Sanitation & Janitorial
- February 12, 2020
Cleaning and sanitizing, though often used interchangeably, play distinct and crucial roles in ensuring the safe production of high-quality dairy products, food, and beverages. Cleaning involves physically removing visible dirt, grease, and particles from surfaces, making them shiny and spotless. However, it doesn't eliminate illness-causing pathogens. On the other hand, sanitizing, which follows cleaning, reduces harmful microorganisms to safe levels. Skipping the cleaning step renders sanitizing ineffective. The process includes wetting, scrubbing, rinsing, applying sanitizer, and allowing the surface to air dry. Both actions are vital to prevent pest infestations, comply with food safety laws, protect against foodborne illnesses, and minimize waste. Training is crucial, ensuring employees understand the proper use of chemicals, concentration, mixing procedures, storage, and the importance of personal protective equipment. Color-coding tools helps prevent cross-contamination, emphasizing
- February 04, 2020
“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
- January 02, 2020
What's a MERV...?
Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) is the established air filter industry rating that measures the effectiveness of air filters based on the ASHRAE rating. The higher the MERV rating, the finer the filtration, meaning fewer dust particles and other airborne contaminants that can pass through the filter.
For example, a MERV-13 filter has to catch 90% of particles in the 1-10 µm ranges and 75% of particles in the .3-1 µm range.
Understanding Microns
A single strand of the finest human hair is approximately 20 micrometers, or microns, in diameter. If you would slice that strand in half and then slice one
of those halves in half...and then one more time, you are left with a strand that is 2.5 microns in diameter. As you can see in the chart below, there are three different ratings depending on the micron size and as you learned above, those particles are extremely tiny. The - May 01, 2019
Nelson-Jameson has expanded their color-coded program once again with the release of their 2019 Color-Coded Catalog. This year's catalog has grown to 56 pages of products that help to prevent allergen migration and cross-contamination. From the lab to the processing line, Nelson-Jameson has the color-coded products you need to produce safe, quality food.
In addition to having the most extensive color-coded program in the industry, we also have the most color options! Nelson-Jameson is now proud to offer gray, brown and lime products from Remco/Vikan® to help meet all your color-coded needs. The expanded catalog also includes new items like Color-Coded Cable Ties, Flagged Angle Brooms, Nylon Scrapers and more!
- January 09, 2019
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
- August 15, 2018
Choosing the right handheld radio is crucial for optimizing communication efficiency and saving time and money in various work environments. Motorola Radios provide instant communication, streamlining tasks such as locating personnel, managing supplies, task changes, and equipment coordination. To make an informed decision, consider factors like digital versus analog technology, UHF or VHF frequencies, power levels, and the desired range and coverage. Digital and UHF radios offer superior coverage, especially indoors, while VHF works well in open areas. Power levels impact both range and clarity, with higher power enhancing coverage. The number of channels required depends on workgroup separation, and Motorola Radios ensure compatibility with older models and other brands that share frequencies and codes. The radios are rugged, designed for all-day business use, and are programmable to work with repeaters and base stations. Motorola offers a 2-year warranty (1 year on accessories) covering
- August 08, 2018
Nelson-Jameson is proud to partner with Valcour Process Technologies to provide our customers with the equipment needed to inspect a wide assortment of product to prevent contamination. The Shield Allegro is a powerful X-ray inspection system that provides a higher level of inspection over traditional metal detectors.
While metal detectors provide reliable and robust contaminant detection technology, X-ray inspection technology
helps to ensure improved product quality by providing these additional benefits:- Designed to inspect a wide assortment of packages up to 450 mm (17.7") wide and 254 mm (10") high. Products are typically inspected after packaging but can be inspected as raw product or packaged in a box.
- Detects smaller sizes of stainless steel (2-2.5 mm vs. 6-8 mm), as well as a variety of other contaminants that aren't possible with a metal detector.
- Easy to use, 17" touch screen display provides a digital trail of images for each product
- December 06, 2016
If you are in a position of responsibility for your company’s food safety program, you may be faced with deciding which sampling products
- August 30, 2016
When I joined the lab team in May I was familiar with lab equipment and testing but I wasn’t familiar with luminometers and ATP. I had heard