Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/1111999
Restaurant Daily News Sunday, May 19, 2019 8 2 Carla's Pasta: The Production Facility of the Future Carla's Pasta is setting new standards in the food safety industry. Its new produc- tion facility is designed around a high hygiene, BRC+ concept, and the only ready-to-eat filled pasta company in the U.S. establishing this level of excellence for food safety. This new state-of-the-art production facility is purposefully designed with a three-zone hygiene system, requiring employees and equipment designated to each zone to remain within their respec- tive area. This prevents pathogens from ever entering food prep areas. The facili- ty features 21-inch stainless steel con- crete filled baseboards to eliminate harborage collecting cavities, stainless steel curbs to block moisture collection, and ¼-inch thick antimicrobial coated concrete floors for a chemical and slip resistant surface. The use of multi-zoned, stainless- steel air ducts in high hygiene areas cre- ate positive air pressure to prevent out- side air from ever entering, minimizing any risk of foreign airborne contami- nants. The ultraviolet lighting and HEPA filtration systems disinfect and filter out foreign matter from the air. Underneath the facility, an isolated multi-zone draining system carries wastewater away from each zone inde- pendently, so the plant is never at risk for contamina- tion if a backup were ever to occur. Drain pipes in the building are bound together by a process called electrofu- sion, which provides a seam- less, welded seal between sections of pipe, preventing any opportunity for pathogens to propagate. An Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP) is also strictly enforced throughout the building, to seek out any traces of pathogens. Before the start of production, and each day, allergen and ATP swabs (measuring actively growing microorganisms) are conducted through- out the facility. Case Level 10 testing on all finished product is also completed regularly to ensure maximum confidence in food safety. Every night, 40,000 gallons of hot, pressurized water is heated to 130 degrees Fahrenheit and used for a complete facility wash-down, including the blanch- ers and spiral freezers. With the facility of the future now a reality, Carla's Pasta contin- ues to lead the industry with an unprecedented level of food safety practices. This facility totals 90,000 square feet, bringing the entire production capacity to just shy of 200,000 square feet. Carla's Pasta is the largest specialty filled pasta company in the U.S., woman owned and family operated since 1978 and proud to be recognized and part of NWBOC. Visit Carla's Pasta at booth #707. LoRaWAN: Food Safety's New Technological Marvel If you've never heard of LoRa, you're not alone. Although it's the hottest new communication technology on the mar- ket today, it's also relatively brand new. Originally developed in 2012 and only just starting to make its way into mass market products, LoRa specializes in transmitting over long ranges (hence the name). In fact, LoRa devices can transmit over 10 miles with clear line-of-sight. This technology is also remarkable for its low-power consumption, energy efficien- cy and low cost. Most importantly for commercial kitchens and their food safety programs, LoRa also performs well in very difficult environments. Restaurants may not care about transmitting to a receiver located miles away, but they do need a device that can work from within a heavily insu- lated, stainless steel deep freezer. In fact, many heavily insulated cool- ers are essentially Faraday cages that pre- vent electromagnetic signals from escap- ing. A LoRa-based wireless temperature sensor, however, can reliably transmit its signal even under these conditions. LoRa uses lower frequencies in the 868 and 915 MHz ranges, which are more suc- cessful at transmitting through heavy materials. By contrast, although Bluetooth (which operates in the 2.4 GHz band) and Wi-Fi are the de facto standard for most wireless devices to communicate with other equipment or with the cloud, they can falter in these condi- tions. Before LoRa, remote- ly monitoring the tempera- ture in a cold-holding unit often entailed making unde- sirable compromises, like drilling holes to run cable or setting up multiple antennas to extend the signal. Those efforts add expense, labor and potential points of failure – and could end up void- ing equipment warranties. LoRa requires none of that. It just works. Digital, automated and wireless food safety systems are proliferating in restau- rant kitchens, thanks to their ability to provide better results, safer food, enhanced brand protection and peace of mind that operations are shielded