Hygiene and safety: top priority

Bolidt News

hygiene and safety

In the food industry, hygiene and safety are at the top of the priority list. Whether it concerns poultry farms, bakeries, fish processors or dairy factories: food safety and human and animal health must not be endangered for a single moment. Sharp, precautionary measures are required, starting with the basics; the right floor prevents outbreaks of bacteria, is easy to clean and ensures that employees can do their work safely, even in extreme temperatures and wet conditions.

A virus outbreak can have enormous consequences in the poultry industry. This proved to be the case again in 2019. Poultry farms worldwide – from Bulgaria to Egypt and from Iran to Taiwan – were struck by bird flu. Thousands of animals had to be put down, resulting in major financial damage. In addition to bird flu, the poultry industry has to deal with many more threats, including Salmonella, Candida, Listeria and Staphylococcus. All kinds of precautions are taken to prevent outbreaks of viruses, bacteria, yeasts and fungi, from hygiene protocols and shower regulations to the daily chemical cleaning of rooms and machines. Strict hygiene is not only important for animal welfare and food safety, but naturally, also for the health of employees.

Susceptible to mold formation 

Strict hygiene requirements also apply in the bakery industry. From the strict rules and guidelines of the HACCP to regulations arising from the American Food Safety Modernization Act. Every company must be focused on guaranteeing food safety. There is a microbiological climate in every bakery in which molds can thrive, especially if moisture-retaining ingredients are used. To eliminate any risk of contamination, bakeries must be kept constantly clean. The old excuse that many products end up in the oven is no longer valid: the high temperatures reduce the number of bacteria, but do not eliminate them. Daily cleaning is also important for the safety and health of employees. With flour, grain and water on the floor, an accident can occur at any moment. Moreover, flour dust is an allergenic substance that causes the well-known baker's eczema. A hygienic bakery is therefore a healthy bakery. 

Production stops and revenue loss

 Although the seafood industry consists of a wide range of companies and suppliers, there is one common denominator: the extreme demands in terms of hygiene, quality and food safety. HACCP, BRC Food, GLOBALG.A.P., IFS Food Standard, ISO 22000 Food Safety: there are numerous rules, regulations and certificates. The impact of incidents can be huge, not only on food safety, but also on the seafood company itself. An outbreak of bacteria means that production comes to a halt, resulting in a loss of turnover. That is why the seafood industry also cleans daily with chemicals and high-pressure sprays. This certainly applies to the fish processing companies; when cleaning, cutting and filleting, everything falls on the floor. The same also applies here – a clean working environment is not only important for food safety, but also for human safety.

Explosive reactions

 Then there is the dairy industry. This sector must meet the same hygiene requirements as the pharmaceutical industry. Quite the comparison. The requirements of bodies such as the British Retail Consortium (BRC), the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Safety System Certification (FSSC 22000) are no mean feat. The accumulation of dirt and bacterial formation in the dairy industry should not be given any chance. In addition to hygiene, safety is also of vital importance. In fact, there is a danger of explosion due to electrostatic discharge (ESD) in the dairy industry. Dust from milk powder, for example, can lead to explosive reactions under certain circumstances. This can have disastrous consequences, including electronic equipment being switched off and the stoppage of production. Count your losses; electrically conductive floors are indispensable for a safe dairy.

 Floors of vital importance

 Optimal hygiene and safety starts with the basics: the floor. The following applies to every sector of the food industry: a hygienic floor is a seamless, non-porous floor. Every hole and every crack can lead to dirt and bacteria formation. The transition from floors to, for example, walls and drains must also be seamless for the same reason. In addition, abrasion resistance and durability are important conditions to prevent holes and cracks from occurring. Machines and heavy traffic of transport equipment are a heavy burden. Acids – especially nitric acid and lactic acid – can also quickly damage a floor. In short, a floor must be able to take a beating and be suitable for at least 20 years of intensive use. Another advantage of seamless floors is that they are easy to clean. That is, as long as they are resistant to the daily use of high pressure sprayers and chemicals. This immediately brings us to the subject of safety. Water and chemicals, but also ingredients and animal remains can make a floor as slippery as an ice rink. A rough, non-slip top layer completely eliminates the risk of slipping and falling.

 Fully non-porous

 All together this makes a long list of requirements. To find out which floor works best in the poultry, bakery, seafood and dairy industries, Bolidt has been focusing on these specific food segments for decades. Intensive cooperation with food companies and constant innovation have yielded floor systems that meet the strictest guidelines in the field of hygiene and safety. Bolidt floors contribute to a continuous production process. Production stops as a result of, for example, an outbreak of bacteria can be excluded in this manner.

The secret lies first and foremost in the material itself. Put it under the microscope and you discover that it is completely non-porous. In this way, bacteria do not get a chance to establish a hold on the floor. Moreover, Bolidt floors are installed seamlessly. This also applies to the connection to walls, baseboards, grilles, drainage gullies and gutters. Every floor system can also be supplied with rounded skirting boards and corners: here too the risks of bacterial formation are excluded. Bolidt floors thus ensure a hygienic environment in which food safety is guaranteed.

In addition to the material, the method is also unique. Bolidt has integrated the entire supply chain into one organization and therefore maintains control of the entire value stream. From developing, producing and selling to installing the floors. Roles such as work preparation, purchasing and logistics are also carried out by Bolidt itself. Each part of the value stream can thus be optimally designed for the food industry. This also enables Bolidt to deliver the best quality in terms of safety and hygiene.

Bolidt also works according to the principles of the Lean management philosophy . This means that processes are optimally managed and risks are minimized. Working in this way has increased the learning capacity of employees in recent years. They can better relate to the needs of a customer and thus add more value.

600 kilos per square centimeter

 The sealed surface and the seamless finish also make the floor easy to clean. The Bolidtop^® 700 floor system, which is widely used in the food industry, has been thoroughly tested and is resistant to cleaning products such as Keno San, Food Clean and Bio Clean. A non-slip finish ensures that the floor stays rough and provides grip. This means that Bolidt floors optimally contribute to a safe working environment. Thanks to the rough surface, employees cannot slip or fall while working. Concrete is porous. Under heavy loads, cracks can occur: ideal places for bacteria to nest. To solve this problem, Bolidt has developed the Bolidtop® 700 floor. This system can handle a load of no less than 600 kilos per square centimeter. The Bolidtop^® 700 floor also lasts around 20 years. A little maintenance at that point is then enough to double the service life. 

Available in many colors

 Bolidt has developed various floor systems that are ESD-safe for companies with a risk of explosion. These do their work capably (unnoticed) in, for example, the dairy industry. The Bolidtop^® Stato 500 and the Bolidtop^® Stato 700 have proven themselves here many times. Finally, Bolidt floors are available in many colors. This makes it possible to identify different zones within a company and to further increase safety in the workplace. The no care, medium care and high care zones can therefore be clearly distinguished from each other. The result: employees immediately know which protocols apply.