For decades HACCP has been the accepted international standard by which food safety is assured. Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point requires the identification in a process of potential hazards and then a system of control. One foundation stone of HACCP is measurement and record-keeping.Data Acquisition Networks has developed a range of products that automate collection of HACCP data and also facilitate manual data entry by operators where it is appropriate and/or necessary. All data is transferred to a data vault where it is stored and where it is available for review by those provided with appropriate Passwords and User Identification.DAN data collection units have become the standard by which all other data collection devices for HACCP are measured. For more information about the range of cost-effective product to assist your HACCP program contact DAN on +61 2 8838 2358

To view and download a description of the DE20 CLICK HERE

   

NEW AGE OF FOOD SAFETY HAS ARRIVED!

The DAN FOOD SAFETY SYSTEM automates the collection of your HACCP records! The system has two functions, Firstly, it can be easily connected to any existing (or new) cold storage facility by your own maintenance crew or electrical contractor and secondly, the system facilitates manual data entry for critical control points. All data is routinely transmitted to a data vault where it is evidence of your due diligence. Alarms are sent to personnel when corrective action is required. Automation of your HACCP records HELPS YOU ENSURE YOUR FOOD IS SAFE TO EAT and HELPS AVOID LOSSES attributable to temperature abuse

Doors being left open and storage temperatures set too low will cause refrigeration equipment to work harder, consume more energy and WASTE YOUR MONEY! Once connected, the DAN system enables you to save money.

SAVE$$$

FOOD SAFETY

Food Standards Australia[1] requires businesses to prepare and sell food that is safe to eat. Food causes illness because there are high levels of food-poisoning bacteria and these poisons are called toxins. “A way of preventing or limiting bacteria from multiplying or producing toxins in food is to control the temperature of the food by either keeping it cold or very hot”. Food Standards Australia requires potentially hazardous foods to be kept at 5^oC or colder and prescribes that it is “safe for food to be between 5^oC and 60^oC for a limited time only“. Health regulators and inspectors commonly refer to the range between 5^oC and 60^oC as the DANGER ZONE.

Food safety is becoming increasingly topical in all Australian states and the DAN AUTOMATED FOOD SAFETY MONITORING SYSTEM enables you to take control of your HACCP record-keeping. Based upon the data collected you will be able to make informed judgments on the extent of temperature abuse should it ever occur because you will accurately know the time period over which the temperature abuse occurred.

In addition the DAN AUTOMATED FOOD SAFETY MONITORING SYSTEM saves you even more money by removing the current labour time allocated to manual data collection and record-keeping.

SAVE$$$

DON’T ALLOW THE REPUTATION OF YOUR COMPANY TO BE AT RISK DUE TO INADEQUATE HACCP RECORD-KEEPING!

DATA - Automated HACCP Records

DAN data is automatically collected and retained as a permanent and independent HACCP record. Repeated tests demonstrate data collected by DAN systems is far more accurate and reliable than can ever be achieved by manual means.

Dan Server Data Freezer Coolroom Battery Voltage Date  Time  GMT Aver Max Min Aver Max Min Aver Max Min 16/10/2008 11:30 +1000 -18.8 -17.9 -19.3 2.1 5.2 0.6 27.9 28.0 27.7 16/10/2008 11:00 +1000 -16.1 -12.2 -18.1 1.9 3.1 0.9 27.9 28.0 27.6 16/10/2008 10:30 +1000 -15.8 -13.9 -19.1 1.9 2.9 0.9 27.9 28.0 27.7 16/10/2008 10:00 +1000 -19.8 -19.1 -20.1 2.5 5.0 0.9 27.9 28.0 27.7 16/10/2008 9:30 +1000 -19.1 -18.2 -19.7 2.7 4.1 0.9 27.9 28.0 27.7

 

ALARMS

Alarm messages by SMS and email alert you to food safety issues and enable you to take early corrective action. The DAN system also automatically provides a ‘log’ report of all alarms in the format shown below and enables you to review and improve response time to alarm conditions within your organisation.

Dan Server Alarm Input No Alarm Date  Time  GMT ID Description 15/10/2008 11:26 +1000 1 B Fridge Temp Returned to <5oC 15/10/2008 11:17 +1000 1 B Fridge Door Closed 15/10/2008 11:02 +1000 1 B Fridge Temp >5oC for more than 5 minutes 15/10/2008 10:49 +1000 1 B Fridge Door Open for > 15 minutes

MANUAL DATA ENTRY

The DE20 facilitates manual data entry of information that has historically been recorded on paper.

