Who We Are Industry Solutions Innovative Products Best Practices Client Success Contact Us Client Login FOOD PROCESSING SANITATION EXPERTS BEST PRACTICES Best Practices and Thought Leadership Since our inception, AMERISAN has been dedicated to promoting the knowledge and industry expertise of quality assurance practioners associated within the food processing profession. On this page of our web site we want to share information from thought leaders from within the industry who offer their unique perspective on the issue at hand. Our goal is to provide the best practices and lessons learned regarding the problems and challenges quality assurance professionals face every day. Articles on this page include: TACCP/VACCP/HACCP – Know the Difference! TACCP/VACCP/HACCP There are 3 acronyms important when dealing with the safety of food manufacturing: HACCP TACCP VACCP Know the difference! HACCP – Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point HACCP, as many of you will know, was initially developed in the 1960s by NASA to prevent astronauts from contracting food poisoning in space. It has since been […] Read More → Listeria & Best Practices Listeria Listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die. Listeria is caused by bacteria that can grow at cold temperatures, like those inside a refrigerator. Even freezing doesn’t stop it. When it contaminates food, you […] Read More → Using Color Visuals in Your Workspace Creating a safe workplace is of utmost importance in a food processing plant. Color visuals offer a way of conveying powerful messages and can play a key role in creating a safe and efficient environment. Colors have been long standing best practice in food plants HACCP plans to support Food Safety efforts, but using color […] Read More → WHAT FOODS SHOULD AND SHOULD NOT BE WASHED BEFORE BEING CONSUMED […] Read More → Food Contamination Statistics Food Contamination Statistics We live in an ever changing world that, seems to change faster as time goes on. But what is not changing is our growing populations need to eat. The global food and beverage industry is growing at around 5% a year and global expenditure on food products by consumers is expected to […] Read More → Importance of Handwashing The CDC is reporting elevated flu activity in the United States. Help your team avoid the flu by taking these every day precautions. Keeping hands and surfaces clean is still one of the best ways to avoid the spread of germs. Education and awareness goes a long way too. Here is some useful information, along […] Read More → How will Kanban help you in the Food Processing Industry? What is Kanban and How Did it Originate? Kanban (看板) (signboard or billboard in Japanese) is a scheduling system for lean manufacturing and just-in-time manufacturing (JIT). It uses visual signage to control the flow of materials during a process. Taiichi Ohno, an industrial engineer at Toyota, developed kanban to improve manufacturing efficiency. He observed the […] Read More → Is 5S Not Having the Right Impact In Your Plant? How You Can Change It The 5S program has become a widely used system for many production plants world wide with many success stories proving the effectiveness of the concept. Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain, known as the 5S’s help reduce costs, reduce space for storage, improve maintenance, safety, quality and overall efficiency for a both producer […] Read More → BRC8 Compliant Breakage Kits and Procedures BRC8 Compliant Breakage Kits and Procedures: Clause 4.9.4.4 “The use of dedicated, clearly identifiable cleaning equipment (e.g. color coded) for removal of contained breakages, such equipment shall be stored separately from other cleaning equipment.” “The use of dedicated, accessible, lidded waste containers for the collection of damaged containers and fragments.” Amerisan Glass Breakage Kits: […] Read More → Benefits of 5S, Unique To The Food Industry 5S is more than a simple housekeeping initiative. 5S is a five-step process that transforms a traditional work site into a visual factory and lays the foundation for a Lean Enterprise System. It can benefit any organization and brings unique benefits to the food and beverage industry. What is 5S? Sort: Clear out, clean up, […] Read More → Do your Pens Meet the New BRC8 Requirements? In November 2017, BRC issued the first draft of the proposed BRC Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 8 (often referred to as ‘BRC8’). BRC Issue 7 was published in January 2015 and came into effect July 1st 2015. Issue 8 will be published in July/August 2018 comes into effect from January/February 2019. The number […] Read More → The 5S Method of Improvement Costs pile up