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Debra Smith - Global Hygiene Specialist

HACCP pre-requisites: Optimising food safety though traditional approaches & new technologies

Food safety regulations, standards, and guidance often require businesses to implement rigorous hygiene and food safety practices and maintain detailed records, often based on HACCP and GHP.

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Amit M. Kheradia - Former Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, Vikan North America

Cross-Contamination Control Strategies Part 4: Managing your Hygienic and Environmental Monitoring Zones

Part 4 of our series discusses effective ways of managing hygienic zones and environmental monitoring zones that ensure that cross-contamination risks can be prevented, eliminated, or significantly minimized.

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Amit M. Kheradia - Former Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, Vikan North America

Cross-Contamination Control Strategies Part 3: Plant Layout and Process Control

In Part 3 of this series, we will focus on the importance of laying out an appropriate food processing environment and controlling the processes effectively to minimize the risk of product contamination.

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Debra Smith - Global Hygiene Specialist

Top 6 Hygienic Design Questions with Experts' Answers

Read on for 6 of our top questions and answers from our recent hygienic design webinar.

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Amit M. Kheradia - Former Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, Vikan North America

Cross-Contamination Control Strategies Part 2: A Focus on the Hygienic Design of Equipment and Premises

In this blog, we will explain why hygienic design matters when considering the selection and installation of food processing area equipment and facilities.

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Amit M. Kheradia - Former Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, Vikan North America

Top 6 Food Safety Culture and Color-Coding Webinar Questions Answered by Industry Experts

During our Food Safety Culture webinar, industry experts discussed how simple techniques, such as the use of color-coding, helps employees practice food safety behaviors consistently and promotes a culture of producing safe and high-quality food.

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Amit M. Kheradia - Former Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, Vikan North America

Key Proceedings of IAFP 2023 – Hot Topics in Global Food Safety

At IAFP 2023, over 3,500 food safety professionals from about 58 countries came together to advance the best-in-class science, technology, and policy developments on food safety and sanitation through their participation.

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Amit M. Kheradia - Former Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, Vikan North America

6 Food Retail Questions Answered by Hygiene Experts

During our Hygiene in Food Retail webinar, we took audience questions. Here are the top 6.

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Amit M. Kheradia - Former Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, Vikan North America

Selected Questions from our High-Risk Food Production Webinar Answered by Hygiene Experts

During our “Hygiene in High-Risk Food Production: Keep it Clean and Chill” webinar, Deb Smith from Vikan and David Buckley from Diversey discussed the key food hygiene and sanitation challenges and solutions associated with high-risk food production facilities.

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Debra Smith - Global Hygiene Specialist

The Use of Sponges and Scourers for Cleaning

A question we get asked a LOT about is the use of sponges and scourers for cleaning and, like most things in the food industry, the answer should be based on risk assessment.

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Amit M. Kheradia - Former Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, Vikan North America

Making Way for 2023 - Food Safety and Sanitation Ends With a Strong Note In 2022

2022 might have been labeled as the year of a triple whammy. The continuing COVID-19 pandemic (though waning down in certain regions and countries), the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and ensuing climate change characterized by floods, hurricanes, and elevated temperatures – all...

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Amit M. Kheradia - Former Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, Vikan North America

The Top 5 Questions on 5S in the Food Industry

Remco and Vikan hygiene experts answer the top 5 audience questions from our 5S and food safety webinar.

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Amit M. Kheradia - Former Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, Vikan North America

ABC’s of Manual Cleaning Part VI: Regulatory and Standards Expectations Regarding Manual Cleaning

In this, our final Blog in the series, we’ll look at the EU and U.S. food safety and hygiene regulatory requirements, key industry and global standard requirements, and the best sanitation practices that support a manual cleaning operation.

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Amit M. Kheradia - Former Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, Vikan North America

ABC’s of Manual Cleaning Part V: Who is Responsible for Manual Cleaning?

In part five, we are going to briefly focus on understanding the relevant departments involved during the cleaning and sanitation process within a food facility.

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Amit M. Kheradia - Former Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, Vikan North America

ABC’s of Manual Cleaning Part IV: Where and When to Manual Clean?

In part four, we will explain the basics of how to identify the locations or areas that require cleaning, and how to determine how often they’ll need cleaning. These steps are very important for the establishment of the consistently sanitary environment required for safe food...

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Amit M. Kheradia - Former Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, Vikan North America

ABC’s of Manual Cleaning - Part III: How does Manual Cleaning Work?

