changes.
