Distribution centres and food stockists have a duty of care when it comes down to food safety. This week's article looks into and discusses the reasons for food grade coatings and why they are so important to the catering industry.
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What is a Food Grade Coatings and why do I need it?
There are many variants of food safe coatings out there. However, they all have the same end goal, and that is to ensure that the food manufactured or stored in a certain facility remains contamination and bacteria free.
Companies such as ourselves provide businesses with a full on site food grade spraying service to assist with this. Using a specialised coating, certified technicians are able to apply a spray coating that is highly durable, bacteria free and long lasting.
The overall aim of these coatings is to ensure that the safety of the food is never compromised. The coatings we use here at CJ Paint Spraying comes with a number of benefits. These have been proven to reduce the growth of harmful bacteria such as MRSA and E-Coli.
Do Not Avoid Clean Room Coatings
The risks of not coating a clean room or food safe area sufficiently can be extremely costly.
Failing to ensure that food safe spraying is completed will result in the likely contamination of food products, leading to customer complaints, staff and customer illnesses, loss of sales, damaged reputation and more.
Personally, if I was taking charge of a local food storage facility ' one of my first jobs would be to ensure that the storage area and handling zones where thoroughly cleaned and correctly coated. Not only will this reduce the chances of the above points from occurring, but it will put you and your business in good stead going forward.
Why is it so important to have food safe coatings?
In the food production industry, there is a range of standards you must adhere to; this can be national and international depending on where your food is going. Particular food safe coatings have a range of properties that work alongside your health and safety. In normal paints, you can find volatile organic compounds which usually is solvents. These solvents can be released into the air as the paint starts to dry. Solvents can cause a range of acute symptoms including headaches and dizziness if your employees are inhaling solvents over long periods of time this could also lead to more serious symptoms such as cancer.
Food poisoning is one of the biggest worries in the food production industry; this is because it can spread like wildfire. Once bacteria has grown, it can be easily transferred.
Here at CJ Paint Spraying, we use a water-based product which means while spraying it dries a lot quicker, therefore reducing the loss of production time. We adhere to all strict food safety regulations as we understand the need for food hygiene.
Why do contaminants grow?
Unfortunately, due to the number of people that enter your food area, there is a wide range of bacteria and contaminants they bring along with them. Usually located either on shoes or hands, no matter how much you wash something there is still a small chance you can contaminate food.
Benefits of food safe coatings
There are many benefits you need to consider when it comes to food safe coatings. All food safe coatings are resistant to hot water, oils, any fats and steam, this means that nothing can break through the coating nor can it affect the hygiene. Food safe coatings are much easier to clean as they are a non-porous surface, this means contaminants and bacteria find it hard to stick to the surface.
Coatings can withstand extreme temperatures, if you are in a food processing factory which requires the temperature of the room to be extremely hot or cold the coating is not affected.
Food safe coatings also give you a piece of mind when prepping any food. It will allow you to prep the food in a fully protected zone. All food prep areas will be in accordance with food hygiene regulations.
Industries that need food-safe coatings
There are a number of different industries that may require a food grade coating. The Food and beverage industries are some of the main businesses that require a food-safe coating to ensure they meet food hygiene regulations. Many restaurants, pubs and bars require a food hygiene rating, if the score is low, the food standards agency help businesses to improve their overall hygiene rating.
Breweries are open to a lot of contamination and bacteria exposure, due to the way they produce the beer, and the temperature some of the liquid has to reach can help cultivate bad bacteria. Alcohol is usually left for long periods of time for it to develop into the drink we like to consume which means it is imperative they are stored in a clean and sanitary place. For any alcohol to be produced in safe and hygienic environment it is vital they have a food grade coating applied.
Educational facilities need to ensure they are extremely clean and safe at all times. We all know children are less likely to wash their hands and tend to bring a lot of dirt inside. It is more likely for bacteria to breed which is why it is so important that these areas are kept clean and sanitary. The last thing you want is to be giving your students food poisening, food grade coatings minimise the risk of this happening and also help during the cleaning process.
Summary
Food grade coatings are a great way of fighting the risk of contamination and bacteria growth. If you do not have a food-safe coating you may want to think about having one installed, not only are you more likely to meet your food safety regulations or food hygiene rating, it also helps to make the cleaning process easier.
Sanitation is an enormous concern in the food industry. Every year, cases of food poisoning and food-borne illness make headlines and cause near-irreparable harm to the companies linked to such incidents.
To minimize risk of contamination, food production equipment needs to follow some key guidelines for:
- Its ability to be cleaned/sanitized
- Accessibility for inspection
- Preventing the collection of product or liquid
- Prevent harborage/growth of bacteria
These guidelines apply to every piece of equipment used to process food'not just big items like mixers and ovens, but the very containers used to hold and move food between processes.
In many applications, it's necessary to use a specialized coating on steel baskets to better protect the basket and the food on it. However, not just any coating will do for any basket and process.
To follow the principles of sanitary design, the metal coatings you use have to be carefully selected. Which metal coatings are right for your process?
