Food safety was first introduced in the 2000 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAC), and the recognition of the importance of food safety continued through the 2010 report. New tor 2015, the DGAC brought forward the updated food safety principles to reduce risk of foodborne illnesses. These principles—Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill—are cornerstones of the Fight BAC! educational messages developed by the Partnership for Food Safety Education in collaboration with the federal government.
Bakeries can be prepared for more stringent food safety regulations looming on the horizon by enhancing their equipment in production facilities. The following are new developments from various manufacturers of washer equipment for bakeries.
Douglas Machines’ vat, bin and IBC tote washers come in a variety of styles to quickly and efficiently clean and sanitize bulk ingredient containers. Regardless of the model, containers are loaded onto the door and placed into a specialized holding bracket. Loading can be done with a pallet jack or forklift or, if the container is equipped with wheels, simply rolled into place. When the door is closed, the container is lifted into the wash chamber and positioned for maximum exposure to internal and external wash and rinse jetting to clean both the inside and outside.
Douglas Machines’ vat and bin washers generally feature a recirculating pre-wash tank, a recirculating detergent wash tank and separate, fresh water sanitizing rinse section. Cycle times are fully adjustable but a 1-2 minute pre-wash, 1-2 minute wash and a 30 second sanitizing rinse is typical. Allowing extra time for steam evacuation, door operation and loading and unloading, results in 8 to 12 batches an hour. Models that do not have pre-wash tanks can generally be operated at 12 to 18 batches an hour.
Champion Industries, a recent recipient of the National Restaurant Association’s 2015 Kitchen Innovations Award for the Champion Foodwaste Reduction System, features a new system that is designed for collecting, processing and diverting commercial food waste. This system can process all organics including: produce, fruits, cut flowers, meat, fat trimmings, paper napkins, coffee grounds, spoiled milk, deli products and some soft plastics reducing organic waste volume by as much as 95 percent.
The Foodwaste Reduction System’s modular design allows the centrifuge and Phoenix dehydrator elements to be located remotely. The system offers total odor control while reducing ventilation requirements and guarantees no pathogen, biohazard or harmful emissions keeping the facility, staff and environment safe.
“This recognition acknowledges our commitment to provide foodservice operators with simple, cost-effective, energy saving and performance enhancing dishroom solutions,” says Will Means, vice president of sales and marketing for Champion and Bi-Line Conveyor Systems.
Other leading bakery equipment manufacturers offer a variety of warewashing equipment to ensure food safety controls and save labor.
From LVO Manufacturing, the Wash-King is a feature packed power sink with custom basin and countertop sizes available in 6-inch increments. The equipment features exclusive LVO wash tub design and strategically placed nozzles result in better wash flow and agitation to clean the toughest, dirty pans.
With cost-saving efficiency, automated process control and optimal space utilization at the forefront, Power Soak commercial ware washing systems provide reliable cleaning and sanitizing of pots, pans and utensils for foodservice operations of every size and scope. Power Soak’s patented parallel wash flow, which takes advantage of the natural scouring properties of turbulent water, heat and detergent, maximizes cleaning power. Power Soak Generation 3 and 4 represent warewashing solution for any kitchen layout that would normally use a standard 3-compartment sink or traditional spray type utensil washer.
Power Soak’s advanced wash insert, which comes standard on Generation 4 units and is available as an option on Generation 3 units, creates a curved lining within the tank that increases throughput, reduces noise, provides an even wash flow and delivers wares to the surface for easy removal — meaning less strenuous back-bending for kitchen staff.
