Proper Floor and Drain Design Combat Food Safety Challenges
The global food industry is expanding at a rapid pace, and many companies are investing in facility expansions, new plant construction and modernization projects. With this activity, food safety is essential as companies add new flooring and drainage systems to add efficiencies and scale for growth.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that listeria causes 1,600 illnesses and 260 deaths annually in the U.S. Listeria can be found in numerous types of food, including cheeses, packaged meat, uncooked vegetables and raw unpasteurized milk, yogurt and ice cream. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Listeria is a hardy germ that can be difficult to fully remove from food processing facilities. If a facility has listeria germs, the germs can spread to food that touches contaminated equipment or surfaces.”
Proper food sanitation has never been so crucial as food manufacturers expand, run three shifts and modernize facilities. With these capital expansions, adequate flooring and drain design and cleaning protocols can be overlooked. “Floors, drains and air movement around equipment are easy to overlook and under-prioritize,” according to Ecolab.