The answer will depend on a few key factors, such as your process and the kinds of ingredients the coatings will come into contact with. With this in mind, here's a list of some of the more common food safe metal coatings and finishes:
Food Safe Metal Coating #1: Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon®)
Odds are that you're familiar with the Chemours-owned brand name coating known as Teflon®.
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As a hydrophobic material, Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) resists the absorption of water and other liquids with oxygen and hydroxyl compounds. Additionally, PTFE is famous for its low coefficient of friction, which is why it is often used as a nonstick coating for cooking.
With a continuous use temperature threshold of 500°F (260°C), PTFE polymer coatings are ideal for use in high-temperature processes.
PTFE is a very popular coating for the food industry, and for good reason. However, it's important to note that there are some applications that PTFE might not be good for.
While PTFE has a very strong chemical resistance, the coating tends to be very thin and porous, so the underlying metal may still be exposed to chemical corrosion if the basket is submerged in acidic chemicals (such as tomato & lemon juices).
Food Safe Metal Coating #2: Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP)
Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene, or FEP, shares many characteristics with PTFE, and is another polymer under the Chemours Teflon® brand name.
Like PTFE, FEP is hydrophobic, resisting water in liquid and gaseous form. Chemours' brief on FEP notes that, 'FEP film is chemically inert and resistant to virtually all chemicals, except molten alkali metals, gaseous fluorine, and certain complex halogenated compounds, such as chlorine trifluoride at elevated temperatures and pressures.'
FEP does have a lower continuous use temperature than PTFE'the maximum recommended temperature for FEP is 400°F (205°C), and the material will melt at temperatures above 500°F (260°C). This makes FEP slightly less suitable for use in ovens and other high-temperature processes.
Food Safe Metal Coating #3: Electropolishing Steel
Technically, this isn't a food grade coating for metal, but rather a type of finishing process for food safe steel. In many instances, rather than using a coating, food manufacturers will use uncoated metal that has been specially finished to enhance smoothness and resistance to corrosion.
Electropolishing is a common treatment for stainless steel in the food industry. The process leaves the surface of the steel microscopically smooth and enhances corrosion resistance. It's also used as a substitute for a food safe metal coating for aluminum, since the material is already highly safe for food.
A key benefit of electropolishing steel is that it makes it easier to sanitize, and removes the microscopic flaws that could allow bacteria to become embedded in the steel's surface.
The only major drawback is that this does not create a coating that will significantly protect the base metal from particularly harsh chemicals. To offset this, many electropolished food baskets are made of stainless steel that is already resistant to oxidation.
Food Safe Metal Coating #4: Antimicrobial Coatings
There are a wide variety of antimicrobial coatings available on the market, each with different performance characteristics in regards to temperature tolerance, chemical resistance, surface hardness, and tensile strength.
Antimicrobial coatings are best known for their ability to fight the spread of bacteria on their surface. There are two general ways that these coatings work:
- Active Coatings. These coatings have an active ingredient that is consumed to kill bacteria. Silver powder is a common active ingredient that damages bacteria's DNA to keep it from multiplying successfully.
- Passive Coatings. Rather than killing bacteria, these coatings use special surface characteristics to prevent microbes from adhering to the surface or to physically damage the cell walls of bacteria.
Active coatings tend to be more effective at killing bacteria, but must be periodically reapplied as their active ingredients are consumed. Passive coatings tend to last longer, which can lower their total cost of ownership.
However, even with an antimicrobial coating for food grade metal, it's important to practice consistent hygiene for any coated surfaces that come into contact with food. Any such surfaces should be routinely cleaned and sanitized per FDA requirements, and kept free of contaminants as much as possible to prevent food contamination.
Do Food Safe Metals Need Food Grade Coatings?
One common misconception about food safe metals such as aluminum or grade 430 stainless steel is that they don't really need a food grade metal coating. After all, these metals are already oxidation resistant, tougher than most polymer coatings, and easy to clean. So, why would you need a special coating or food-safe finish?
Part of the reason why you should use food grade coatings on food safe metals is that, although these metals are tough, the use of a coating can help to extend their useful life further'helping to reduce your total cost of ownership (TCO) for any trays, baskets, or other custom wire forms the coating is applied to.
For example, say your food manufacturing process involves the use of salt'whether it's a seasoning, preservative, or incidental byproduct. Even highly resistant grade 316 stainless steel (which is noted for its resistance to chlorides), may experience some pitting if exposed to enough salt or salt-enriched fluids over a long period of time.
By applying even a thin coating of material, you can leverage the tensile strength of the steel while protecting it from direct contact with the salt. When the coating wears thin, it can be reapplied for a fraction of the cost of buying a whole new basket or tray'helping you minimize your TCO for your food processing equipment.
Which Coating is Best for You?
By comparing the characteristics of each type of coating to your food production processes, you should be able to identify the type of food grade coating or surface finish that is right for you.
If you have high temperature processes, such as oven-based cooking, then a high-temperature polymer such as PTFE might be suitable'or electropolishing might work if temperatures exceed PTFE's limits.
If bacteriological contamination is a concern, an antimicrobial coating might be best.
Ultimately, choosing the right coating will take careful consideration. Find out more about food safe metal coatings and surface treatments today!
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