The manufacturing, processing, and packaging of food is a high-risk operation where certain precautions MUST be taken to save time, money, and even lives. CBT knows how serious the regulations are regarding food plants and we want to help you take a proactive approach to hygienic design, maintenance, and operation. CBT Belting Specialist, Larry Hecker, recently returned from training at the Food Sanitation Institute in New Orleans and with a certification in Sanitation Essentials and Hygienic Design.The training covered a wide range of topics including how to clean a food processing plant, how to zone a sanitary plant, proper hygienic machine design, and how to swab for Listeria and other bacteria. And we want to share with you the steps and precautions you should take to keep your plant and employees safe.
Larry is now certified to help assist you in creating a hygienic plant and help you resolve the issues that could be detrimental to your business. CBT offers a wide range of food grade products across all our business units – mechanical power transmission, pneumatics, automation, electrical supplies, belting, and client services. We want our food and beverage customers to work closely with Larry and his team to choose the optimal products and services for your specific application. We have the products that will make your job easier, your plant safer, your machines cleaner, and will help get them into your application. Stay tuned to our blog and social media channels for additional content from Larry covering:
- Allergens in your plant
- Hygienic design
- Testing for bacteria
- Eliminating pathogens in your plant
- Principles of sanitary design
- And much more!
Larry’s Tech Tip:
Whether you are buying a new machine, production line, or revamping an entire facility, keeping a good hygienic design in mind at the forefront will not only improve food safety in your plant, but lower future sanitation costs in the future. A good way of insuring a clean design is using a checklist to assess the risk and evaluate how any risks can be managed. Most food agencies such as NSF, GMA, AMI, or 3A have checklists readily available. The American Meat Institute (AMI) has a great checklist available online. By using these lists, you can be assured that the machine is designed to the latest hygienic standards.
These checklists can also be used with your current equipment for continual improvement in sanitation and food safety within your plant. New products are being designed that can improve the design of your current equipment that may have been built years ago. Your CBT representatives can assist you in modifying your existing equipment to improve the hygienic design.
