Part 4 of our series discusses effective ways of managing hygienic zones and environmental monitoring zones that ensure that cross-contamination risks can be prevented, eliminated, or significantly minimized.

Over 3,400 attendees worldwide from the regulatory, academic, industry, and professional advocacy sectors collaborated to advance the best-in-class science, technology, and policy updates on food safety and sanitation at IAFP 2024.

During our “Food Hygiene and Sanitation Updates for Key GFSI-Benchmarked Schemes” webinar, our resident experts shared how to maximize food safety through compliance with the hygiene and sanitation requirements of the most popular GFSI-benchmarked certification schemes.

In Part 3 of this series, we will focus on the importance of laying out an appropriate food processing environment and controlling the processes effectively to minimize the risk of product contamination.

Read on for 6 of our top questions and answers from our recent hygienic design webinar.

In this blog, we will explain why hygienic design matters when considering the selection and installation of food processing area equipment and facilities.

The safety and quality of food products rely greatly on the sanitation of the processor’s equipment and environment. Close to 18 years of data has shown that overall, 1-in-3 inspection violations in a facility may be directly related to insanitary equipment or environment.

Two of our primary areas of focus are aimed at minimising the amount of materials we use and lowering our CO2 emissions.

At less than a month away from 2024, we wanted to share some key highlights of 2023 from the food hygiene and sanitation industry sectors within North America in this blog.

We have developed the Vikan Hygiene Product Take-Back programme – a solution to remedy the environmental challenges associated with the disposal of multi-material cleaning tools.

During our Food Safety Culture webinar, industry experts discussed how simple techniques, such as the use of color-coding, helps employees practice food safety behaviors consistently and promotes a culture of producing safe and high-quality food.

The Virtual Site Survey concept helped to solve a daunting issue during the pandemic, but it also has another huge advantage—a possible reduction in our collective environmental footprint. This service, which doesn't require travel, is a great alternative to our in-person Site...

Drains can present specific challenges to the overall sanitation efforts within food sites, as they can act as collection sinks and harbourage points for contaminants such as microbial pathogens and biofilms from where they may grow and spread to other areas of the facilities...

At IAFP 2023, over 3,500 food safety professionals from about 58 countries came together to advance the best-in-class science, technology, and policy developments on food safety and sanitation through their participation.

At Vikan we have always focussed on the production of high quality, durable tools that provide our customers with good value for money. This durability can also be considered a great asset when it comes to sustainability.

We’re incredibly excited to announce the acquisition of WRD Wells-Australia and Wells Hygiene-New Zealand. With over 95 years of industry experience, and with 50 of those as our exclusive partner, Wells brings extensive knowledge and capability to the Vikan family.

During our “Foreign Body Prevention Strategies” webinar, industry experts discussed metal detection, x-ray inspection, and other foreign body controls. These are your top 10 questions, answered by our experts.

Hand washing is a basic, yet critical personal hygiene practice for preventing contamination and disease within food handling establishments. According to the CDC, about 89% of foodborne illness outbreaks occur due to inadequate hand washing by food workers.

We believe insights from different departments strengthens the Green Team, helping them to pinpoint opportunities for measurable action throughout the entire company.

The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) recently presented Remco’s own Amit M. Kheradia with its prestigious dual certification credential, REHS/Registered Sanitarian.

During our Hygiene in Food Retail webinar, we took audience questions. Here are the top 6.

Becoming more green in an industry that requires virgin, non-recycled plastic is not a simple task. However, that does not mean that Vikan isn’t rising to the challenge.

During our “Hygiene in High-Risk Food Production: Keep it Clean and Chill” webinar, Deb Smith from Vikan and David Buckley from Diversey discussed the key food hygiene and sanitation challenges and solutions associated with high-risk food production facilities.

A question we get asked a LOT about is the use of sponges and scourers for cleaning and, like most things in the food industry, the answer should be based on risk assessment.

2022 might have been labeled as the year of a triple whammy. The continuing COVID-19 pandemic (though waning down in certain regions and countries), the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and ensuing climate change characterized by floods, hurricanes, and elevated temperatures – all...

As a product specialist and a hygiene expert, I’m often asked to go into food processing facilities to help suggest tools or best practices, which is made easier by use of the Microsoft HoloLens.

