Tamper-proof

Hygiene sluices should be integrated into the operating procedure in such a way that the production operation is protected from possible contamination. Compact, tamper-proof installations are designed to guarantee this.

One of the obligations of baked product manufacturers is to determine the safety-critical work stages, to monitor them constantly, to document them and to implement appropriate safety measures. This also includes protecting the production area and/or bakery from possible contamination. That’s why many companies rely on a hygiene concept and on integrated hygiene sluices. Kohlhoff Hygienetechnik GmbH & Co. KG is one of the hygiene technology suppliers. Based on Unna, Westphalia, the company has developed, produced and marketed personal and industrial hygiene equipment, machines and plant for nearly 30 years. The company also offers hygiene-related advisory and planning services.

They offer a range focusing on products for cleaning, disinfecting and drying hands, boots and shoe soles. As the company says, these functions can be integrated into compact, tamper-proof hygiene sluices, thus protecting hygiene-sensitive areas of the business from possible contamination by employees. Kohlhoff has developed an individually custom-configurable CHECK-IN-STATION-HD for baked products manufacturers. It combines three hand cleaning, drying and disinfection components with a turnstile and shoe-sole cleaning module.

Two-hand soap dispenser

The washing area includes non-contact soap dispensing from a two-hand soap dispenser, said to be tamper-proof, after sensors built into the head element have detected both hands. Only after that can the flow of water be started by another sensor in the back wall. In the next step, a high-speed dryer (fitted with a residual water drain) automatically dries the hands in approx. ten seconds. Its factory-set air flow is activated after the sensor has recognized both hands together. The turnstile releases the exit only when two-handed disinfection has also taken place. In parallel with this, two rotating brushes clean the shoe soles, usually dry, in the feed-through cleaning machine. Wet cleaning and disinfection are also possible. Optionally, the plant can also be equipped with a crumb tray that is easy to open, empty and clean. Hairnet and beard protection dispensers are available as extra components. Moreover, a paper hand-towel dispenser with a wastepaper basket can replace the electric hand dryer.

In addition, the number of components required and their arrangement in the room can be individually planned for businesses in which a large number of personnel need to pass through the installation simultaneously.

Cleaning the sides

Customers can also obtain many Kohlhoff hygiene technology products from the suppliers MOHN, SAILER and ZINGEL. According to the company, these three firms are Kohlhoff marketing partners and/or agents.

ITEC, a Frontmatec Group brand, is another player in the hygiene solutions area. The ITEC brand portfolio extends from modular cleaning and disinfection systems and monitoring systems to comprehensive hygiene sluices. In the food hygiene area, the range starts with knife and apron cleaning plants and goes on to chemical-free surface cleaning by a UV-C tunnel. The ITEC hygiene technology brand’s exclusive marketing and service partner is in turn the PHT company.

The combined hand and sole cleaning stations in the ITEC Star Clean series are an example of an innovation in the hygiene sluices area. For the first time, according to the press release, these now also include cleaning the sides of shoes up to a height of approx. 4.5 cm in their cleaning process. According to the release, the station can be individually configured and offers a fast processing procedure with a throughput capacity of up to 20 persons/minute. The company also says that older systems can be retrofitted. The system has two brushes to tackle dirt on each side (above and below). The opposing rotation of the two lower sole brushes is designed as an additional guarantee of thorough cleaning. The sole brushes also drive the spiral side brushes that brush dirt downwards into the sump area. There is also a twin-track footstep guide. The brushes are removable to clean the machine.

The construction of the hygiene station is modular, and components can be combined together, so one component can consist of the sole and sole-side cleaning. Other modules ensure that every employee who passes through the hygiene station also has clean, disinfected hands. The station also takes care of security, as it does not release the motor-driven turnstile until cleaning is complete. Only then can the employee gain access to the production area.

The modular hygiene station is available as both a platform and a shaft installation variant for floor-level installation. The platform design in the dry cleaning variant is fitted with a drawer to collect dirt. The report goes on to say that this variant is particularly interesting for the baked goods industry. +++

One hand washes the other

Hands are the main transmission route (around 80 %) for pathogens and bacteria. The importance of the subject of hand hygiene becomes clear when that is borne in mind.

+Regular hand-washing can interrupt the infection chain, i.e. the transfer of microorganisms from hands to product, to machines and onto plant. Proper hand hygiene, especially after using the toilet, also includes disinfecting the hands after cleaning them. Regularly washing and disinfecting the hands is also indispensable when handling sensitive and/or easily perishable foods, e.g. in snack manufacture or in the confectionery area.

Thus compliance with hand hygiene is an important precaution in the framework of basic hygiene. It protects not only customers but also the employees themselves from infectious illnesses.

The majority of disease pathogen transfer is via hands. Hand hygiene is therefore of the greatest importance. This is illustrated by the swab test in Figure 1.

Numerous types of microorganisms that can cause infection or form disease-causing substances occur in foods. Here are a few examples from the baked goods area (including snacks/ confectionery/café):

Salmonellae: Bacteria that occur in uncooked eggs, poultry or meat. They cause diarrhea and vomiting.

Staphylococci: Bacteria that occur in the nose-throat region,

Cleaning and disinfection: when? Regularly before, after and between various work processes in the factory

How? By means of the resources provided, using a sufficient amount of cleansing agent, complete wetting, thoroughly spreading, and dry hand surfaces before disinfection

Hand and fingernail care: Appearance: clean, healthy, well cared-for, short fingernails, no nail varnish, no nail ornamentation for example, and can be transferred to foodstuffs by sneezing or coughing. They cause illnesses including diarrhea and vomiting.