Log Entry Log Type Product Quality Start Temp Finish Temp Suppliers Logger Name Date  Date  Time  deg C  deg C  18/06/10 18/06/2010 11:26 Receivable Frozen Meals Accepted Hard Frozen N/R Carrier A Mary 18/06/10 18/06/2010 11:24 Receivable Frozen Meals Accepted Hard Frozen N/R Carrier B Joe 17/06/10 17/06/2010 17:27 Lunch Milk Accepted 4.2 7.0 N/R Peter 17/06/10 17/06/2010 17:26 Lunch Vegetable Accepted Hard Frozen 78.9 N/R Peter 17/06/10 17/06/2010 17:26 Lunch Casserole Accepted 4.4 79.9 N/R Roger 17/06/10 17/06/2010 17:25 Lunch Milk Based Desert Accepted 4.5 7.4 N/R Gavin

VISIT THE DAN WEBSITE OR GIVE US A CALL.

http://www.danmonitoring.com/

Phone: 02 8838 2358

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[1] Food Safety: Temperature control of potentially hazardous foods. Guidance on the temperature control requirements of Standard 3.2.2 Food Safety Practices and General Requirements.

Food authorities around the civilised world require companies to produce food that is safe to eat. There are many aspects of food handling, testing and storage that contribute to safety and monitoring and recording temperature at various points is amongst the most important.

Data Acquisition Networks has developed a temperature monitoring system for food products that enables routine collection of temperature data as well as routine input of deep-meat and cooking temperatures. DAN’s temperature monitoring system for food products collects data and sends it to a website where it is available in the same way as we all access our bank account details every day. Therefore it is available to us but not to anyone else that we do not wish to have access to the data.

Contact DAN today (+612 88382358) to find out more about how our food monitoring systems can help you. You may also find the following document of interest. Food Safety

Data Acquisition Networks has recently released the DE20 a powerful data logger and data control centre that has extended primary functionality.

The DE20 can not only routinely collect and record the temperature of food storage areas and sanitising temperatures but can also facilitate data capture though manual entry. Information such as chlorine levels for food sanitising or deep meat temperatures can be determined and then manually input to the DE20 from where the data is routinely transmitted to the website and retrieved as required and permanently stored.

The DE20 recognises alarm conditions and can arrange for alarms to be immediately sent to those you designate.

Data Acquisition Networks is committed to continuous improvement in the simplicity and certainty of data collection and the DE20 is a ‘watershed’ model in the context of that ambition.

Contact DAN today on +62 2 8838 2358 for more information about the DE20 data logger. 

There are principally three ways in which companies ‘log’ or record storage temperatures for food. Two of the ways simply do not work!

The first is by asking or instructing a member of staff to routinely go to each storage area several times a day and write down the temperature of the storage area as shown on a dial above the door. There are many reasons why this does not work and is an absolutely unreliable process everywhere it is in use. Staff tend to do this when they have time which means that they record the temperature when things are not busy and these are also the times when people are not going in and out of the storage area and it is the ingress of warm are on these occasions that is one of the primary reasons for storage temperature corruption. Also some staff simply write down the temperature they believe their boss would like to see ot what history tells them will cause less disruption. General staff are not food safety experts and they do not know the impact of storage temperature on food product.

The second flawed method is to install a non-interactive data logger. A chart recorder or some other similar device which collects the information but sadly, as pressure builds for more productive output no one ever looks at it until there is a problem!

Data Acquisition Networks provides a range of interactive temperature data loggers for food storage take temperature readings all day every day whether the business is business or not and which send alarms when temperature goes astray. DAN temperature data loggers produce a log of alarms sent and through a website provide visibility to supervisory staff even if they are hundreds of kilometers away.

DAN provides temperature loggers for food storage that work! 

Equipment recently installed in a large food storage area to monitor food storage temperatures revealed some astonishing results. The catering company knew there was a problem with storage temperatures because many of the food products stored were not surviving until their expiry date and because when the caterer bench-marked themselves against similar companies their energy bills were 12% to 17% higher varying only by the time of the year. The caterer was determined to show the suppliers of their refrigeration equipment that all was not as it should be and to force remedial action. The refrigeration company had undertaken tests on the equipment and found it to be in good functioning order.