In this third part of our six-part Blog on cleaning, we address the key question: how is the manual cleaning process typically implemented?

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Stine Lønnerup Bislev - Former Hygiene and Compliance Manager at Vikan

Five steps to control Salmonella in a food processing facility

What foods do you associate with Salmonella? Most likely your answer will be raw meat and eggs, not flour or nuts. Nevertheless, Salmonella is a very resistant bacterium and can survive in all kinds of foods.

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Debra Smith - Global Hygiene Specialist

Updating Campden BRI Guideline 55

One of the great things about working for an organisation like Vikan is that I get to support the food industry and advance food safety through many different avenues. I was involved with a CampdenBRI member-funded research project to update guidelines.

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Stine Lønnerup Bislev - Former Hygiene and Compliance Manager at Vikan

Avoid the colour-coding pitfalls

This blog post focuses on how you avoid the worst potential pitfalls of a new colour-coding system.

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Stine Lønnerup Bislev - Former Hygiene and Compliance Manager at Vikan

Mechanical action – an essential factor in biofilm removal

Do you know how important the mechanical action applied during cleaning is in removing biofilms? If you don’t already know, you’ll find the answer here.

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Stine Lønnerup Bislev - Former Hygiene and Compliance Manager at Vikan

11 useful tips for colour-coding in your facility

Here are some of the key things to be aware of when you’re planning to colour code.

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Debra Smith - Global Hygiene Specialist

Manual cleaning has never been more important

Advice to hotels, restaurants and catering (HoReCa) establishments on hygiene measures prior to re-opening.

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Debra Smith - Global Hygiene Specialist

COVID-19 : Protecting key food industry workers from infection

The global COVID-19 pandemic is having an impact on us all. To ensure the continued provision of key products and services at this time, governments around the world have identified ‘key workers’ whose activities are critical to the COVID-19 response.

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Amit M. Kheradia - Former Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, Vikan North America

Food Handling Utensils as Pieces in the Food Safety Puzzle

Food handling utensils like buckets, scoops, scrapers, and shovels play an essential role in food processing environments. As food contact surfaces themselves, food handling utensils should possess characteristics that enhance food safety rather than create additional risks.

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Stine Lønnerup Bislev - Former Hygiene and Compliance Manager at Vikan

Why should your cleaning tools and utensils be color coded?

Why should your cleaning tools and utensils be color coded? It is a question we’re often asked, even though it makes sense to many. Here is how we answer the question.

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Debra Smith - Global Hygiene Specialist

Control of foreign bodies from cleaning equipment and utensils

This blog post provides information on selection and maintenance of food industry cleaning tools and utensils, with regard to minimising the risk of product contamination by foreign bodies.

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Matt Rumble - Area Sales Manager

Outstanding Ultra Safe Technology cleaning standard

Easy to clean Vikan Ultra Safe Technology products have delivered an outstanding cleaning standard for a large UK deli and meats manufacturer.

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Andy Freer - National Sales Manager, UK

Dealing with glass debris in food processing operations

Food industry customers often ask us about the best way to clean up glass breakages and the resulting debris. Fortunately, Vikan has experienced Customer Service and Technical Sales Teams, and a dedicated Hygiene Team ready to help you with good practical advice about this.

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Aaron Patch - Group Marketing Director

Consistency counts for hygiene management at Refresco

Cross-plant colour coding for hygiene equipment boosts effectiveness in four Refresco beverage bottling plants in Germany.

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Debra Smith - Global Hygiene Specialist

Optimize your allergen control through use of color

How to minimise allergen cross-contamination using colour-coded equipment and colour-coded site segregation.

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Stine Lønnerup Bislev - Former Hygiene and Compliance Manager at Vikan

Vikan DoCs – proof of food-contact-compliant cleaning tools

Vikan Declarations of Compliance(DoC) are your guarantee that Vikan plastic cleaning equipment and food handling tools contain no toxic substances that could contaminate food. Vikan DoCs are clear, easy to read and always up to date.

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Dr Phil Voysey - Retired Section Manager, Microbiology Department, Campden BRI

Cleaning equipment and its importance in the control of Listeria in food production

Get valuable insights from Dr. Phil Voysey to where to look for listeria in a food production and how to prevent cleaning tools from cross contaminating. Learn more about listeria and read Dr. Phil Voysey’s blog post here.

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Lotte Jensen - Marketing Specialist, Export Sales

What’s in a brush?