in the form of defects and waste. Consider these all-too-familiar situations: • Output does not meet its potential due to crew-to-crew variations. • Utilization suffers because product changeovers take too long. • An important part cannot be found, so another is rushed in. Companies attempt to improve through Lean, Six Sigma, […] Read More → Condensation Control New requirements are compelling food processors to take a closer look at in-plant moisture issues. Condensation on walls, ceilings, and pipes. These are operating conditions in a refrigerated processing facility. At least, that often was the case before USDA started emphasizing the contamination risks posed by moisture. “Until five years ago, the [focus and] emphasis […] Read More → 3 Simple Ways to Improve Your Allergen Management You will no doubt be aware that food allergies are an increasing occurrence in most developed countries’ populations, but just how much it is increasing is rather alarming! Some recently compiled statistics from Europe show that: – Over the last 20 years, there has been an increase of 615% in hospital admissions for anaphylaxis. – Up to 1 […] Read More → Hand Washing is Vital to Safety It’s not just hype, hand washing is vital to safety It’s a fact that 10 million bacteria would fit very comfortably on something as small as the head of a pin. Given the right conditions, those 10 million bacteria would double every 20 minutes. Unfortunately, these invisible germs are passed around our communities easily […] Read More → 5 Ways to Improve Food Safety NOW Reduce contamination and bacteria spread with efficient hand washing All employees at the plant level must wash frequently and effectively using the proper procedure and equipment. To see our full-line of hand soaps and sanitizers click here. Color code for safety As specified by food auditors and safety inspectors, it is highly important that […] Read More → Color Coded Safety Editor’s Note: The following content was extracted from an article titled, ‘Why you should be color coding your cleaning equipment,” By QJS Equipment Why you should be color coding your cleaning equipment Here’s 4 simple ways color coded hygiene equipment can help you: 1)　　　　 You can Reduce Cross Contamination. Color coding equipment specific to their […] Read More → Changing Definition of Food Safety Editor’s Note: The following content was extracted from an article titled ‘Consumer survey shows changing definition of food safety,’ By News Desk – Food Safety News A recent survey of 5,000 consumers nationwide that asked about food buying decisions showed changing attitudes about food safety. People still want toxin-free and pathogen-free food, but they also […] Read More → Listeria Editor’s Note: The following content was extracted from an article titled ‘How Listeria Gets in your food, and how to prevent it’ by Jenn Harris How Listeria Gets in your food, and how to prevent it According to the Centers for Disease Control, listeriosis is a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with the […] Read More → Drain Cleaning Editor’s Note: The following content was extracted from an article titled ‘DRAIN CLEANING Effective Procedures, Challenges, and Recommendations’ by Adel Makdesi DRAIN CLEANING Effective Procedures, Challenges and Recommendations Often, people think that microorganisms or germs “hide” somewhere in the building environment. The truth is that microorganisms do not hide. They reside and grow anywhere you […] Read More → Meat Tenderization Editor’s Note: The following content was extracted from an article titled ‘UPDATED: New labels, instructions for tenderized beef roll out today’ by News Desk, May 17, 2016 The 6.2 billion servings of mechanically tenderized beef roasts and steaks consumed annually by Americans might be a little safer because of labeling requirements that take effect today, […] Read More → Prevent Food Recalls Editor’s Note: The following content was extracted from an article titled ‘A Uniform Way to avoid Class 1 Recalls in Food Production’ by Clean Rental. Contamination of products produced in food processing plants is a major cause of public health risks. Food recalls can destroy a brand too – remember what happened to Topps Meat Company in 2007? […] Read More → Condensation Contamination Editor’s note: This article was extracted from Food Safety Magazine written by Gene W. Bartnolomew, Ph.D Hazard Analysis of Incidental Condensation Contamination in Food Manufacturing Facilities Wherever one finds adjacent surfaces or areas that have different temperatures, or where relative humidity is very high, condensation can form. Temperature differentials and high humidity in the food […] Read More → Color Coding Editor’s