Posts Tagged ‘food safety’
Temperature loggers for food storage
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!
Temperature monitoring reveals too many ‘door opens’ for ‘too long!
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!
Temperature data loggers
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.
http://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/consumers/keeping-food-safe/#How-can-I-make-sure-my-food-is-safe
Contact Data Acquisition Networks
by email today and we will respond
quickly to your request.
If you prefer, Telephone 1300 973 180
Temperature Monitoring
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 1300 973 180
Food Handling
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.