Following our “Dry Cleaning: Is Water Friend or Foe in Food Safety and Sanitation?” webinar, Deb Smith from Vikan and Karl Thorson from General Mills received over 130 questions. These are their top 9 Q&As.

Remco is pleased to announce that the Virtual Site Survey pioneered by Vikan won the Best New Product/Service from SOFHT. Virtual Site Surveys have received positive feedback from Remco's customers in the U.S. and Canada, as well as from Vikan's international customers.

New health and safety considerations, accelerated digitisation, technological advances, and new ways of working—the pandemic created many challenges over the last couple of years. With customer service being a top priority at Vikan, we felt this survey would prove helpful.

In the biofilms and drain cleaning webinar, we had so many great questions from our audience that we weren’t able to answer them all at the time. Below is a list of the top 8 questions answered by our Vikan and ACO Drainage hygiene experts.

Cronobacter is a ubiquitous bacterium found naturally within the environment that can also survive in low-moisture foods. The unusual ability of Cronobacter to survive in these foods makes it a pathogen of concern in dry food production.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Steel City, hosted the IAFP 2022 Conference from July 31st to August 3rd. Around 3,000 food safety professionals from across the globe, representing regulatory, academia, industry, and advocacy, assembled in solidarity to advance the best-in-...

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the USDA’s new comprehensive framework in early June 2022. The framework aims to strengthen the food supply chain and transform food systems to be fairer, more competitive, and more resilient, and its announcement comes on th...

The FDA emphasizes the importance of food safety culture and the Foodborne Outbreak Response Improvement Plan

Remco and Vikan hygiene experts answer the top 5 audience questions from our 5S and food safety webinar.

In this, our final Blog in the series, we’ll look at the EU and U.S. food safety and hygiene regulatory requirements, key industry and global standard requirements, and the best sanitation practices that support a manual cleaning operation.

In part five, we are going to briefly focus on understanding the relevant departments involved during the cleaning and sanitation process within a food facility.

In part four, we will explain the basics of how to identify the locations or areas that require cleaning, and how to determine how often they’ll need cleaning. These steps are very important for the establishment of the consistently sanitary environment required for safe food...

In this third part of our six-part Blog on cleaning, we address the key question: how is the manual cleaning process typically implemented?

In numerous instances, manual cleaning offers the best practical option for cleaning, especially when it comes to cleaning of complex equipment.

This blog series will go over the various ins and outs of manual cleaning and why it is necessary for the safe production of food.

What foods do you associate with Salmonella? Most likely your answer will be raw meat and eggs, not flour or nuts. Nevertheless, Salmonella is a very resistant bacterium and can survive in all kinds of foods.

One of the great things about working for an organisation like Vikan is that I get to support the food industry and advance food safety through many different avenues. I was involved with a CampdenBRI member-funded research project to update guidelines.

This blog post focuses on how you avoid the worst potential pitfalls of a new colour-coding system.

Do you know how important the mechanical action applied during cleaning is in removing biofilms? If you don’t already know, you’ll find the answer here.

Here are some of the key things to be aware of when you’re planning to colour code.

Advice to hotels, restaurants and catering (HoReCa) establishments on hygiene measures prior to re-opening.

The global COVID-19 pandemic is having an impact on us all. To ensure the continued provision of key products and services at this time, governments around the world have identified ‘key workers’ whose activities are critical to the COVID-19 response.

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) brings together key actors of the food industry to collaboratively drive continuous improvement in food safety management systems around the world.

Food handling utensils like buckets, scoops, scrapers, and shovels play an essential role in food processing environments. As food contact surfaces themselves, food handling utensils should possess characteristics that enhance food safety rather than create additional risks.

Why should your cleaning tools and utensils be color coded? It is a question we’re often asked, even though it makes sense to many. Here is how we answer the question.

This blog post provides information on selection and maintenance of food industry cleaning tools and utensils, with regard to minimising the risk of product contamination by foreign bodies.

Customer satisfaction is a top priority at Vikan, and every couple of years we put ourselves to the test by asking our customers how they think we’re doing.

Easy to clean Vikan Ultra Safe Technology products have delivered an outstanding cleaning standard for a large UK deli and meats manufacturer.