against food safety disasters. However, smart devices like temperature sensors cannot work if they cannot successfully and con- sistently communicate at all times. The LoRa-enabled sensor "lives" fully in the environ- ment it is monitoring, so no wiring, drilling or extra equip- ment (like repeaters or exter- nal antennas) are required to get data from the device to the Cloud. LoRa sensors are also hardened against power grid issues; data can be stored on the device until power and/or internet connectivity is restored. LoRa presents exciting new opportu- nities for restaurants to get smart about their operations, implement more effec- tive food safety systems and drive greater efficiencies. For more information, visit booth #9442, go to www.compliancemate.com, call 678.526.4628 or email info@ compliancemate.com. Fox Laminating Company Expands to Include Digital Printing Fox Laminating Company is a manufac- turer, printer and laminator – with all products proudly made in the USA. It is best known for creating high quality, cus- tom laminated wood plaques, and has been in business for over 40 years. In addition to impressive looking plaques, the company produces menus and table display cards in a variety of styles. Recently, Fox expanded its services to include digital printing. It is a certified Xerox ® digital printer and provides every type of print service for most paper stocks. The Xerox Color 1000i Press pro- vides black, CMYK – full color and spot color print options. Moreover, the 1000i digital press is capable of printing metal- lic gold and silver inks, as well as a clear coating with as many passes needed to give the raised feature that many cus- tomers are looking for. The creative department at Fox also has the ability to provide pre-press services such as crops and bleeds, imposition, scanning and photo manipulation, just to name a few. The main benefit in obtaining this color press for the foodser- vice and restaurant industry is to produce eye-popping menus, table tent cards, counter cards, placemats, order forms, employee I.D. badges, magazine and newsprint article plaques, award acrylic plaques and anything in between. Additionally, Fox is able to pro- vide excellent finishing options, such as scoring, folding, stapling, binding, and of course, laminating. With the capability to design, print and fulfill all orders, Fox provides full production and shipping without having to com- promise turn-around time, quality con- trol and pricing. Laminated wood plaques and digital printing services are produced from start to finish in the company's West Hartford, Connecticut manufacturing shop. If you are in the vicinity, feel free to stop in for a quick tour. Fox also offers Do-It- Yourself I.D. supplies, attachments and laminating equipment. Visit Fox Laminating Company at booth #9123. For more information, call 860.953.4884, email graphics@ foxlaminating.com or go to www.fox laminating.com. Authentic Specialty Grains from Royal Increasingly, consumers are seeking out and paying more for authentic ingredi- ents and dishes. Technomic ® , in the 2019 Ethnic Food & Beverage report, shows 53 percent of Americans are consuming more ethnic foods and beverages with one in four of all consumers desiring lim- ited and full-service restaurants offer eth- nic foods and flavors. The Royal ® brand, a leader in authentic specialty grains, goes directly to the origin to source products from regions from which they are known; where the ideal blend of soil, climate and water makes for a distinctly aromatic and flavorful grain. For example, Royal Basmati is grown at the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains, giving this full-flavored grain it's naturally enticing aroma and delicate taste. Then after careful harvesting, it is aged for a minimum of 12 months in tem- perature-controlled silos, further enhanc- ing the characteristics of the grain. Royal closely part- ners with its farmers to sustainably source, grow and harvest its grains, including water manage- ment programs to reduce water consumption in its crops by 3x and provide cleaner water in villages, also providing its network of over 75,000 farmers with resources to help improve the areas where they live, going beyond the requirements of Fair-Trade guidelines, enabling a better quality of life. For recipe inspiration and to learn more about the Royal brand and its lineup of authentic specialty grains, visit the company's booth or go online at www.authentic royal.com. At the show, the company is cooking and offering free samples of its traditional Royal Basmati, Royal Chef's Secret and Royal Thai Hom Mali Jasmine products, and giving away a $100 gift card each day of the show. For more information, visit booth #685 or go to www.authenticroyal.com.