Food Safety
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- August 12, 2015
Small poultry, meat, and processed egg product businesses, do you know there is a free resource out there to help you negotiate/understand food safety concerns and other USDA-related topics? Since 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has been operating a Help Desk for small operators.
One can either call the Help Desk at 1-877-FSISHELP (1-877-374-7435) or email the help desk at: [email protected] . Those using the Help Desk can expect that:
- March 25, 2015
It is quite easy to go through the day without taking a second look or give a second thought to the brushes we may use in our food industry operations or in our homes. Considering the vigorous workouts that we give our brushes, and the harsh conditions we expose them to, these workhorses are probably, at best, considered a basic tool with a basic function. Yet, the brushes we utilize today in industrial and domestic realms are the result of continuously morphing science and engineering standards.
For instance, filaments, the frontline soldiers in scouring, are put under a great deal of constant duress. In order to ensure that filaments (which can be made of several different materials, including polyester and polypropylene) don’t shed like needles from a dry Christmas tree, various settings have been developed to both allow durability and reflect standards of sanitary practice.
For basic cleaning, filaments have been traditionally set in with staples. Filaments are held in place, allowing for a level of durability and the ability to retain the filaments. However useful, staple-set brushes, because of their setting do permit small pieces of debris to get caught within the setting and may allow the growth of potential bacteria that get caught there. Such general-use brushes may work within certain circumstances; yet, they present some issues when contending with ensuring sanitary standards in food industry environments.
- February 11, 2015
For those of you in states buried under several feet of snow, navigating slippery roads, or simply trying to remember what the sun looks like, it may be hard to fathom, but warm weather is around the corner!
Along with picnics, baseball, vacations, and relief from seasonal affective disorder, spring and summer come along with some uninvited guests: a myriad of pests. In all fairness, cockroaches, flies, rodents, etc. are threats to food safety operations all year but with warmer weather food operations often see additional challenges when it comes to managing pests.
A good pest control program takes a good deal of planning and proper maintenance. Before the warmer weather hits, it might not hurt to examine your current program and anticipate the needs for your operation. Where to start though? Well, don’t “wing it.”
The following free sources provide some good, introductory insight into Pest Control in food processing environments: