Laboratory & QA/QC

According to the FDA, "one of the most commonly documented food safety problems in plants have involved sanitation monitoring, including checking food-contact surfaces and plant cleanliness" (Schug, para. 1). To make matters even more complicated, the
COVID-19 pandemic disrupted normal operations as well for countless food and beverage manufacturers. Disruptions may occur due to limited staff because of layoffs, social distancing requirements, or sickness. These situations on top of the normal expectations of having a clean food plant, can lead to the need of resources for food safety sanitation.

It is essential that food manufacturers create safe, quality food, therefore, routine practices need to continue, and additional sanitation protocols may need to be added. Employers also need to ensure a safe environment for their staff, including minimizing the risk of being exposed

Forty years ago, DSM introduced Delvotest®, an easy to use, reliable, antibiotic residue test for farmers, dairies, and milk control laboratories. Today, Delvotest® is the gold standard for antibiotic residue testing in the global dairy industry, since it provides the confidence to meet increasingly stringent global legislation and quality demands.

When it comes to individuals daily food consumption, the last thing we seem to worry about is the presence of antibiotic residue in our meats or dairy products. But if a dairy cow had an antibiotic in its system that was designed to fight off a bacterial infection, the residue from the antibiotic could easily be carried over to the milk the cow produced, which is not good. If the entire tank truck of milk was contaminated with antibiotics, the whole thing must be discarded per the FDA.

Nelson-Jameson has our own line of high-quality, low-cost branded pH buffers. Reference buffers are available in pH 4.01, 5.00, 7.00, and 10.01, and are manufactured for utmost accuracy and repeatability.

They are color-coded for ease of use when training new laboratory, operational staff, or a tenured laboratory technician. Feel confident that they will be free of contamination and tampering with a pressure-sensitive seal that bonds to the bottle as well as a safety seal and torque-testing to ensure the cap is secure.

A pH/temperature table is printed on the bottle label for accurate calibration. The buffers are NIST traceable, and are manufactured under ISO 9000 quality standards. They are available in different size packaging options such as 475 mL and 1 gallon to accommodate any size operation.

If you are looking for cost savings and a quality line of pH buffers suitable for any laboratory, contact a Product Specialist today for more information!

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.

For more information

Nelson-Jameson takes food safety very seriously, and we know that you do too. That is why we offer a wealth of products and solutions that can help your facility reduce the risk of foodborne illness and contamination. From Color-Coding and Metal Detectable to Hand Hygiene and Environmental Testing - we have many programs available to help ensure your processing facilities are compliant, providing safe, quality food to all.

To talk to one of our food safety experts about these programs or to receive

Unfortunately there are no shortage of food recalls due to allergens. Allergens are a serious business for the food industry and, of course, for consumers. Now there is a new line of allergen tests from a company with a familiar name synonymous with food safety testing to help take on this serious concern.3M Rapid Allergen Protein Test Kits are a Lateral Flow format, that provide significant savings and peace of mind. These Allergen Kits can test finished product, and environmental verification of allergy free food contact surfaces!

What these quick tests can provide is security that one of the “Big 8” is not present when

In February I had the opportunity to attend the “Artisan Dairy Producer Food Safety Initiative Workshop” to learn about the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) along with other leaders in the dairy industry here in Wisconsin. It was put on by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association and was offered at no expense thanks to a generous grant from USDA-NIFA. Marianne Smukowski, from the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) and Matt Mathison from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB) were the trainers for the workshop. The workshop was a brief overview of the expectations that the FDA has put before every business in the food industry, from the large to the small plants. This workshop was geared towards the dairy industry, focusing on the hazards that arise, and how to put a detailed plan together to prevent them. One of the hazards that was of special interest, especially due to the sheer amount of news coverage that it has gotten in the previous months, was the elimination and prevention

The National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) is scheduled to meet in May 12-17 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and will be considering a proposal for lowering the maximum allowable somatic cell count (SCC) in milk to 400,000 cells per milliliter. The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) has long been a proponent of lowering the SCC threshold to 400,000 cells/ml. The current threshold is 750,000 cells per milliliter. The European Union (EU) and other countries have adopted the 400,000 cell/ml standard, placing import bans on any dairy products sourced from farms with SCCs above that level.

SCC levels measure dead white blood cells in milk, an indication of mammary gland infections. Lower levels of somatic cells indicate higher quality milk. Some federal milk marketing orders have a 350,000 cells/ml threshold to determine milk quality premiums. Dairy processors believe that lower SCC thresholds impact cheese yield, taste and shelf life.

Nelson-Jameson

If you are in a position of responsibility for your company’s food safety program, you may be faced with deciding which sampling products