Injuries: Examples: Inflammation, cuts, skin cracks and grazes must be treated with hygienic, waterproof dressings!

Because they can transfer contamination, special care must be given to the hands!

Noroviruses: Transmission routes include uncooked foods such as salads. They cause diarrhea and vomiting.

Mold fungi: Can form carcinogenic toxins (mycotoxins) in spoiled foods.

In addition to the legislator (including through Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs), private law food safety standards (IFS, BRC etc.) also impose corresponding requirements in the hand hygiene area.

Extract from IFS Food Standard V 6.1: Requirement No. 3.4.7 – Hand hygiene installations shall fulfill at least the following requirements:

+ running potable water at a suitable temperature,

+ liquid soap,

+ suitable hand-drying equipment.

Requirement No. 3.4.8 – In areas in which easily perishable foods are handled, the following additional hand hygiene requirements shall be satisfied:

+ non-contact fittings,

+ hand disinfection,

+ adequate hygiene equipment,

+ instruction notices with hand hygiene rules / pictograms,

+ waste containers with a non-contact means to open them.

Requirement No. 3.4.9 – Based on a hazard analysis and an assessment of the associated risks, a program to monitor the effectiveness of hand hygiene shall be present.

Accordingly, regulations to monitor the success of cleaning shall also be defined, in addition to the purely technical fittings and equipment of washing stations. This should take place based on risk. Fully-baked products are certainly less “sensitive” than easily perishable baked products/snacks as far as the growth of microorganisms is concerned. The cleaning success of hand hygiene can only be monitored very poorly or not at all by visual inspection with the naked eye.

Nonetheless, hands, fingernails or even underarms that are obviously clean are certainly an indication. However, if a provable demonstration of successful hand hygiene is required, swab tests must be used to examine and evaluate the total bacteria count etc. in the laboratory.

A variety of disinfectants for surface disinfection or hand disinfection, as well as disinfectants against bacteria (bactericides), viruses (viricides), spores (sporicidal agents) or molds (fungicides) are available on the market. The Applied Hygiene Association (VAH) has published a list of disinfectant products that have been examined by accredited laboratories and independent assessors.

Proper hand-drying

The area of adequate hygiene equipment also includes drying the hands. Disposable hand towels, or even cotton towels on rolls, are customary in the sector and are also accepted by auditors and food supervision authorities. Which system is used (Centerfeed, Tork, CWS cloth hand towel dispensers etc.) also depends on the operational circumstances as well as on procurement/operating costs. Restocking towels/rolls must be organized, handling the restocking/refilling must be simple and easy, etc., and so must the withdrawal of the towels (tear-off etc.). Hand-dryers (hot-air dryers) are used seldom or not at all.

The subject of gloves

Short-term wearing of disposable gloves when processing readily perishable foods can make sense. Bare hands are no less hygienic than gloves. Consequently, regular hand-washing and if necessary disinfecting the hands, and banning the wearing of jewelry, is preferable to wearing gloves in the bakery area (including sales). +++

Author

Dipl.-Ing. Sabine Botterbrodt

Portecta GmbH, E-Mail: botterbrodt@portecta.de, Website: www.portecta.de

++ RUSSIA: SMAK builds new production site

According to Russian media, the Russian large-scale bakery SMAK plans to build a new production facility. The new plant will be built near Koltsovo near Ekaterinburg with construction planned to start in the summer of 2019. The 40,000 m² bakery is scheduled to go into operation in autumn 2021. The project costs are estimated at 3.6 billion roubles (around EUR 50 million). CEO Vladilen Fufarov reported to the media: "Over the last 18 years we have increased production by a factor of five and we deliver 100 tonnes of the products every day. The construction of the new plant will double the production volume as an absolute minimum." +++

++ Croatia: Mid Europa buys Mlinar

Mid Europa Partners is to acquire a majority stake in the Croatian bakery chain Mlinar. Company founder Mato Mato Škojo will, according to the investor group, continue to have a stake in the company. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2019. Mlinar operates around 220 of its own stores and franchise stores in ten countries in Croatia and Slovenia. +++

++ Marché Mövenpick: Market feeling in Indonesia

Marché Mövenpick opened a new restaurant in the Lippo Mall Puri in Jakarta, Indonesia at the beginning of May. It is as usual for Marché, set up according to the marketplace concept. Visitors go from market stall to market stall to individually arrange their meal. The company reports, “In this way people can enjoy a genuine European market feeling and Swiss hospitality”. Pizzas, pasta and European patisserie are among the products on offer. +++

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USA:

Panera Bread has a new CEO

According to the magazine Lebensmittel Zeitung, the US bakery chain Panera Bread has a new CEO. Niren Chaudhary is set to take over from Blaine Hurst, who will become Vice Chairman of the company's Supervisory Board. Chaudhary comes from the US donut chain Krispy Kreme, where he has been the Chief Operations Officer since 2017, according to the newspaper. Panera Bread was acquired by JAB Holdings of the Reimann family in 2017 for approximately $7.5 billion. According to LZ, Panera Bread currently operates 2,130 branches in 48 US states and Canada. Krispy Kreme has also belonged to JAB Holdings since 2016. +++

++ Ukraine: Investments in frozen bakery products

According to information from GTAI Germany Trade & Invest, production of bread and bakery products in the Ukraine fell by 4.8% in the first eleven months of 2018. Investments are now being made in the frozen bakery products segment. In spring 2018, Kulinichi (website: kulinichi.com) began construction of a plant near Kharkiv for EUR 50 million. Hlibinvest (website: hlibinvest.com.ua) is investing EUR 25 million in the construction of a plant near Kiev. The first expansion stage was commissioned at the end of November 2018. Half of the production is destined for export. +++