Food industry customers often ask us about the best way to clean up glass breakages and the resulting debris. Fortunately, Vikan has experienced Customer Service and Technical Sales Teams, and a dedicated Hygiene Team ready to help you with good practical advice about this.

Cross-plant colour coding for hygiene equipment boosts effectiveness in four Refresco beverage bottling plants in Germany.

How to minimise allergen cross-contamination using colour-coded equipment and colour-coded site segregation.

Vikan Declarations of Compliance(DoC) are your guarantee that Vikan plastic cleaning equipment and food handling tools contain no toxic substances that could contaminate food. Vikan DoCs are clear, easy to read and always up to date.

Get valuable insights from Dr. Phil Voysey to where to look for listeria in a food production and how to prevent cleaning tools from cross contaminating. Learn more about listeria and read Dr. Phil Voysey’s blog post here.

Ever wondered what the Vikan name means, and where it comes from? Here’s the answer

What’s in a brush? Well, it’s a question we take very seriously – and quite literally. As a matter of fact, you can trace the entire 125-year history of our company by examining the materials that comprise the products we make.

In his memoir, Life and Works, Vikan founder A.P. Pedersen recounts a number of experiences from the company’s earliest days and reflects upon these as an older man looking back on his life. Some of the stories he tells seem to have a special resonance for us at Vikan. They ha...

There is no doubt that Vikan’s 125 years of growth – and the company’s current position as global market leader – are closely linked to technology.

If you produce chilled, ready-to-eat foods, you’ll need to know where you have to clean to avoid food contamination. This post details the most common Listeria hideouts – and how to clean for this dangerous bacteria.

Find out what Global Food Safety Schemes, including BRC, FSSC 22000, and SQF, say about cleaning tool selection, use and maintenance requirements, and how you can optimise your cleaning tool audit compliance

Today, the best way to make your investment in Vikan profitable is to have a customised site survey carried out. In sectors with high hygiene requirements, such as food preparation environments, the inspection of cleaning equipment is essential in any effective hygiene man...

At the centre of our work with food safety and hygiene is our dedicated Hygiene Department. Find out what they can do for you!

During our travels and many site visits, we are often asked: “What makes Vikan different from our competitors?” Well, the short answer is our company’s purpose.

Don’t rush. Take a breath and start paying careful attention to the buckets in used in the food and beverage sector.

When it comes to cleaning walls in your factory, forget hiring a cherry picker and scrubbing with hand cloths, Vikan have a solution which will remove dirt easily and effectively in a short space of time.

Read Vikan’s recommendations on how to avoid this frustrating problem.

Vikan's UST brushware reduces bristle loss and helps protect your business from foreign body complaints – read more.

Storage of cleaning equipment is a hot topic within the food industry and quite rightly so! What are the best options available for you?

Finding the right Vikan squeegee for the right job helps you raise hygiene standards as well as boosting your employees’ job satisfaction.

What information is mandatory in a Declaration of Compliance (DoC)? The nine items you need in a DoC.

Here at Vikan providing the best customer service and customer experience is at the heart of everything that we do. We don’t want our distributors or end users feeling like their Vikan bucket is half empty due to a disappointing experience with us. We strive for that bucket to...

We began 2022 with a renewed hope for better health, safety, and progress for all. Food safety management across our global supply chain, from farm to fork, is a priority that cannot be ignored as a large piece of that hope.

This year marked a decade since the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) came into effect as a means to facilitate preventive control interventions and lower foodborne illness outbreaks.

Remco is proud to have participated in the FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety Virtual Summit on E-Commerce that took place from October 19-21, and which was well attended by regulators, industry representatives, and consumer groups from about 49 countries.

Neither the heat nor the hybrid-nature of the conference amid the pandemic could stop food safety professionals from attending IAFP 2021 on July 18 – 21 in the beautiful city of Phoenix, AZ.

Investing in a “hygienically designed” facility, equipment, or an itemized inventory is no longer just a buzzword for the food and beverages industries.

Remco is proud to have participated at the Conference for Food Protection Virtual Workshop themed “The Impact of New Food Technologies and New Foods on the Food Safety Professional” from April 13 – 15, 2021.

