Mitigate Cross-contamination Risk With Hygienic Pallets
With food and beverage exports having doubled over the past decade, Jim Hardisty, MD of Goplasticpallets.com, provides examples of hygiene best practice in logistics.
According to the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), there are nearly 30 industry groups such as the Food Storage & Distribution Federation, and the industry’s 400,000 employees feed nearly 64 million people every day from 9,500 manufacturing sites and factories.
In 2014, industry exports accounted for £18.3 billion¹ yet future manufacturing and processing industry growth prediction is set to exceed £113 billion² with over 105,000 skilled new recruits being needed by 2022.
In addition to the annual Food Safety Week campaigns, the government runs ongoing consultations within the food and drink manufacturing industry to improve food hygiene practices and consumer safety regulations. In this article we focus on hygiene best practice within the industry and the benefits of using plastic pallets and food containers.
Food Poisoning
Food poisoning affects as many as 5.5 million people in the UK every year. Most manufacturers are already aware of these concerns, and thus are increasingly turning to plastic pallets and sealable plastic containers for the arguably more economical and secure transportation solution that aids safe storage of food ingredients and fresh produce and helps to reduce waste.
Jim Hardisty, Managing Director of Goplasticpallets.com.
Microorganisms can be introduced at any point in the food supply chain and are invisible to the naked eye, which is why it’s vitally important for food manufacturers to source the most hygienic pallets for handling and transporting their products. Plastic pallets are water-resistant and allow for high-pressure cleaning in between uses, which minimises the risk of infestation, odour, fungi, mould or harmful foodborne pathogens which may be found on wooden pallets.
Hygienic Plastic Pallets
Although all plastic pallets are hygienic when compared to traditional wooden pallets, at Goplasticpallets.com we offer a range of specially designed Hygienic plastic pallets that are ideal for use in food production areas and clean room environments. Our Hygienic plastic pallets are manufactured from food grade high density polyethylene (HDPE) which makes them fully compliant with EU safety legislation and suitable for food businesses to use as part of an HACCP plan. The smooth sealed surfaces of our Hygienic plastic pallets have no cavities, won’t absorb moisture and are tolerant of weak acids and alkalis.
Another great example of how our plastic products have helped to improve hygienic operations within food manufacturing is our collaboration with Forresters Chicken. The company ordered just over 2,000 of our GoS&N 64140P food containers to replace cardboard boxes used to hold products in factories and to transport chicken products to customers.
Versatile Range
Our versatile range of durable plastic stack and nesting containers are a perfect fit for the poultry company due to the smooth and straight walls for large internal capacity (10kg of product), perforations that allow for drainage and good airflow, as well as ease of cleaning.
Our Hygienic pallets have fully sealed non-absorbent surfaces and are available in a range of colours.
Heidi Nickson, Director of Forresters Chicken said: “We are an A grade BRC approved food processing company. Top quality hygiene is key to our business success. Everything used in the factory must be food grade and either plastic or stainless steel ideally. From the moment we decided we needed plastic trays and contacted Goplasticpallets.com we have received good service from helpful staff with a product that serves our needs perfectly.”
Food Hygiene Scares
Food hygiene scares present a massive threat to food manufacturers not only in terms of the financial impact, but also in the damaging effect they can have on a company’s brand. Every day there are product recall stories in the news which can be detrimental to consumer trust and supply chain relationships. Professionals in the industry can help to avoid such negative experiences by making the decision to ’Go Plastic’ by using plastic pallets and boxes.
For further information – Tel 01323 744057, E-mail sales@goplasticpallets.com or visit www.goplasticpallets.com.
References:
- IGD – Key Industry Facts – igd.com/About-us/Media/Key-industry-facts.
- Food Manufacture – Food and drink manufacturing industry set for 3-4% growth – www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Manufacturing/Food-and-drink-manufacturing-industry-set-for-3-4-growth.
