Background: Washing and disinfection in the food industry are major operations, affecting safety and stability of final products and therefore they are critical point of the production process. The proper organization of this part of the process ensures significantly the efficiency of the whole process. Methods: The paper presents the process of washing and disinfection as well as control methods to assess their efficiency in meat processing plants. Their properties and application of washing and washing and disinfecting agents were characterized. Requirements imposed on washing and disinfecting agents used in the food industry are reported. Conclusions: It is essential to have knowledge on problems related to organization and optimization of cleaning process in order to properly organize the whole production processes in meat industry.