Safe Quality Food (SQF) is a GFSI-benchmarked food safety and quality management system standard. As a globally recognized certification program that covers the food supply chain (from primary production to food service), it is a popular standard in the U.S. and Canada.

For customers with food allergies, the simple pleasure of consuming a confection could have disastrous effects. Individuals with food allergies can rapidly develop symptoms of fever, vomiting, asthma, skin rashes, and hives, or they may even enter mild-to-severe anaphylactic s...

Ten years ago, on January 4th, President Obama signed into law the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This act enables the FDA to better protect public health by focusing more on preventing food safety problems rather than simply reacting to them.

With the COVID-19 pandemic raging on, it’s essential for the global food supply and food safety systems to keep delivering safe and quality food to consumers. Notably, the message from the FDA has been clear: “There is no evidence, as yet, regarding transmission of COVID-19 th...

Remco has proudly provided tools and guidance to help food manufacturers mitigate the risk of Covid-19 in production facilities while maintaining their high food safety and quality standards and are now playing a critical role in the distribution of Covid vaccines across the U.S.

Recently, the FDA issued a warning letter to a food manufacturing facility. One of the critical inspectional violations pointed to the improper use and storage of an unclean broom that spread Listeria monocytogenes from a wet cooler passageway to an RTE production room.

Remco is proud to have participated in the USDA-FSIS virtual public meeting on Salmonella. The forum discussed the agency’s Salmonella reduction efforts through science-based, data-driven, and innovative strategies that ensure the safety of meat, poultry, egg products, catfish...

Food processing regularly involves frying, roasting, pasteurization, and sterilization—all of which require varying degrees of heat. These hot surfaces call for tools that can withstand high temperatures to clean or handle food products.

Remco is committed to being a leading supplier of sanitation and material handling tools to the food processing industry. As a part of this commitment, we are now manufacturing Vikan brooms and brushes in the U.S.

On July 13, the FDA unveiled its master plan for creating a more digital, traceable, and safer food network system that should help bend the curve of foodborne illnesses in the U.S. Frank Yiannas

Desperate times may call for desperate measures, but the cleaning routines many trucking agencies are adopting in response to COVID-19 have long been established in the form of GMP and basic sanitation requirements. However, with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still raging on, many f...

SARS-CoV-21,2 is a new strain of coronavirus that was discovered in Wuhan, China, in 2019. You may also see it referred to as the Wuhan novel coronavirus; 2019-nCoV; WN-CoV; HCoV-19 (SARS-2). SARS is the acronym for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, and CoV is that for Corona...

“There is no evidence, as yet, regarding the transmission of COVID-19 through food or food packaging” – this was the reassuring message echoed by Frank Yiannas, FDA’s Deputy Commissioner of Food Policy and Response, at the March 18th Industry Stakeholder Meeting.

COVID-19^1,2 is the disease associated with a new strain of coronavirus that was discovered in 2019. This is a look at how it may affect the food industry.

Vehicles have different needs than factories or restaurants when it comes to cleaning. Car paint requires brushes to be soft and yet able to tackle tough grime. Windows need squeegees that are curved to handle the glass of different sizes.

According to the World Health Organization, low consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables has been shown to be a significant risk factor potentially contributing to cancer, heart disease, and strokes around the globe.

With the new year just around the corner, it’s time to reflect on what changed in 2019 and what’s to come for 2020 in the world of food safety. Significant foodborne illness outbreaks and recalls this year put an increased focus on farm-to-fork accountability. For many food pr...

The CFIA enforces the Safe Food for Canadians regulations to establish a modern legislative framework that is aligned with internationally recognized standards.

Remco is proud to have participated and exhibited in the 2019 Food Safety Consortium Conference & Expo.

According to the CDC, 1 in 6 Americans become sick by eating contaminated food every year, resulting in an estimated 3,000 deaths. As if the human cost isn’t sobering enough, the Grocery Manufacturers Association also estimates the average cost of a recall to a food company is...

Amit M. Kheradia attended the 3-A Sanitary Standards Inc. (3-A SSI) Educational Conference and Technical Workgroups that took place from May 13 – 16, 2019 in Bloomington, Minnesota.

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.

