Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/835413
Produce Show Daily 2 1 Tuesday, June 13, 2017 only can biological hazards survive and grow on conveyor belt surfaces, they are also transported throughout the food pro- cessing facility. Biological hazards (pathogen microorganisms) are a recog- nized hazard that are likely to cause ill- ness in the absence of good controls. These biological hazards include, but are not limited to, bacteria, viruses, parasites, yeasts, molds and fungi. These biological hazards all have one thing in common in order to grow and survive: food. They all need proteins and carbohydrates (sugars and starches). One method of controlling the growth and survival of these pathogen microorganisms is to eliminate their food source of proteins and carbohydrates. The BRITE BELT conveyor belt cleaning and conditioning system is designed to mechanically and chemically remove biofilm from flat conveyor belt surfaces. Biofilm found on conveyor belts used in food processing is com- posed of multiple pathogen microorgan- isms living in a slime and fed by particles of the foods being processed. The BRITE BELT scrubber pad breaks up the biofilm and allows the "killer" chemical to reach BRITE BELT (Cont'd. from p. 1) the pathogen microorganisms as well as remove residual food debris. The BRITE BELT conveyor belt cleaning and conditioning system has benefits beyond food safety. The clean- ing and sanitizing solution is metered through orifices which control the amount of chemical usage and apply the chemical continuously where needed. The pad attached to the system does not contain aluminum or pumice, and there- fore will not scratch the conveyor belt surface. This allows the scrubber unit to be left on the surface of the belt for longer periods of time to destroy pathogens. The BRITE BELT system does these tasks without incurring signif- icant labor costs. Once in place, those elements necessary to control biological hazards which include time, cleaning and sanitizing solution, and mechanical removal of bio-films are done without labor costs. Labor cost also includes sav- ings of benefits, payroll taxes, work- men's compensation and other related payroll expenses. For more information, visit booth #4431, go to www.britebelt.com or call 515.523.5803. no impact on the footprint the machine. About Matrix Matrix Packaging Machinery is an indus- try-leading manufacturer of vertical form fill seal (v/f/f/s) packaging equipment. Since 1988, Matrix has built a solid rep- utation for delivering rugged, well-engi- neered, cost competitive and easy-to-use packaging systems backed by outstand- ing customer support. Matrix has v/f/f/s, stickpack and pouch filling machines in operation throughout the world, handling a wide range of products in very diverse conditions. About Pro Mach Pro Mach is a leading provider of inte- grated packaging and processing prod- ucts and solutions for food, beverage, consumer goods, pharmaceutical and other diverse companies. Through its Matrix (Cont'd. from p. 1) brands, Pro Mach provides product packaging and processing equipment, PMMI certified training, installation, parts and service in bottling and cap- ping, primary packaging, flexible packaging, material handling, identifi- cation and tracking and end of line packaging. Pro Mach has a diverse customer base, from Fortune 500 companies to smaller, privately held businesses worldwide, which depend on reliable, flexible, technologically advanced equipment and integrated solution sets. Pro Mach is headquartered near Cincinnati, Ohio, with manufacturing facilities and offices throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. For more information about Pro Mach, visit www.promachinc.com. Visit Matrix at booth #4219. For more information, call 262.268.8300 or visit www.matrixpm.com. updating and maintaining your equip- ment. While there are a variety of ways contamination can occur, these princi- ples help us understand how crucial equipment design is to reducing food safety risks. The 10 Principles of Sanitary Design 1. Cleanable to a microbiological level. 2. Made of compatible materials. 3. Accessible for inspection, mainte- nance, cleaning and sanitation. 4. No areas where product or liquid can collect. 5. Hollow areas should be hermetically sealed. 6. No niches. 7. Sanitary operational performance. 8. Hygienic design of maintenance enclo- sures. 9. Hygienic compatibility with other plant systems. 