Production & Material Handling
![Loading...](https://nelsonjameson.com/pub/static/version1721049419/frontend/Codazon/unlimited_child/en_US/images/loader-1.gif)
- July 02, 2013
To amend a famous phrase: "Nothing can be said to be certain, except death, taxes...and pathogens." That is right. These tenacious little trouble makers are constantly knocking at our doors in the food industry. It is hard not to resent their tenacity and the ill effects they bring with them on a daily basis. However, there is hope! Get ready to give our microscopic mischief makers the boot!
A new tool in the fight against pathogens called the “HACCP Defender Boot Sanitizing System” will have your employees lining up to focus on this very issue. The HACCP Defender is a walk-in station that utilizes the proven power of Alpet D2 Surface Sanitizer to thoroughly treat employees' boots before they walk into critical areas of your operation.
The HAACP Defender uses infrared sensors to operate control doors and sprayers, that combined are designed to ensure boots get a thorough application of ALPET D2. Featuring stainless steel construction, the walk-in design
- April 17, 2013
When you hear about pest control in the food industry, one of the most common forms you hear about are insects. Depending on your geographic location, insects can be a problem year round, or rather be an extreme issue in the Spring of the year when the climate is prone to producing the proper temperatures for population growth and potential infestation.
In a recent Food Quality article, Jim Fredericks, PhD does a great job at addressing some of the pests that aren't as commonly acknowledged. Touching base on pests from cockroaches to stored product pests, Dr. Fredericks discusses the issues associated with these organisms, as well as, ways to detect and control their population.
- March 27, 2013
The food industry, in so many ways, is a product of the sun. The sun is a source of energy and growth for plants in the field and animals out to pasture. What if this same source at the heart of the food industry, could also power the operations of the food industry itself? The idea of harnessing the sun through solar power is nothing new; what is new is the more earnest ways in which companies of all kinds are exploring ways to implement and use solar power in everyday operations. Not just the concern of a few environmentally conscious companies, the use of alternative power sources is something that is gaining more attention across the food industry thanks to the demand for “green” products and the possible cost-savings that can come with a successful solar power program.
Conversely, the reality remains that solar energy programs are expensive and can be difficult to implement in the industrial sector. The use of solar energy is far from being widespread in the food industry at this point. With these challenges still very much in place, why is there this focus, by some food industry interests, on looking further into solar energy?
Achieving some level of energy independence is one of the key reasons why industry interests are pursuing solar power. Whole Foods, for instance, utilizes solar power as a supplement to their wind power credit purchase. The company considers cost-saving concerns along with environmental concerns as both important factors in utilizing solar power. As their site states, a successfully implemented solar installation can: “Produce and save more than 2.2 million kilowatt hours over 20 years,” “Result in more than 1,650 tons of CO2 emissions avoided, the equivalent of removing 440 cars from the roadways,” and “Reduce the impact on our country's power grids.”
- March 13, 2013
EPDM is the standard elastomer on many pumps and valves and is not compatible with petroleum-based products. Using lubricants such as the popular Petro-Gel in these applications
- November 26, 2012
Do you know that for the fourth quarter of 2011 allergens exceeded microbiological causes for recalls? If you Google "FDA Allergen Recalls" you might be amazed at all the recalls by the FDA just within the last few months. They ranged from undeclared milk and soy in jams and jellies to sea salt that possibly contained milk residue - the list goes on and on. It is important for food plants to ensure that each and every time they go from one production run to another that the food contact surfaces are allergen-free.
Food production facilities must ensure that their ingredient suppliers are also declaring specific allergens in their products and testing for them. Certificates of analysis for each lot must identify
- October 18, 2012
A pen is a pen; a glove is a glove, right? When purchasers are trying to adhere to the bottom line, this might make some sense. It doesn’t seem right that you should have to spend more on metal-detectable products, when you can buy it at the base price. As you figure out what is best for your operation, consider this: the price of something like a box of metal-detectable pens or a box of metal-detectable gloves are much less expensive than a recall caused by plastics contamination in your product.
For those that keep track of food recalls, “plastic contamination” is an all-too-familiar phrase. From cake to tuna to dog food, the discovery of plastic contaminates is a troubling event for both the customer and for the producer. Pen caps, pens, gloves, aprons, etc. are possible contaminants that can show up in a finished product, acting as choking hazards, laceration hazards, biological hazards, and as a shock to those consuming the product or to those serving it.
- June 13, 2012
This is the final article in a series of three articles focusing on 5S methods.
In this third of three pieces on the 5S program (you can learn more about 5S and associated products by clicking here or here.
5S is a method developed to create standardized, efficient, clean, and safe working environments. A common way of implementing 5S methods in facility is through the use of color-coding. An effective color-coding system in a kitchen, factory, processing facility, hospital, etc. does a lot to help meet the “standardizing," and "sustaining"
- June 08, 2012
This is the second article in a series of three articles focusing on 5S methods.
In last week's article, we took a brief look into the 5S method. This step-by-step method of workplace organization has been successfully incorporated into an array of settings: from industrial work floors to governmental offices. In this second of three pieces examining 5S, we’ll focus on a relatively simple but extremely effective product that