Cleaning Produce Washing Equipment: Brush Washer Conveyor System Checklist
Robert Hadad, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program
As we learn more about reducing microbial risk on the produce farm, more emphasis is being placed on cleaning food contact surfaces. Accessing the hard to reach spaces in wash line equipment is challenging. Most of the equipment was not made to come apart very easily or in an economically efficient manner. The checklist provided here has been developed through hands-on research cleaning equipment as thoroughly as can be measured without doing microbial testing. That level of cleaning is still being researched but, from our work, the level of cleanliness provided here appears to be sufficient.
This step-by-step checklist provides visual guidelines and suggestions for reasonably cleaning your equipment.

The presentations found below provide more photos of the steps of cleaning the conveyor, the brush washer, and the absorber.
Cleaning Produce Washing Equipment: Conveyor Washing System Checklist (pdf; 1693KB)
Presentation: Cleaning the Conveyor in a Brush Washer System (pdf; 2036KB)
Presentation: Cleaning the Brush Washer in a Brush Washer System (pdf; 1833KB)
Presentation: Cleaning the Absorber in a Brush Washer System (pdf; 2114KB)


Upcoming Events
Food Safety Lunch and Learn Webinar Series
February 11, 2025 : Part One: What's Going on with Food Safety?
NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets FSMA inspectors are expected to step up farm visits this season. Why are they showing up on the farm asking about FSMA? Aren't we exempt? This noontime hour we will discuss the purpose of the farm visits and what produce farmers need to know.
February 18, 2025 : Part Two: What Counts as Food Processing?
In this session, we will discuss what counts as processing and what doesn't. Stories of inspectors coming to farmers markets and auctions telling some growers certain products can't be sold usually without much explanation. We will try to make some sense of things and clear up some misunderstandings so hopefully the upcoming season goes smoothly.
February 25, 2025 : Part Three: Traceability - Benefits for Food Safety and Beyond
Can having a traceback process for your produce (and other farm products) make good business sense regardless of FSMA regulations? We will (try to) make the case for farms to have some sort of traceability mechanism in place.
Allium Pests!
February 26, 2025
Presented by Christy Hoepting (CCE Cornell Vegetable Program) and Ann Hazelrigg (Univ. of VT), this webinar will focus on organic management of pests and diseases of onions, garlic, leeks. The webinar is part of a series supported by the Transition to Organic Partnership Program.
Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Training
March 4 - March 5, 2025
Syracuse, NY
This two-day workshop will train fruit and vegetable growers and others interested in produce safety, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the Produce Safety Rule, Good Agricultural Practices (GAPSs), and co-management of natural resources and food safety. (A remote attendance option is available.)