Food Safety

Have you ever missed one or two of your normal tooth-brushing sessions, and found your tongue traversing over a disconcertingly slimy layer coating your chompers?   Well, welcome to the disturbing and quite fascinating world of biofilms.  These hearty amalgams of microbiological activity provide both protection for microorganisms, as well as headaches for not only those avoiding plaque build-up, but most importantly for this blog, the food industry (allowing harborage and protection for bacteria and fungi).

Biofilms can form on a variety of surfaces in food processing environments, including stainless steel.  A supercell of harborage, “Biofilms are complex microbial ecosystems formed by one or more species immersed in an extracellular matrix of different compositions depending on the type of food manufacturing environment and the colonizing species” (Geaile, et al).   The

A critical component in food safety is the detection of contaminants. One of the worst nightmares of anyone working in food processing, is finding something in the final product that is not supposed to be there. This can cause costly product loss, clean-up and maintenance costs, and the potential for recalls and/or litigation. Even though everyone tries to prevent foreign object contamination, pieces of tools such as scrapers can break off, or items such as pens can fall into the product. To make sure that these items are caught, and that contaminated product does not make it out the door, many plants utilize metal detection devices and products.

Metal detectable products are constructed of a few different materials. They are often blue for easy visual detection. Blue is also the most common non-food color.

Food safety truly is a collective effort. From the farm to the table, ensuring food safety is a way we can reaffirm our investment in, and care

Saint Augustine is attributed as stating: “We make a ladder for ourselves of our vices, if we trample those same vices underfoot.”  Inspiring words...and tangentially,

In times of great uncertainty, informed insight and clarity mean a great deal. Since the recent COVID-19 outbreak, Nelson-Jameson has been continuously monitoring the situation. COVID-19 is already having an impact on the way we interact with food and we want you to be prepared. Our friends at Cornell University have created a useful resource for food industry producers to refer to in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please click here for a practical and forthright resource for the food industry to take on this challenge.

View additional resources, including Q&A directly related to the food industry.

If you have any specific questions pertaining to the products your company purchases from Nelson-Jameson,

“Clean” is seemingly a self-apparent word. We know it when we “see” it, right? Perhaps we can “feel” it after we finish the process of cleaning (ooh, it can be a verb too!)? This isn’t meant to get too metaphysical or anything, but if we take a second and really consider the meaning of the term, it can get problematic quickly.  

Outwardly clean-looking surfaces can easily harbor microscopic maleficence. For instance, what would happen if a food-contact surface that otherwise looked pristine had a contaminated surface as big as the head of a pin. How bad could it be? In the case of norovirus, the amount of viral particles that can fit in that tiny space “would be enough to infect more than 1,000 people”.

The

During our conversations with regulatory folks, a common theme has developed.   Overwhelmingly, regulators have stressed the importance of a “culture of food safety”.   This means that food safety isn’t relegated to only a few individuals in a plant. Instead, a culture of food safety is one where a business has inclusively brought in ALL stakeholders, from CEOs to part-time employees to learn, practice, and respect food safety standards.   Instead of viewing food safety as only rules that haveto be followed or marks to simply check off on a sheet, food safety becomes a mindset and unifying goal across the plant and across the company.

Wash. Your. Hands. This simple act can do so much to prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria. Lately, this has been highlighted most unwelcomingly

New York State, like many other areas in the US is firmly entrenched in the craft beer revolution. As Niall McCarthy chronicled on Forbes.com in April of 2019: “Back in 2008, small and independent brewers produced 8.5 million barrels of lager, stout, pale ale, India pale ale, porter and countless other varieties. By 2018, output climbed steeply to 25,917,766 barrels.” From Buffalo to Brooklyn, New York State’s craft industry continues to significantly contribute to that rise in production, from brewpub favorites to nationally-consumed brands.

At Nelson-Jameson, we never take chances when it comes to food safety, and neither should you. That's why we've put together a comprehensive flyer that is filled with the products you need to create an effective food safety program in your plant. Even more promising than the quality products is the manufacturers that are represented—we’ve included top products from 3M™, Hygiena™, Nasco, and Neogen®. Let us help you implement the Environmental Testing Solutions that work for your plant.

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