Whatever your field, there is no denying the importance of hygienic practices. But they are especially important in the food industry. We need to hold all equipment used during the food production process up to an extremely high standard of cleanliness and sanitation—including balances and scales. Hygienic design best practices exist to do exactly that. Today, we’ll go over some of the fundamentals of hygienic design to use in Chesapeake, VA and beyond.
In the food industry, cleanliness is everything. Here are some principles of hygienic design to keep in mind with your weighing equipment!
Choosing the Right Materials
Not all materials are considered equally hygienic. Recently, we reviewed how you should select certain load cells for your weighing equipment depending on the environment. You should apply the same principle when selecting materials for proper hygienic design.
The biggest hygiene concern with materials is corrosion. Stainless steel is widely regarded as one of the most resistant materials to corrosion in harsh environments. It will be most resistant if it is thoroughly electropolished.
Designing for Easy Cleaning
Next, a fundamental aspect of hygienic design is its cleanability. If a piece of weighing equipment is especially difficult to clean, it becomes difficult to prevent the build-up of harmful microorganisms that could contaminate the food. Cleaning difficult-to-reach spots is more time-consuming and costly than it has to be.
Food and beverage manufacturers in Chesapeake should employ weighing equipment that is easy to clean. It should be easy to access every square inch of the equipment for cleaning. One example of this would be a floor scale that lifts to make it easier to clean the underside. Steer clear of equipment with cracks or crevices, as germs that tend to build up in these spots can be challenging to clean.
Another fundamental component of designing for easy cleaning is access. Sometimes, equipment needs to be disassembled before it can be cleaned. Such designs are not ideal, but they’re often unavoidable. Ease of disassembly—without specialized tools—is crucial to ensuring this can be done regularly.
The Bottom Line
Today, we’ve laid out two of the most crucial components of hygienic design in the food and beverage industries. Here at the Scale People, we have a thorough understanding of the principles of hygienic design as they relate to weighing equipment and more. If you’re curious about what we can do for your food production facility in the proximity of Chesapeake, VA, just give us a call!
CONTACT THE SCALE PEOPLE FOR Weighing Equipment IN Chesapeake, VA!
Since 1956, The Scale People have earned a reputation as the finest service provider for calibration and repairs of weighing equipment in the mid-Atlantic area. Our sales team can help work with you to find the best weighing equipment for your application. We currently have offices in Columbia, MD, and Newport News, VA, but we offer our services nationwide. Over the years, we have built up a long list of satisfied clients from a wide variety of industries, including pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and government manufacturing. We are a fully ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited service company. All of our services have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. We’re only a phone call away at +1 (800) 451-9593. To learn more about what we do, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.