Sanitation

Are you looking for an efficient way to sweep up dirt and fine dust? Then a ground cover sweeper could offer you a solution. With the Stefix sweepers, you can easily and quickly clean your anti-root cloth and cultivation floors in the greenhouse. The machines can be used in greenhouses as well as in…

The COVID-19 pandemic propelled food processors to scrutinize various aspects of their existing employee hygiene and environmental safety programs in an effort to protect facility workers’ health. Implementation of measures such as social distancing, illness screening, workspace barriers, additional personal protective equipment (PPE) and enhanced cleaning measures have aided the industry in reducing employee sickness and unplanned shutdowns.1 Of these actions, effective cleaning protocols in non-production areas, under the scope of facility janitorial programs, have been brought to heightened attention as a critical preventative measure for surface contamination of SARS-CoV-2.1 Through incorporation of the fundamental principles of sanitation programs utilized for food production zones, processors can elevate the effectiveness of their janitorial cleaning programs in non-production areas.

Usually, there is no activity in the warehouse of Belgium tomato grower VW Maxburg during the night. Or at least you won't find any people or tomatoes in the processing hall. However, twice a night you can hear a slight buzzing, and fog is dispersed from fans above the hall. This fog is stabilized…

Contained environments lock out many threats by protecting plants from predators and extreme weather like snow, hurricane winds or scorching heat. Unfortunately, sometimes the smaller the pest the bigger the problem. Consistent issues persist in contained environments caused by fungi, bacteria and human…

With the holiday season almost upon us, it’s time to turn our attention to Spring bedding crops. Although here for a brief window, the diversity of these crops means you’re bound to encounter some sort of disease and insect problems.

One way you can head off issues is to plan and prepare now.  This post from January 2020 has important tips on sanitation for common spring crop diseases, dips and early sprays to prevent key pests, as well as tips on where to spend your biocontrol dollars.

Benjamin Franklin is quoted saying, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” When considering this quote for the commercial greenhouse operation, it should come as no surprise that preparing for the next growing season is an important task as it sets the tone for the entire season. Starting…

Last week, crop rotation started at Kwekerij Litjens in the Netherlands. They began clearing the crops at their Meterik location.  Source: LinkedIn  At the beginning of December, the new plants will arrive, which will yield a lot of yellow and red bell peppers coming season.

After a long cultivation season, the pipe rail trolleys are often in need of cleaning. At the end of the year, the trolley platform is likely covered with the plants' green. To make sure the green can easily be removed after the cultivation season, the Frekofix was introduced to the market. Steenks…

“And this is possible”, says Lies van Geest, owner of FreeAir, which his company proves at a grower in the Dutch town of Almere. By splitting up the regular water purification machines into different sections, the water is completely purified every day. 40 HertzThe first option for water purification is…

Due to the strong demand, Menno Chemie LLC has developed a new model variant for the "high-end foodgrade" area of the proven Skumix foam application. It is a mobile disinfection device made of stainless steel with air drive, which was especially designed for the use in the food sector. Unique to the…

Hy-Vee Inc. is rolling an automated cleaning system that fully cleans and sanitizes shopping carts after each use. By mid-November, 200-plus Hy-Vee stores across the grocer’s eight-state market area will have a Sterile Cart system up and running. According to the company, it’s the first supermarket chain to introduce the system across its company.

Plant greenhouses use dripping/irrigation lines or hydroponic systems to provide the plants with sufficient water. However, invisible from the outside, a biofilm may build op on the inner lining of these water systems. Such biofilm may significantly reduce the water flow or even physically clog entire…

After completing a successful summer planting season, Proplant Propagation announces another 5 acre expansion, to be completed in early 2021. In preparation for the expansion the company has doubled down on their biosecurity efforts with the completion of a new, larger and more automated building for cleaning trolleys and…

The integration of sanitation is a critical part of the food manufacturing process. This week’s episode of the 2020 Food Safety Consortium Virtual Conference Series will focus on effective approaches, best practices and lessons learned. The following are some highlights:

Sanitation Methods, Day-to-Day Operations and Applying It to a Pandemic (Now and Future Outbreaks), with Elise Forward, Forward Food Solutions; David Shelep, Paramount Sciences; and Bill Leverich, Microbiologics, Inc. The Critical Nature of a Good Environmental Program: The Story Behind Sabra’s Recall, Experience with the FDA, and Environmental Monitoring Journey, with Rob Mommsen, Sabra Dipping Company Surrogates & Emerging Applications: Their Role in Validation, Verification and Compliance, with Laure Pujol, Ph.D. and Vidya Ananth, Novolyze Tech Talks from Sterilex and Romer Labs.

