Blog
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September 17, 2021
Coveralls are considered an essential piece of protective wear in most food production areas. As their name suggests, a coverall is a single garment that covers the entire body, trousers, top and hood. The purpose of a coverall is to protect the worker’s body and clothes from messy or hazardous labor-intensive jobs.
Some coverall features that many customers find important include elastic cuffs, hoods, sealable zip cover, water resistant and breathable material, colour variance and a range of sizes.
- Both disposable and reusable coveralls are used throughout the industry. While they share many features, the disposable options are often preferred as they can be replaced easily, and not likely to harbor bacteria.
- Hoods and elastic cuffs both serve a similar purpose, protecting the worker by preventing irritating materials making contact with skin.
- Water resistance or protection levels are usually described by European Standards called ‘
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August 09, 2021
Wipes are used to make surfaces hygienic and clean. Their aim is to remove small particles, germs and or contaminates. They often partner up with chemicals for optimal results and are truly an essential part of cleaning. Used both during and between shifts, they are useful for removing accidental spills on the go, as well as in deep cleaning. Wipes come in many forms, and there is a number of factors to consider when choosing which wipe is the most appropriate for your needs.
Particularly important in the food processing industry are the colour options minimal lint. Using a blue option contrasts the cloth to the food, which is especially important in cloths and wipes as they are typically smaller and easy to misplace. Lint refers to the little bits of fluff, or when smaller particles of the wipe are left behind. Lint is considered a contamination risk, so choosing low lint options is especially important for critical production areas. Typically, the higher the quality of the
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July 12, 2021
Food recalls are an outcome food manufactures avoid at all costs. They occur when food is considered unfit for consumption or is a serious health risk to the community. They are expensive and have damaging consequence to the manufacture. Awareness of food safety has increased extensively, and there are now many systems and products to manage and ensure food safety.
Food recalls are issued by governments on a state or territorial level and are managed by FSANZ (Food Safety Australia and New Zealand). FSANZ are responsible for ensuring awareness, and that products are removed from shelves.
A few of the common causes of food recalls include:
- Foreign matters -this includes anything that has or may have fallen into the food, causing a contamination risk.
- Allergens - if a product has an undeclared allergen in it, or not clearly labeled the public must be notified.
- Biotoxin/ microbial – containing b
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June 15, 2021
Food is essential, and something we all thrive on; we require good food for our health and as an enjoyable feature of our social lives. But how can something we both enjoy and require, harm us?
There are many types of illnesses caused or linked to food. Some of the most common include Salmonella, E.coli, Clostridium perfringens, Hepatitis, Campylobacter Staphylococcus aureus (aka staph) Norovirus and Listeria. Food illnesses can occur in domestic situations, however, with more people preferring the convenience of bought meals and snacks, it is important that we help reduce the risk of food poisoning, by minimising any potential contamination.
How do food illnesses start? Bacteria, virus, and parasites are all around us in our day to day lives, which is why we have immune systems. However, they become harmful to humans when they multiply or spread, if we are not immune to them, or consume too much. When food becomes affected by a foreign bacteria/virus it is considered
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May 03, 2021
Many types of gloves are available for Food manufacturing plants, including nitrile, vinyl and silverlined. A quality product that does not pose contamination risks to food production is paramount. Nitrile first became available in the 1990s and has become the most popular glove type within the food processing industry since then. There are many advantages to nitrile, and the varying thickness and options make it one of the most popular glove materials in the food processing industry.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), or Vinyl gloves, as they are commonly referred to, are a relatively cheap option; they are a form of synthetic rubber and are stiff and less breathable than other materials. Their main benefit is their cost, usually considered reasonably cheap. Typically preferred when multiple ingredients are in use, gloves must be changed frequently.
However, due to their stiff nature, they often will tear when donning the glove, resulting in many employees choosing to wear two gloves
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March 01, 2021
Hex Lok vs. Euro Thread
If you have ever had the experience of trying to connect the wrong threaded handle to a brush or squeegee head, you will know how different they are.
Or maybe you haven’t, so what is the difference?
Both thread types are suitable for the food industry and are resistant to unscrewing. Euro Thread is your typical thread type, featuring a tapered thread, and easily screws on and off. This a universal thread type and is typically quite endurable to circular motions. The Hex-Lok is a unique product with a hexagonal fitting, and an over fitting locking ring for maximum resistance.
The difference between them is the Hex-Lok solution can’t ‘unscrew’. When using deck scrubs and washing brushes, forming a pattern of ‘number 8’ is the most effective in ensuring maximum cleanliness, and how we naturally clean a surface. Often however, this loosens the end of the broom handle. While the Euro Thread has been ta
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February 15, 2021
What Makes a Product Hygienic?
One of the most important aspects of producing the food we all need and love, is maintaining good hygiene. Essentially, this involves keeping food processing areas clean with minimal risk of contamination. Keeping everyone from the producers to the consumers healthy and safe is of paramount importance.
There are many ways to ensure the safety of food by lowering potential risks. Different products, depending on their purposes, possess different features to ensure the minimum chance of contamination occurs.
Some of these main characteristics include:
Disposability
Many products that come in direct contact with food, are used only once and/or for a short period of time, such as one shift. This prevents cross contamination, particularly for industries that work with allergens. Also, single use products reduce the chance of harmful bacteria building up on gloves or clothing, that
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February 01, 2021
What is HACCP?
HACCP is a standard that helps to ensure the safety of food around the world. It stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points.
As the name suggests, HACCP identifies and removes potential risks and hazards in the food industry. This eliminates risks to the end consumer, while guaranteeing the quality of the products they purchase.
As there are many different regulations according to countries and regions, it is essential to find the relevant information for your company.
How does HACCP work?
For a business to be HACCP approved they must undertake an audit, where the production lines and systems are assessed in their safety in relation to food.
Anything that has contact with food is thoroughly examined and carefully analysed for potential risks, such as the chance of contamination, and the likelihood of occurrence.
From there, measures
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December 09, 2020
Metal detection systems have become an integral part of the foreign body prevention process in food processing facilities.
Possibly nowhere is product integrity more important than in food and beverage production. As well as continuous improvement teams, technical and quality personnel are constantly looking for ways to reduce ‘foreign body’ and contamination risks. With metal being one of the most frequent offenders, leading food and pharmaceutical manufacturers have for a long time used specialist metal detectors to control this risk.
A simplified look at how this works:
1. The most common metal detectors are based on a balanced coil design.
2. This involves passing the product through three coils.
3. The middle coil acts as the transmitter by using an electrical current to create a magnetic field.
4. The transmitter induces a current in the other two coils, which are spaced equidistant from the middle coil. The out
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March 10, 2020
You may have always thought these two terms meant the same thing. Or maybe you know they’re different but not sure what each one means.
So, what does each one actually mean?
In short, food grade means that the material is suitable to come into direct contact with food.
And food safe means that the food grade material and finished product is suitable for it’s intended use and will not create a food safety hazard.
The key difference here is regarding materials, and finished products.
Food grade typically refers to a material, and essentially states that the material doesn’t contain any toxins or dangerous substances. For something to be considered food grade, the material must be able to be cleaned effectively, and not allow any foreign particles to find their way into food. Generally, the surface should be smooth and free of any imperfections such as cracks, ridges or crevices, where bacteria could grow.
When this material is used to creat