HEALTH & SAFETY
HYGIENE CREDENTIALS
ILAPAK LTD
UNDECLARED ALLERGEN AVOIDANCE
BY MACHINE DESIGN
By Tony McDonald, director of sales and
marketing at ILAPAK UK
Concerns over cross contamination on
production and packaging lines are mounting
following a spate of deaths linked to
unlabelled allergens in food products. Food
and ingredient manufacturers and packers
are realising that the stakes for undeclared
allergens infiltrating supply chains are too
high, particularly where free-from foods are
concerned.
As this state of heightened awareness sets
in, there is increasing interest in the hygiene
credentials of packaging equipment.
Switching from a dairy to a dairy-free product,
for example, requires complete and thorough
changeover and washdown procedures to
avoid even a trace of cross-contamination.
ILAPAK has many years of experience in
designing form, fill, seal equipment for
operation in high risk environments and
has just launched a new ultra-hygienic
bagmaker and flow wrapper, both of which
are compliant with the USDA’s strict sanitation
performance standards. This project has
enabled us to identify the design principles
that need to be adherred to if equipment
design is to support the food industry’s
increasingly rigorous approach to cross-
contamination avoidance. through the machine rather than getting
lodged in a crevice. An example of this might
be where the guarding is bolted to the main
machine frame or where there are cross
members on the machine.
MIND THE GAPS Where possible, surfaces should be sloped
not flat to prevent debris from accumulating.
On ILAPAK’s machines, all top surfaces are
inclined (so that factory personnel can’t leave
objects on top of machines), and all tubes and
bodywork are inclined.
Any joints should be fully welded rather than
spot welded and there should be no plates
against plates or joints against joints. If it is
unavoidable to have, for example, two plates
next two each other, it is preferable to insert
a spacer so that any product will fall straight
BITS, BOLTS AND BLIND HOLES
There shouldn’t be any threads sticking out
from bolts or any blind holes. Any holes
should be drilled right through so that there
are no recesses where dirt can build up.
STRATEGIC SLOPES
As food manufacturers and packers are realising that the stakes for undeclared allergens infiltrating supply chains are too high, there is increasing
interest in the hygiene credentials of packaging equipment.
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PECM Issue 42