Food Engineering logo
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • MEDIA
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Latest Headlines
  • Manufacturing News
  • People & Industry News
  • Plant Openings
  • Recalls
  • Regulatory Watch
  • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
  • New Plant Products
  • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
  • Alternative Protein
  • Automation
  • Cannabis
  • Cleaning | Sanitation
  • Fabulous Food Plants
  • Food Safety
  • Maintenance Strategies
  • OEE
  • Packaging
  • Sustainability
  • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • Plant Construction Survey
  • Plant of the Year
  • Sustainable Plant of the Year
  • State of Food Manufacturing
  • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Webinars
  • White Papers
  • EVENTS
  • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
  • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
  • eNewsletter
  • Custom Content & Marketing Services
  • FE Store
  • Government Links
  • Industry Associations
  • Market Research
  • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
  • eMagazine
  • Archive Issue
  • Advertise
Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!

Field Reports: Flour mill sees the light

August 12, 2003
Enclosed luminaires with curved surfaces stop flour from adhering, shed more light on inspection process.

Vantage food grade luminaires light the packaging area at General Mills’ Kansas City mill. The units have no nooks, crannies, ledges, latches or fins that attract flour. Source: Holophane.


SANITATION IS A PRIMARY CONCERN AT ALL General Mills processing facilities. In its 80-year-old flour milling plant in Kansas City, adequate lighting had become an issue in keeping up with the company’s high sanitation standards. General Mills signature products such as Gold Medal flour and Bisquick baking mix are made in the Missouri plant.

When the re-enforced concrete facility was constructed, it was illuminated with an incandescent lighting system with glass globes. These fixtures were removed for sanitary reasons and replaced with luminaires with plastic reflectors. Over the years, the plant experienced problems with the plastic melting, which led to retrofitting the units with Bantam 2000® luminaires from Holophane.

“We considered a number of lighting systems from other manufacturers and decided against them because many were constructed with flat surfaces and nooks and crannies where the flour could potentially accumulate,” said Robert McClellan, electrical team leader for the General Mills plant. “The Bantam luminaires are enclosed and have curving surfaces that prevent the flour from adhering to them.”

Bantam luminaires with an Enduralume® acrylic lens and 175-watt metal halide lamps were installed in the processing areas on all eight floors within the plant and in the stairwells. The fixtures were mounted on hooks installed from 10 to 15 feet above the concrete floor—depending upon the ceiling height—and spaced 15 feet on center.

“At the start of this project, our goal was to double the light levels,” said McClellan. “By installing the Bantam luminaires, we gained significantly higher footcandle levels using less than half the number of fixtures we had originally planned to install. Employees love the new lighting system because they can see so much better to do their jobs.”

McClellan said that the metal halide lamps were specified because of the illumination they provide and their color rendering capabilities. Employees inspect the milled product to assure that it is white. Any tinge to the light—such as the yellowish color provided by high-pressure sodium lamps—could detract from their ability to determine the flour’s color.

Vantage® Food Grade Luminaires from Holophane were installed above the packaging operations, which are located on raised platforms. Ductwork and piping crisscross the ceiling in these areas and are used to transport product. Flour tends to collect on the outside of the piping and must be removed by maintenance personnel who inspect the lines.

The Vantage luminaires supply 15 percent uplight, which not only illuminates the ductwork and piping for cleaning and inspection, but promotes visibility throughout the area. Like the Bantam 2000 units, the Vantage units have no nooks, crannies, ledges, latches or fins that attract the flour.

“The Holophane luminaires have provided us with high levels of visibility and the flexibility we needed throughout the plant,” said McClellan. “Even though the fixtures have been installed for a short period of time, we expect them to require very little maintenance.” u

For more information:

Jim Pacocha, 740-345-9631, jpacocha@holophane.com; www.holophane.com

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    With a CAGR of 12.07%, Bonafide Research estimates this...
    Latest headlines
  • skilled MEP worker

    Predicting Food and Beverage Manufacturing Trends for 2024

    The two words that should be kept in mind are labor and...
    Automation
    By: Derrick Teal
  • cleaning and sanitation

    The basics of cleaning and sanitation in food plants

    Sanitation maintains or restores a state of cleanliness...
    Food Safety
    By: Richard F. Stier
Manage My Account
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Customer Service

Food Plant Openings and Expansions June 2025

Food Plant Openings and Expansions June 2025

Celebrating Women in Engineering: Shalima Sreenath

Celebrating Women in Engineering: Shalima Sreenath

Celebrating Women in Engineering: Samara Heaggans

Celebrating Women in Engineering: Samara Heaggans

Food Plant Openings and Expansions May 2025

Food Plant Openings and Expansions May 2025

More Videos

Popular Stories

Cargill Cocoa Plant

Cargill Invests in its Cocoa Supply Chain

Campbell’s Utah plant

Going for Gold(fish): Inside The Campbell’s Company’s $160M Cracker Plant Expansion

Woman engineer on construction site

Exploring the Impact of Women Engineers on the Food Industry

CHECK OUT OUR NEW ESSENTIAL TOPICS

Alternative ProteinAutomationCleaning/SanitationFabulous Food Plants

Food SafetyMaintenance StrategiesOEE

PackagingSustainability

Events

June 17, 2025

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ State of the Cold Chain

On Demand Kelley Rodriguez, Editor in Chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, will be joined in this 60-minute webinar by industry experts to help unpack the latest research.

July 23, 2025

Decarbonizing Process Heat: What You Should Know and Next Steps

Driven by climate goals, business risk, client interest, and resilience considerations, food and beverage companies are increasingly turning their attention to decarbonizing their production processes.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

See More Products

Plant of the Year

Related Articles

  • Field Reports: No need to roll the dice when inspecting spice

    See More
  • Field Reports: Gertrude and the chocolate factory

    See More
  • Field Reports: Conveying ‘Over the Moon'

    See More

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • March 2, 2022

    The Right Way to Lightweight your Beverage Package

    Converting to a lightweight neck and closure can help you reduce resin usage, save on production costs, and reach your sustainability goals. 
  • February 4, 2022

    2022 State of the Industry: Non Alcoholic Beverages

    In Beverage Industry’s annual State of the Industry: The Non-Alcohol Beverage Market, the analysts at Beverage Marketing Corporation will dive into the beverage patterns of 2021 and prognosticate whether those patterns will continue in the years ahead.
View AllSubmit An Event
×

Elevate your expertise in food engineering with unparalleled insights and connections.

Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Food Master
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!