As we move closer to 2019, it’s worth remembering the regulatory changes, world news, and company updates that happened in 2018, even as we look forward to the changes coming with the new year.

It might be Halloween, but the pumpkin you serve shouldn’t be scary. Traditionally, Halloween kicks off the “everything pumpkin” season. The popular gourd can be made into rolls, pies, latte, butter, bread, muffins, jellies and various processed products.

September is National Food Safety Education Month.

Remco Products recently asked its business development managers to take the SQF practitioner qualification exam, after many hours of training spread across several months.

Listeria is a very common bacterium that adapts well in many environments. It is found in soil, water, animal guts, and on raw foods, and it can easily be introduced into and spread throughout food production facilities.

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.

Remco, as an industry support member, is proud to have sponsored and participated in the 2018 Conference for Food Protection (CFP) Biennial Meeting that took place from April 16-20 in Richmond, Virginia.

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...

Remco Products has partnered with Top Dog to offer a line of food-safe aprons, gowns, and sleeves. Top Dog offers a line of reusable die-cut color-coded worker protection gear that perfectly complements Remco and Vikan’s core color offerings.

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 with tools that are fit-for-purpose.

Remco Products will give a presentation on hygienic design standards at the International Production & Processing Expo on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018. The presentation will be titled “Hygienic Design for Cleaning and Food Handling Tools,” and will take place from 10-10:20 a.m. in B...

Remco Products will give a presentation on hygienic design standards at the International Production & Processing Expo on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018. The presentation will be titled “Hygienic Design for Cleaning and Food Handling Tools,” and will take place from 10-10:20 a.m. in B...

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.

Remco Products proudly introduces the UST Detail Brush from Vikan, the smallest brush to join the Ultra Safe Technology line. The small brush is ultra-hygienic, FDA-compliant, and fully molded. Useful as either a cleaning tool or a pastry brush, this product is appropriate for...

In response to customer needs for a better solution for sticky, dried and burnt-on soils, Remco Products and Vikan have launched a new selection of FDA-compliant, color-coded Stainless Steel Scrapers. Remco’s hand-held scrapers feature a beveled blade edge that is particularly...

Remco Products competed as a finalist in two of seven categories at the 2017 Process Expo’s Innovation Showcase with its new Color-Coded Lobby Dustpan Set. The new offering, developed by a strategic partner, won top honor in the Pet Foods category.

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...

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, c...

HACCP and HARPC share more than just four letters. They’re both food safety standards based on prevention, but they do differ on execution.

Cleaning is a critical step in the management of food safety and quality.

Remco Products and Vikan will present a series of short technical food safety seminars at this year’s IAFP convention.

HACCP and HARPC share more than just four letters. They’re both food safety standards based on prevention, but they do differ on execution.

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) s...

Remco Products Corporation, which has been operating out of Zionsville for over 30 years, has recently undergone significant growth. The plastics company makes color-coded hygienic material handling tools and is the exclusive US partner of Vikan, a hygienic brushware company o...

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?

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 proces...

Food processors have a new choice in lobby dustpan and broom sets. Remco Products is putting out a high-quality lobby dustpan set made of FDA-approved materials. The handles are made of sturdy aluminum and the dustpan itself is made of polypropylene, a durable and food-safe pl...

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.

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.

As we look forward to the rest of 2017, I am excited about the future of Remco. 2016 was a banner year for Remco and we are reinvesting in our business to ensure the continued success of our customers. This year Remco has already added four new staff positions that directly su...

Remco Products will be at IPPE in Atlanta from Jan. 31st to Feb. 2nd. The company, one of the nation’s leading suppliers of hygienic color-coded tools for the food industry, will be showing off some of their products in their nine bright colors.

Food contact surfaces like cleaning and material handling tools must comply with the FDA’s rules about what they can contain and how they must be designed.

In the food processing industry, like many factory-based jobs, employee turnover is high. When you’re seeing a turnover rate of about 35% yearly, how do you train your staff to follow important safety plans?

For the convenience of our customers, we now offer our catalogs in two additional languages.

Remco now offers product selection guides to help you and your customers pick the most effective products for your needs. Each guide contains specifications for all the variations of the product it features, along with information about brush fibers, hygienic design, and the a...