Note: The following content was extracted from an article titled Color Coding by FQ&S Staff and Incorporating a Color-Coding Program by Cristal Garrison It’s Important to incorporate a color-coding program: Here’s Why… With the signing of the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA), many food processors have been taking a critical look at their production […] Read More → Advantages of Microfiber Cleaning Editor’s note: This summary article was extracted from an article title “Microfiber cleaning systems” and originally appeared in Services Magazine. Over the years cleaning products have been rapidly developing. One of the major developments that have occurred within the past few years is cleaning products based on microscopic technology. Microfiber cleaning tools have been rapidly […] Read More → Center for Disease Control Hand Washing Survey Editor’s note: This summary article was extracted from an article title “Running water, soap and 20 seconds” written by Phillip Lawless and originally appeared in Cleaning & Maintenance Magazine. Everyone experiences sickness throughout their lives. It is something that no one wants to deal with, but at the same time everyone will at some point […] Read More → The Scary Truth about Rags and Towels Editor’s note: This summary article was extracted from an article title “Throwing in the towel to invisible hazards” written by Kim MacDougall and originally appeared in Cleaning & Maintenance Magazine. One of the key issues that a company endures is workplace safety. Employees use products daily that contain hazards, without even knowing it. One item […] Read More → The Different Chemicals Found in Disinfectants Editor’s note: This summary article was extracted from an article title “The science of disinfectants,” written by Kirsten Thompson and originally appeared in Cleaning & Maintenance Magazine. Every company/industry uses some sort of disinfectant at their facility. Often, without even realizing it, we take advantage of the actions of disinfectants. This is because a lot […] Read More → The Four Steps to Complete Restroom Care Editor’s note: This summary article was extracted from an article title “Achieving complete restroom care,” written by Steve Schultz and originally appeared in Cleaning & Maintenance Magazine. The restroom is a key part to any kind of business. Having a dirty restroom can have a negative effect upon the business. For instance, if a hotel […] Read More → Know Your Towel Dispenser Editor’s note: This summary article was extracted from an article title “It pays to pay attention to dispensers,” written by Dan DeCriscio and originally appeared in Cleaning & Maintenance Magazine. It is said that on average people will spend roughly 50 out of the 52 weeks in a year at work. With that being said […] Read More → Disinfectants: The Truth Revealed Editor’s note: This summary article was extracted from an article title “Tough questions about disinfectants Answered,” written by Allen Rathey and originally appeared in Cleaning & Maintenance Magazine. Due to the mass amounts of contagious illnesses in society today there is a strong desire and need for the use of disinfectants. However, with the use […] Read More → The Product Label of the Future Editor’s note: This summary article was extracted from an article title “GHS-the right to understand,” written by Dawn Shumaker and originally appeared in Cleaning & Maintenance Magazine. Starting In December of 2013 there has been a change in the way in which warning and hazard labels are displayed on products, specifically cleaning products. OSHA, also […] Read More → The Danger Lurking in Your Soap Dispenser Editor’s note: This summary article was extracted from an article title “Danger in the soap dispenser,” written by Dave Shoemaker and originally appeared in Cleaning & Maintenance Magazine. There has been an increase in the amount of scientific evidence that backs the idea that refillable bulk soap dispensers may be counter acting your efforts to […] Read More → Should Food Processors Use Metal Detection or X-Ray Inspection? Editor’s note: This summary article was extracted from an article titled “What food processers should know: metal detection vs. X-ray inspection,” by Bob Ries, Lead Product Manager, Metal Detection and X-Ray Inspection of Thermo Fisher Scientific. As a food processor your major area of concern is safety. With the new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) […] Read More → AMERISAN 1 Chelsea Parkway, Suite 101-102, Boothwyn, PA 19061 (888) 586-7990 CLIENT LOGIN Who We Are Industry Solutions Innovative Products Best Practices Client Success Contact Us Client Login © Copyright 2021 Amerisan All Rights Reserved.