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Refer to Remco’s Knowledge Center to find information you need to implement effective color-coding and sanitation programs.
White Paper: SQF Edition 8
SQF Edition 8: Focus on Hygiene and Sanitation The SQF certification program can help facilities comply with crucial hygiene and sanitation requirements, as there is an enhanced focus in preventing, eliminating, and significantly minimizing food safety hazards of public health and legal significance. This whitepaper explores the notable contributions of SQF Edition 8 as a …
White Paper: HACCP vs. HARPC
HACCP vs. HARPC: A Comparison White Paper HACCP and HARPC share more than just four letters. They’re both food safety standards based on prevention, but they do differ on execution. Their differences and the similarities aren’t as important as the way they fit together for most food processors, though. A HARPC plan shouldn’t be considered …
White Paper: Cleaning Tool Maintenance
Optimizing Food Safety Through Good Cleaning Tool Maintenance by Debra SmithGlobal Hygiene Specialist – Vikan A/S Cleaning is a critical step in the management of food safety and quality. Consequently, the correct maintenance of cleaning tools by the food industry is essential to minimize the risk of microbial, allergen, and foreign body cross-contamination. This, in …
White Paper: The Hygienic Design of Food Industry Brushware
Minimising Contamination, Maximising Food Safety The Hygienic Design of Food Industry Brushware – the good, the bad and the ugly by Debra SmithGlobal Hygiene Specialist – Vikan A/S Cleaning is a critical step in the management of food safety. Consequently, the correct selection of cleaning equipment by the food manufacturing and food service industries is …
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White Paper: Understanding GMPs in Food Processing
To ensure the safety and quality of our food supply, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enforces a set of Current food Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs) published in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 110 (21 CFR 110). These CGMPs describe the methods, equipment, facilities, and controls for producing processed food. As …
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White Paper: HACCP Planning for Food Safety
A HACCP plan, although not required for all food processors, is a great foundation for any food safety program and can help to mitigate the risk from biological, allergen, and physical hazards. Building a HACCP plan provides assurance to customers and food safety agencies that appropriate measures are being taken in a facility to ensure …
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White Paper: Making the Decision to Apply Color-Coding
With the signing of the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA) in 2011, many food processors are taking proactive steps by instituting color-coding as part of their Good Manufacturing Practices. But in examining the intent of the HACCP procedures, one can easily see how other types of processing facilities could also benefit from color-coding systems. …
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White Paper: Selection, Care, and Maintenance Guide for Food Contact Tools and Equipment
In food processing, proper maintenance is important for assuring a sanitary processing facility. Properly selecting and using the right tools and equipment for each assigned task is essential to success, as well as ongoing care, cleaning, and maintenance of those tools and equipment. Remco has developed a guide to proper selection, care, and maintenance of …
Salmonella in Raw Poultry – From Processing to Purchasing
According to the CDC, an estimated 1.2 million Americans a year get sick from Salmonella infections. Of these, around 23,000 are hospitalized and approximately 450 people die. While there have been innovations around whole chicken processing that have led to reductions in bacteria, around 1.5% of carcasses still test positive for Salmonella at processing plants. …
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How to Choose the Right Brush for Food Processing
Proper cleaning tools can increase plant hygiene and make it easier for food processing facility staff to do their job. Finding the right brushes for each job is easier when you understand the role bristle stiffness, brush type, and bristle/block attachment play in how a brush functions. Hygienic Design of Brushes Drilled and stapled brushes …
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How to Choose the Right Broom for the Job
Maintaining hygienic standards is easier when employees have access to the right tools for the job, including the proper brooms. The staff in charge of cleaning will be better able to carry out cleaning tasks effectively and efficiently when they have tools that are fit-for-purpose. Hygienic Design of Brooms Drilled and stapled brooms are produced …
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The Importance of Hand Washing in the Food Industry
Handwashing in the food industry is one of the first lines of defense in food safety. Along with being a consumer health risk, inadequate personal hygiene can lead to costly and reputation-destroying recalls. However, it’s not just the responsibility of individual employees to ensure proper handwashing procedures are followed. Managers must cultivate a culture of …
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Food Safety Culture – Color-Coding for the Color-Blind
Food production facilities often rely on color coding their tools and workstations to create zones of control. These zones can designate areas where allergens are used to prevent cross-contact incidents, separate raw – from finished products to avoid cross-contamination issues, or visually represent different shifts to account for concerning potential direct-contamination trends. Color coding is …
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AFDO Journeys Toward the Integrated Food Safety System Vision
As an AFDO industry member, Remco Products Corporation is proud to have participated in the 121st Association of Food and Drug Officials Conference this June. Over 400 members from federal, state, and local agencies, as well as members of industry groups, trade associations, consumer organizations, and academia, made the trip to Houston for the recent …
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How is HARPC Different From HACCP?