Color-coding benefits everyone from the company CEO to individual workers. Selling your organization on color-coding is as easy as learning what appeals to each position, and presenting the benefits. Whether you’re a plant safety officer or a salesperson at a distribution comp...

Non-sparking and anti-static tools both have a common purpose—preventing fires or explosions in production facilities where flammable materials present a concern.

Food Engineering Magazine’s annual State of Manufacturing Survey is here, and it shows the industry has a lot of room for growth, despite taking some extremely positive steps last year.

Corporate standardization is an effective tool for streamlining sanitation programs across multiple production facilities. Over the past several months, Remco has been working with several large food manufacturers to implement standardization programs.

Hygienic design of tools and equipment is essential for improving food safety in production facilities, and many people within the industry are arriving at this consensus together.

Manufactured with no joint between the handle and brush head, the brush removes a common repository of contaminants.

Cleaning between and around pipes is made easier with the curved design of the hook brush.

This brush is excellent for scrubbing in difficult to reach areas or areas where you only have limited space.

Over the last quarter, Remco’s Training and Development team has provided cost-free technical support and training to several distributors and end-users.

First, thank you for helping us get off to a strong start in 2016. We value every business relationship and we know our growth is dependent on building strong partnerships with end users and distributors.

Every business and market has challenges, if they did not, businesses would never fail. The trick for each of us is identifying those impediments and determining how they will affect our companies and markets.

October 2015 marked Remco’s 30th anniversary. Our business was founded on the idea that talented people, quality products and exemplary customer support would bring us success.

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 essential to minimize the risk of product contamination, and aid compliance to relevant regulatory,...

If you are in the food industry and have had your eyes and ears open, then most likely you have heard the word FSMA being thrown around… a lot.

POSTED ONMARCH 3, 2016EDIT"NEWSLETTER – Q1, 2016" Newsletter – Q1, 2016 Ultra Safe Technology by Vikan What’s New October 2015 marked Remco’s 30th anniversary. Our business was founded on the idea that talented people, quality products and exemplary customer support would...

In many of my visits to food production plants, I see outstanding food safety procedures that can be shared as best practices. One of the easiest and most beneficial best practices to adopt is proper storage of food contact and cleaning tools.

As a consumer with a passion for food and cooking, I know a thing or two about food safety in the kitchen. In my time at Remco, I’ve learned a lot more and have become acutely aware of all the considerations for the safety of our food as it moves from farm to fork.

At Remco, we’re gearing up to exhibit at Process EXPO 2013 on November 3-6 at McCormick Place in Chicago. We’ve been through this drill a few times in the past 28 years, but this time is going to be a little different.

In the past couple of blog entries, we’ve covered CGMPs or Current food Good Manufacturing Practices. These are procedures and standards set forth by the FDA to help assure safe, quality, consumable food.

As most of you know, our government went into a shutdown last Tuesday. What does that mean for the food industry? The FDA has said that they are maintaining 55% of their almost 15,000 person staff. But since food safety inspectors are considered nonessential, almost half aren’...

Lately, we’ve been talking about Current food Good Manufacturing Practices—CGMPs for short—because they are the set of regulations that apply to just about every food processor not regulated by the USDA.

Assuring quality of a manufactured product requires certain procedures and standards. In many industries, these procedures and standards are often referred to as Good Manufacturing Practices, or GMPs.

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).

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).

Remco has always had a commitment to provide high-quality cleaning and material handling tools to the food processing industry. We also believe that we have a responsibility to be knowledgeable at an expert level about food safety regulatory issues.

Where should your HACCP planning go from here? In our last blog entry, we covered tips for completing the first steps of a HACCP Plan. We asked the question, “How do we develop a HACCP plan?

ZIONSVILLE, IND (August 28, 2013)- In order to keep the food supply secure, food safety professionals must understand and implement several very complex regulations.

With the advent of the Food Safety and Modernization Act of 2011, many food processors are taking proactive steps to develop a HACCP Plan. As new rules related to FSMA are proposed, many processors are asking the question, “How do we develop a HACCP Plan?”

If you work in food processing, chances are you’re probably familiar with the concept of a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point or HACCP. Here’s a little about what we’ve learned about HACCP.

