The four pillars that the food industry is built on comprise …….
The four pillars that the food business is built on comprise, food quality, food safety, cost of production and selling price.
The first three pillars are further underpinned by passion, confidence, motivation, honesty, integrity, experience, technology, methodology, systems, experimentation, training, evaluation, feedback, and ultimately, reward (both individually and the collective whole).
Enigmatically many in the food industry tend to accept that by merely having a refrigerator, and more particularly a walk-in cold room on their premises, is sufficient demonstration of their commitment to food safety, quality and cost of production. The fact that cold rooms, even brand new models, make for inadequate storage facilities is the greatest challenge facing the cost cognisant without them even being consciously aware of it! Why?
ALL FORMS OF REFRIGERATION, FROM DOMESTIC TO UNDER COUNTER TO DISPLAY TO WALK-IN COLD ROOMS, WHETHER BRAND NEW OR 60 YEARS OLD, ARE INHERENTLY INEFFICIENT IN THAT THEY CANNOT:
- de-contaminate their internal atmosphere of air-borne bacteria
- remove ethylene gasses being emitted by fruit and vegetables (which gas causes food spoilage)
- remove excess moisture(during busy work shifts when the hot air enters via frequent opening of door)
- re-hydratetheir internal atmosphere when conditions become too dry (when doors are kept closed for extended periods)
The foregoing deficiencies results in:
- food spoilage
- blood purge in vacuum/cryovac packaged meat products
- natural juice purge in fruit and vegetable pillows
- meat and fish shrinkage
- meat weight losses in butchery cold rooms (from 1,2% to 3%)
- cakes and pastry drying out
- general decline in overall food quality (whether fresh or prepared)
Any solution?
Only Polar Africa humidity & bacteria control filters can substantially reduce and even eliminate food spoilage by extending refrigerated shelf-life by between 50% and 300%, as well as reduce retail and wholesale meat weight losses in cold rooms by 40% to 50%, by stabilising the relative humidity; reducing both ambient and core temperatures; neutralising vapour pressure; absorbing ethylene gas (food spoilage gas); absorbing acetic acid; and absorbing air-borne bacteria!