HACCP and HARPC share more than just four letters. They’re both food safety standards based on prevention, but they do differ on execution. Their differences and their similarities aren’t as important as the way they fit together for most food processors, though. A HARPC plan shouldn’t be considered as a replacement, but as a necessary …
FDA Final Rule on the Sanitary Transportation of Food Compliance Gains Momentum
The FDA’s final rule on the sanitary transportation of food went into effect June 6, 2016. Though larger carriers, shippers, and receivers should have their compliance plans in place, smaller companies (fewer than 500 employees and less than $27.5 million in annual receipts) still have two years from the rule publication date to comply …
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Common Food Industry Cleaning Problems Solved
The goal of any good sanitation plan is to minimize cross-contamination and cross-contact through better hygiene and cleaning practices. But—what happens when workers can’t feasibly reach that tall ceiling fixture or get a brush to follow the curves of a spiraling pipe? If employees don’t have the right tools for the job, they’ll end up …
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5S in the Food Industry
Sort, straighten, shine, standardize, and sustain. These five principles comprise the 5S lean manufacturing method that originated in Japan. While 5S can help any organization, the principles contained in the alliterative method should especially appeal to those in food processing for its ability to promote food safety through a clean, safe, and organized workplace. 5S …
FDA Inspection Checklist
Remco Products presents Food Industry Counsel’s FDA Inspection Checklist as a part of our commitment to bringing our audience the best information in the food industry. We don’t endorse any legal services or provide legal advice. For legal services or advice, please consult your attorney. You can also contact Shawn Stevens, the author of this post, …
How to Prepare a New Cleaning Tool for Use
New cleaning tools—especially those sealed in plastic pouches like the ones from Vikan and Remco—often look like they’re ready for use right out of the bag. It’s easy to assume these tools can start sweeping, mopping, and brushing right away, however, as most in the food industry know, looking clean isn’t the same as actually …
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Checklist: Verifying Your CGMP Compliance
Current food Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs) are published in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 110 (21 CFR 110) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). CGMPs apply to every food processing operation, and can serve as one basis for FDA inspections. Compliance can have a major impact on your business. This …
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Checklist: Cleaning and Sanitizing Considerations
Where do you start when it comes time to build or evaluate a sanitation program for a food plant? With complex rules like the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and CFR Title 21: Food and Drugs, it’s helpful to have an idea of what to consider for building an effective plan for cleaning and sanitizing …
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Worksheet: Mapping Your Color-Coding Program
Use this worksheet to help you map a custom color-coding program at your food processing facility. Color-coding can help you promote food safety and allows you to create separate zones based on allergens, food-contact, or raw/finished products. Download this Worksheet Download this Worksheet(Word Document)
Checklist: Is Color-Coding Right For Your Food Processing Facility
Remco has developed a handy checklist that you can use to determine if color-coding might support the food safety efforts at your facility, such as HACCP compliance and requirements of FSMA. Download this Checklist
How to Care for Remco Products and Vikan Tools | Remco Products
To give your Remco Products and Vikan tools a longer lifespan, there are a few care instructions you should follow, including using proper autoclave temperatures, storage methods, and cleaning procedures. Tools are tested for quality Brushware can be autoclaved at 250° F/121° C Individual bristle strength is tested Bristle tufts are tested at 60 Newtons of force …
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Chemical Resistance
CHEMICAL RESISTANCE DATA G=Good F=Fair P=Poor N=No Chemical Concentration % Nylon 66 Polyester PBT Polypropylene PVC Acetic Acid 100 P F G N Acetone 100 G G G P Ammonia Liquid G N G G Aniline 100 P G G N Benzene 100 G G N P Bleaching Solutions Dilute N G G G Caustic …