Where do you start when it comes time to build or evaluate a sanitation program for a food plant?

Food processing facilities turn out many products that nourish and feed our human communities; however, they also provide an attractive environment to encourage the growth of potentially harmful microbiological communities. How does your operation address these risks?

ZIONSVILLE, IND. (July 25, 2013) To make color-coding food processing facilities easier, and to give processors more tools at their disposal, Remco Products has published a blog series, 10 Things to Know About Color-Coding.

We’ve come to the final post in our series of 10 things to know when starting or revising a color-coding program. You may have already determined that color-coding is the solution for your facility’s food safety needs.

Essential to an effective color-coding system is a well thought-through communication plan. With the proper communication channels in place, your color-coding system has the best chance for successful adoption—in turn helping you to mitigate the risk of cross-contamination.

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.

In food processing, proper maintenance is important for assuring a sanitary processing facility.

The core piece of advice that Remco communicates to food facilities implementing a color-coding program is to keep it simple. A common paraphrase of Occam’s Razor, originally written in Latin, is “All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the best one.”

Use this worksheet to help you map a custom color-coding program at your food processing facility.

The environment in a food processing facility can be a chaotic place. This is compounded when you bring multiple languages into the mix. Trying to keep everything organized and streamlined can at times be a daunting task.

Recalls are serious business. No one wants to see a recall happen to their company, but it happens all too often. So, it goes without saying that food safety is important. From the field all the way to the table, keeping our food safe has to be a top priority.

If your business is food processing, you are no stranger to government rules, regulations, and auditors. Complying with federal food safety regulations is crucial to the success—or even existence—of your operation.

While the FDA does not currently have any standard set rules to follow when it comes to implementing a color-coding program, there are some common best practices that you can follow to get the most out of color-coding the 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.

Just about every food processor knows that complying with food safety regulations from the FDA and other regulatory bodies is a vital aspect to the success of their overall operation. Without achieving this compliance, it would be fairly difficult to run an effective food proc...

In a food processing environment where hygiene is critical, dependable cleaning tools are a must. For over 115 years, Vikan® has focused on developing the most hygienic and efficient cleaning tools in the world. This year, Vikan unveiled the new EDGE Brush Range that is design...

Remco Products is pleased to announce new brush designs from Vikan®, a global leader in advanced hygienic cleaning solutions. The new styles, 4587 and 4589, are fully color-coded bench brushes. The 4587 is a soft brush and the 4589 has medium bristles.

In this third part of our color-coding series, we discuss how color-coding can help prevent cross-contamination in food processing facilities. Facilities with cross-contamination concerns should particularly consider color-coding their food processing plants to lower that risk.

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.

Data sheet about chemical resistance.

The first point was: All types of food processing facilities can benefit from a color-coding program. Whether the facility is concerned with cross-contamination or not, any food processing center can benefit from color-coding. Color-coding helps keep the work area sanitary, an...

Remco Products introduces improved products to the brush line from Vikan®, a global leader in hygienic cleaning tools. The new products launched at the beginning of the year, and are now available from Remco Products exclusively through distributors.

Remco Products introduces improved products to the wall bracket line from Vikan®, a global leader in hygienic cleaning tools. The new product launched at the beginning of the year and is now available from Remco Products exclusively through distributors.

Not only does it help prevent cross-contamination due to pathogens, allergens and foreign contaminates, color-coding has a variety of other uses.

Remco Products has added an eighth color to its line of HACCP-compliant color-coded products. With 21 products now offered in purple, users can select from a variety of cleaning and material handling tools in this vibrant new color.

For the problem of ceiling condensation, Remco offers a newly designed ceiling squeegee from Vikan®, and will feature the new tool at the IFT Food Expo® 2012.

After multiple requests throughout the years, Remco Products is pleased to offer a fourth hand scoop as a complement to its existing line of hand and bowl scoops.

Remco Products is now offering 7011/7013 paddles in all five colors. They provide a stiff or flexible option for mixing, stirring and scraping applications and can be used with any of Remco’s color-coded European-thread handles.

Help prevent quality lapses before they happen. Remco is pleased to offer yet another color-coded tool option in the fight against cross-contamination and allergen separation.