Industrial potato and produce processing equipment manufacturer Vanmark has introduced a new option to its Peeler/Scrubber/Washers that automatically and effectively cleans the peeler bed and rolls in as little as 10 minutes — allowing for cleaning during production and dramatically reducing downtime…

IFCO and Ecolab have created a validated regimen for cleaning and sanitizing reusable plastic containers to prevent cross contamination.

The process ensures validated limits are maintained, according to a news release from the United Fresh Produce Association. The association is hosting Ecolab and IFCO for a seminar on its United Fresh 365 Live! platform.

The free web seminar is at 2 p.m. Eastern Oct. 8 and registration is online.

“As produce moves through the fresh supply chain there is a potential of cross contamination if proper preventative controls are in not in place,” according to the United Fresh notice on the web seminar.

Ball’s Food Stores announced the certification of 100 employees by the American National Standards Institute and the Conference for Food Protection.  Ball’s Foods employees participated in an intensive, seven-hour training course focused on proper food handling, food preparation and food storage along with food safety and sanitation standards that are required by the FDA and USDA through the Food Safety Modernization Act.

After passing the certification test, department managers, store managers and senior leadership earned accreditation and a certificate from the National Registry of Food Safety Professionals. "The company is committed to ensuring all guests receive the best possible shopping experience in the safest environment," Gregg Frost, vice president of human resources for Ball’s Food. "Every Balls Price Chopper, Hen House Market, Balls Sun Fresh Market and Payless Discount Foods have at least one manager on duty during all hours of operation who are a Certified Food Protection Manager.”

Kansas City based Ball’s Food Stores operates 26 supermarkets under the Hen House Market, Price Chopper, Sun Fresh and Payless Discount Foods banners in Kansas City and surrounding markets.

When vegetable farmers harvest crops, they often rely on postharvest washing to reduce any foodborne pathogens, but a new University of Georgia study shows promise in reducing these pathogens — as well as lowering labor costs — by applying sanitizers to produce while it is still in the fields.…

Pieter van Dijk, born in Poeldijk (the Netherlands) is the Chief Operating Officer at Ontario Plants Propagation. He spent a lot of time in the Netherlands this spring, due to the coronavirus. Right away it was a great opportunity to shop around for new installations for the expansion of the Canadian…

With constantly emerging viruses, pests and diseases in the greenhouse horticulture, hygiene in the greenhouse is an important and much-discussed topic. Clean hands, clean machines and clean water ensure a clean greenhouse, and therefore also clean crops. Steenks Service provides some tips for hygienic…

“You have to sanitize everything,” says William Kanitz with ScoringAg. “If you don’t protect your product, the consumer gets sick.” The company sells and produces sanitizing equipment for fresh produce and its packaging. Due to the Coronavirus, things have changed. It’s increasingly important to reduce…

SmartWash Solutions, Salinas, Calif., has released an online tool allowing produce plant managers to monitor real-time performance data on their wash lines chemistry.

That means plant manager can quickly spot potential problems and adjust processes as necessary.

The software, Process Pro Data Live (PPDL) 2020, enhances SmartWash’s PPDL with improved site speed, navigation and a data dashboard that can be accessed from any device with wi-fi, according to a news release.

Wash line data is monitored and reacted to via the “Situational Awareness View” screen, which gives the status of all wash lines in operations.

PPDL includes historical data for verification and calibration of pH and chlorine sensors that can track performance over time; it also includes a review and sign-off on verification and calibration events for Food Safety Modernization Act compliance.