10. Validated cleaning and sanitizing pro- tocols. Manufacturers of food processing equip- ment have used, and continue to refer to, these 10 principles to better serve cus- tomers and improve sanitary design inside facilities. Look to these manufac- turers to provide you with equipment built with both efficiency and sanitary design in mind. This industry is always changing and standards of food safety are ever improving, which means it's our responsibility as equipment manufactur- Birko Corporation (Cont'd. from p. 1) ers, chemical companies and food processors to keep evolving and adapting to that change. A commitment to food safety is cer- tainly a major investment of time, resources and budget. However, updating a facility is undeniably worthwhile. By choosing to change before you are forced, you will be much more likely to avoid a contamination event that brings your operation to a grinding halt, damag- ing your brand as well as your bottom line. Dr. Elis Owens leads Birko's Technical Services group involved in research and development, quality assurance, regula- tory compliance and customer education and support. He is active in the food safe- ty industry, and serves on the PMA Science and Technology Committee, the Center for Produce Safety Technical Committee, the United Fresh Food Safety and Technology Council, the Listeria Task Force – a joint PMA/United Fresh working group, and the Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association Food Safety Committee. He is a member of the International Association for Food Protection and is regularly published in journals and industry publications. Dr. Owens can be reached at eowens@birkocorp.com or 303.289.1090. For more information on produce processing equipment and sani- tary design recommendations, visit www.birkocorp.com/produce. plant and grow pumpkins and a wide variety of edible organic squash. Bay Baby Produce began with just 30 acres of soil, and an idea to give pumpkins a per- sonality by painting a face on them. The idea was a hit, and since then the compa- ny has developed a proprietary painting and production process that is able to consistently provide top quality painted pumpkins. We pride ourselves on being the premier provider of value-added painted pumpkins, ornamental pumpkins and high-quality organic winter squash. In our category, our quality and service are unmatched. PSD: What do you hope to achieve at the show? MY: We want to provide our customers with ideas of how to get the most sell through with the best fall décor pumpkin varieties possible, and to provide special- ty packs and recipes of our 'shockingly delicious' organic winter squash, includ- ing Butternut, Spaghetti, Acorn, Delicata, Red Kuri, Carnival, Kabocha and others. PSD: What brings pride to your compa- ny? MY: We are very proud of the compli- ments we receive from our customers regarding the quality of our pumpkin and organic squash. We also specialize in providing no touch customized pallet dis- Bay Baby Produce (Cont'd. from p. 1) plays, which has been a big hit! PSD: Are you launching any new prod- ucts this year? MY: Yes, as a matter of fact, we are introducing two things – our new bagged Organic Delicata Squash with a delicious Delicata boat recipe included, as well as our new bright-white, pie-sized Silhouette Pumpkins which are an eye- catching combination with our orange Silhouette Pumpkins. PSD: Who are Bay Baby Produce's tar- get customers? MY: We target produce and floral depart- ments, along with customers who like fall cooking and fall décor. It gives these categories a big dollar boost in the fall. PSD: How do your products help your customers compete in the marketplace? MY: We provide our clients with the ability to offer their customers unique varieties of our bestselling long-stem ornamental and painted pumpkins that come with excellent service, quality and competitive pricing. We are always com- ing out with new ideas on what is trend- ing via social outlets. For more information, stop by booth #3128, visit www.baybabyproduce.com or call 360.7552299 and ask for Michele or Tyann. STEMPRO CUTTERS: SAFETY IN RETAIL FLORAL PROCESSING By Paul Harris, Director, StemPro Leading cut flower retailers are taking advantage of the new StemPro Cutter technology to eliminate manual stem cut- ting. This enhances the working environ- ment of floral employees by eliminating injuries and the physical effort of shears, knives and guillotines. Major retailers experience an average of two workman's compensation claims annually resulting from injuries in their flo- ral departments. Assuming that the average incident cost is $84,600 (though some are much more), twice per year equals $168,000 per year. This includes both trau- matic and repetitive stress injuries; costs include medical and rehabilitation costs, paid time off, replacement worker training and increased worker's compensation rates. Over the seven year expected service life of the StemPro cutters, eliminating injuries and their associated costs will pay for about 120 cutters. Some store managers also report improved employee retention. One store manager said that an older lead lady in flo- ral had given notice because she could no longer handle the physical workload of processing flowers. When they installed their StemPro cutter, she was delighted with it and withdrew her notice, saying she planned to stay. The StemPro cutter had paid for itself just by making it possible for this valued employee to stay on the job. For more information, go to www .stempro.com.