Data Acquisition Networks installed temperature monitoring equipment in both the cold room and freezer. In addition, a simulated product temperature probe was installed in each by using a probe encased in a solution that provided the same thermal barrier protection as food packaging. DAN also installed magnetic switches so the door ‘openings’ could be monitored and correlated to temperature.

Within days the picture was clear. Workers in the catering organisation were propping the door open whilst they went in and out to retrieve food for preparation. The caterer received an alarm whenever the door was opened for a protracted period and not surprisingly the losses of temperature correlated with these occasions. Particularly shift staff, who had not been adequately trained and who worked largely unsupervised were the cause of the problem.

The refrigeration equipment did not need to be repaired. There was simply a need to help staff to understand that warm air penetrating the freezer and cold room had a dramatic effect on the storage temperature and also made the refrigeration plant work harder and consume more energy.

The food storage temperature problem was quickly resolved and the savings in electricity paid for the DAN equipment within months!

Food Standards Australia requires businesses to prepare and sell food that is safe to eat. Food causes illness because there are high levels of food-poisoning bacteria and these poisons are called toxins. “A way of preventing or limiting bacteria from multiplying or producing toxins in food is to control the temperature of the food by either keeping it cold or very hot”. Food Standards Australia requires potentially hazardous foods to be kept at 5degC or colder and prescribes that it is “safe for food to be between 5degC and 60degC for a limited time only”. Health regulators and inspectors commonly refer to the range between 5degC and 60degC as the DANGER ZONEfor perishable foods. Food Standards Australia defines potentially hazardous foods as foods that might contain food-poisoning bacteria and which will allow food-poisoning bacteria to multiply. Examples of potentially hazardous foods are listed as raw and cooked meat, smallgoods, dairy products, seafood, processed fruit and vegetables, cooked rice and pasta, foods containing eggs, beans and nuts and foods that contain these foods for example sandwiches and rolls. Many of these food types are also the foods that are inclusions in a balanced and nutritious diet.  Food Standards Australia also requires that potentially hazardous frozen foods are kept frozen when they are stored, displayed or transported. Whilst no specific temperature is specified for frozen food it must be kept frozen to remain safe. Temperature abuse of frozen food can also have a detrimental impact on eating quality. It is commonly accepted that -18degC is a safe temperature at which frozen food should be stored. It is also generally agreed that infrequent but consistent temperature abuse can have a detrimental impact on the shelf-life of food and with some foods temperature abuse can also affect its nutrient value. Food Standards Australia prescribes food that has been temperature abused for a continuous period of greater than 4-hours should be discarded. The NSW Food Authority recommends perishable foods should not be left in the danger zone for longer than 2-hours!

http://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/consumers/keeping-food-safe/#How-can-I-make-sure-my-food-is-safe

 Data Acquisition Networks (DAN) provides cost effective temperature data loggers that automate data collection thereby enabling trained and experienced people to make jusgments on the suitability of food for human consumption. 

Contact Data Acquisition Networks
by email today and we will respond
quickly to your request.

If you prefer, Telephone +61 2 8838 2358

Data Acquisition Networks equipment is used to monitor temperature in a variety of applications. The most often found is monitoring temperature for food storage.

perishable food products are highly susceptible to contamination when they are not stored and maintained at the correct temperature. The incidence of food-borne illness around the world is growing rather than diminishing. It is a heavy cost on the public purse and a significant inconvenience to those it impacts.

Most often, food-borne illness can be tracked back to improper storage so don’t delay . . . . . . . . . . .

 Contact Data Acquisition Networks
by email today and we will respond
quickly to your request.

If you prefer, Telephone +61 2 8838 2358

For a food outlet, ensuring the delivery of safe food to your customers and protecting your business against frivolous and mischievous claims is very, very important. Not only do mischievous claims give rise to the potential for ‘damages’ but they can also mean loss of reputation as has been seen in recent high-profile claims that hit the newspapers and television screens. Loss of reputation means damaging loss of business even if you are NOT AT FAULT!

Data Acquisition Networks provides low-cost monitoring solutions that routinely record facts about your food management and which can be used as evidence of your due diligence should the need ever arise. Also, because DAN systems send alarms when things go wrong they give you the opportunity to take immediate corrective action.