Regulatory Compliance and Conveyor Belt Cleaning
In order to maintain the safety and quality of mass produced food items, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has established a comprehensive set of regulations and guidelines that food processing facilities are bound by, primarily to ensure that any risks of cross-contamination are thoroughly mitigated.
FSA guidelines highlight the importance of traceability (identification codes, batch numbers), allergen control, temperature requirements and of course, hygiene, encompassing all areas of food production. As a primary food contact point conveyor belt sanitation is a core focus of the FSA food safety guidelines.
While these regulations are set out to minimise risk to consumers, they have the added effect of aiding food manufacturers in their efforts to uphold a positive brand reputation. Through strict adherence to the requirements defined by the FSA, including optimal conveyor hygiene, food production businesses can protect their customers as well as their bottom line.
What are the Consequences of Non-Compliance with FSA Guidelines?
The consequences of less than clean conveyor cleaning can be very detrimental to businesses in the food processing industry and are well understood by food manufacturers. They constantly strive to avoid distributing unsafe food, foodborne illnesses and quality issues that can lead to a serious loss of consumer confidence.
They may also be forced to contend with the potential downgrading or loss of vital BRC (British Retail Consortium) and IFC (International Featured Standards) certifications, which will severely impact the ability to supply major retailers.
All in all, these combined factors can be financially devastating for food processing companies, making it imperative that there is a constant drive for higher standards.
Automated Cleaning Solutions to Optimise Conveyor Hygiene
Food quality isn’t the only consequence of a less than clean conveyor belt, the build up of debris can in some instances also lead to costly equipment malfunction and eventual breakdown, costing both time and money to fix.
However, often spanning hundreds of metres across food factories, the endless loops of conveyor belts transporting food throughout the production process present some difficult and tedious cleaning challenges using manual methods.
In most cases, belts would need to be shut down entirely to facilitate cleaning operations, leading to reduced productivity, as well as presenting an extremely physically demanding task for cleaning operatives.
Fortunately, at KHD our advanced conveyor belt cleaning systems present a solution that not only mitigates these issues, it also provides a notable improvement in sanitation levels compared to manual cleaning.
Raising Cleaning Standards
Using only 10-30 litres of water per hour, our specialised belt cleaners use carefully controlled saturated steam to maximise cleaning efficiency without using harsh chemicals.
Our extensive understanding of the food processing industry and its conveyor cleaning challenges has allowed us to develop a range of automated conveyor belt cleaning systems that can tackle numerous conveyor types and materials. In fact, we possess the largest range of steam based conveyor cleaning anywhere in the world, including –
Plus, due to the unique nature of every food production facility, our automated conveyor cleaners can be bespoke designed to accommodate the large variety of conveyor geometry.
Speak to the Experts
By utilising our advanced steam technology, your conveyor belt benefits from a reduction in cross contamination risk, allergens, and a significantly lower microbial footprint, leading to fewer equipment failures and downtime for your operations.
Used globally by forward-thinking and leading food brands, we design and build our systems to the highest possible standard, providing our customers with the peace of mind that their conveyor belts not only meet, but often exceed the cleanliness levels required by FSA regulation driving higher cleaning standards.
