Creating and maintaining a safe, hygienic food plant is a constant challenge that requires eternal vigilance - one slip up can, potentially, sound the death knell for the business. There is no ‘once and for all’ solution, as the very ingredients themselves frequently carry the bacteria and contamination into the plants. Following are two sets of research you may find interesting.

Spinach sales fell but expenditures for total leafy greens remained unchanged, following a US government warning to avoid bagged spinach because of possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination in 2006.

Interest in food and drinks carrying gut or digestive health claims appears to be continuing unabated, at least as far as food and drinks companies are concerned.

The underlying objective of any thermal processing of beverages or liquid food is safety. Thermal treatments consist of heating a product and holding it at a desired temperature for a specific length of time in order to either pasteurise or sterilise the product. For many processes, the minimum log reduction of bacteria are set by the regulations. However, these are minimum requirements and are usually exceeded for many reasons, including attaining lower failure rates, longer shelf life, and product quality and image. However, these thermal processes also directly impact the quality and image of the product due to its reactions to heat.

Norway is one of the countries responsible for the production of fish oils and omega-3. Over 40% of the world’s omega-3 oils in food and food supplements originate there.

Stainless steel’s unique characteristics make it highly suited to use in the food industry and users can increase corrosion resistance, cleanability and longevity by handling it appropriately. Purge welding to avoid heat tint is one example where users can ensure they get it right from the outset.

Kraft Foods is addressing the problem of increased traffic by finding alternatives to trucking and making its distribution network more efficient. Since 2005, innovative sustainability projects have saved the company more than 80 million km in its global transportation and distribution network.

Chadwicks has created a variety of lids for Bacchus’s ready-to-drink liqueur shot party pack, Shotbox.

With a specially engineered solution, Avery Dennison has helped Moet Hennessy to solve one of the most difficult challenges in wine labelling. The result is an attractive and functional neck label that secures the foil cap wrappings on the company’s champagne brand, Moet & Chandon, and all its premium champagnes.

Murray Goulburn Co-operative has used Tetra Pak’s aseptic technology to create a long-life specialist milk line for Australia’s cafe industry.

A food X-ray machine is in use at the I Spy Pies processing plant at Maroochydore. The machine is installed on the pie line to ensure the company’s pies are free of physical contaminants.

Hellers has upgraded its sausage line with a system manufactured by Mercer Stainless, making the transfer of meat trim and bagged smallgoods to the packing stations more efficient and hygienic.

Wiley has completed a state-of-the-art hide processing facility for Swift Australia.

Westland Dairy has engaged Mercer Stainless to build a new bulk storage silo for raw milk. The silo has a working capacity of 300 m³.

Goodman Fielder’s plant at Mascot in New South Wales has made a gain from a modest investment, by upgrading its labelling equipment on the bottle labelling line. The outlay has delivered an annual saving with a payback in around six months, achieved with the additional equipment.