Salmonella in eggs, E-coli bacteria in ground beef, and pesticides in infant formula are just a few contaminations since the turn of the century that have ravaged the food supply and crippled the food processing and manufacturing industries. Convergix and other equipment manufacturers work hard to ensure that contamination does not originate from the machines designed to process and package food.
We manufacture systems that package and fill food products safely. However, food contaminants may still breach the machinery and infect the food being processed. Below is a list of the most common contamination points that you should address in your manufacturing process.
1) Contamination from the Source
Meat, raw veggies, eggs and milk can be contaminated with e-coli, salmonella or other foodborne pathogens before they even reach the processing plant. These products are exposed while in or on the ground through contact with animal feces, bacterial infection, and contaminated ground water. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, eggs are often contaminated before they are deposited by the hen, due to salmonella present in the hen’s ovaries.
2) Contact in Pre-Processing
Slaughterhouses are notorious for co-mingling meats before and after slaughter, leading to contamination. This is because animals typically carry a lot of bacteria and germs in organs like the intestines and skin, which can easily spread to portions of meat during butchering. It is crucial to have a vigilant process to identify contaminated meat.
Contact with pathogens can also occur during transit, especially when the food is sitting idle in the back of a hot truck. Improperly cooled or heated food only heightens the problem. Food that initially contains only a few microbes can become a teaming piece of bacterial heaven after sitting in transit for a few hours.
3) Problems During Processing
Contamination during processing can involve environmental contaminants like metal shavings, pesticides and chemicals used to operate and maintain machinery. Convergix and many other companies incorporate safety measures to ensure food safety during manufacturing. However, contamination can still occur from improper maintenance, improper use of the machines and breaches in the ventilation system that leads to the processing area.
Here are some of the more common examples:
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Contaminated water or ice being used during the washing or packing process, especially with fruits and vegetables that are washed before packaging.
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Bacteria can easily contaminate the surfaces that are involved during food processing, such as storage bins and processing lines.
Most contaminants can be defeated after processing with high heat or freezing. Other types of contaminations require immediate disposal of the food. Convergix offers a wide array of services in the Consumer industry to help our customers with proper installation, maintenance and operation of all the equipment purchased. We provide solutions to improve food handling safety, including stainless steel parts, sanitation processes, and testing and detecting contamination.