What’s in a brush? Well, it’s a question we take very seriously – and quite literally. As a matter of fact, you can trace the entire 125-year history of our company by examining the materials that comprise the products we make.

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Stine Lønnerup Bislev - Former Hygiene and Compliance Manager at Vikan

Listeria, its most common hideouts, and where to clean

If you produce chilled, ready-to-eat foods, you’ll need to know where you have to clean to avoid food contamination. This post details the most common Listeria hideouts – and how to clean for this dangerous bacteria.

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Aaron Patch - Group Marketing Director

Benefit from the full Vikan experience with a Vikan site survey

Today, the best way to make your investment in Vikan profitable is to have a customised site survey carried out. In sectors with high hygiene requirements, such as food preparation environments, the inspection of cleaning equipment is essential in any effective hygiene man...

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Andy Freer - National Sales Manager, UK

What makes Vikan different?

During our travels and many site visits, we are often asked: “What makes Vikan different from our competitors?” Well, the short answer is our company’s purpose.

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Aaron Patch - Group Marketing Director

Buckets, buckets everywhere

Don’t rush. Take a breath and start paying careful attention to the buckets in used in the food and beverage sector.

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Alasdair Scott - Regional Export Manager

Hygienic Tool Storage – what’s right for you?

Storage of cleaning equipment is a hot topic within the food industry and quite rightly so! What are the best options available for you?

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Lotte Jensen - Marketing Specialist, Export Sales

Which squeegee do I choose?

Finding the right Vikan squeegee for the right job helps you raise hygiene standards as well as boosting your employees’ job satisfaction.

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Stine Lønnerup Bislev - Former Hygiene and Compliance Manager at Vikan

What should you look for in a Declaration of Compliance?

What information is mandatory in a Declaration of Compliance (DoC)? The nine items you need in a DoC.

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Amit M. Kheradia - Former Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, Vikan North America

Salmonella in Raw Poultry – From Processing to Purchasing

According to the CDC, an estimated 1.2 million Americans a year get sick from Salmonella infections. Of these, around 23,000 are hospitalized and approximately 450 people die.

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Whitney Lee - Inbound Marketing Specialist

Lobby Dustpan Set Recognized with Innovation Award at the 2017 Process Expo

We competed as a finalist in two of seven categories at the 2017 Process Expo’s Innovation Showcase with our new Color-Coded Lobby Dustpan Set.

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Whitney Lee - Inbound Marketing Specialist

Food Safety Culture – Color-Coding for the Color-Blind

Food production facilities that use color coding to establish zones of control should ensure that visually impaired employees, including those with colorblindness, are not overlooked.

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Whitney Lee - Inbound Marketing Specialist

5S in the Food Industry

Sort, straighten, shine, standardize, and sustain. These five principles comprise the 5S lean manufacturing method that originated in Japan. While 5S can help any organization, the principles contained in the alliterative method should especially appeal to those in food proces...

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Aaron Patch - Group Marketing Director

New-Employee-Proof Your Safety Plan with Color Coding

In the food processing industry, like many factory-based jobs, employee turnover is high. When you’re seeing a turnover rate of about 35% yearly, how do you train your staff to follow important safety plans?

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Aaron Patch - Group Marketing Director

Selling Your Organization on Color Coding

Whether you’re a plant safety officer or a salesperson at a distribution company, here’s what you need to know to gain organizational buy-in.

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Aaron Patch - Group Marketing Director

Benefits of Corporate Standardization

Corporate standardization is an effective tool for streamlining sanitation programs across multiple production facilities.

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Vikan NA Staff - Staff

Color-Coding Basics: Communication is Key

With the proper communication plan in place, your color-coding system has the best chance for successful adoption, helping you mitigate the risk of cross-contamination.

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Vikan NA Staff - Staff

Color-Coding Basics: Breaking Down Language Barriers

The environment in a food processing facility can be a chaotic place. This is compounded when you bring multiple languages into the mix. Trying to keep everything organized and streamlined can at times be a daunting task.

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Vikan NA Staff - Staff

Color-Coding Basics: Regulators Love It

If your business is food processing, you are no stranger to government rules, regulations, and auditors. Complying with federal food safety regulations is crucial to the success—or even existence—of your operation.

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Vikan NA Staff - Staff

Color-Coding Basics: Guidelines and Best Practices

While the FDA does not currently have any standard set rules to follow when it comes to implementing a color-coding program, there are some common best practices that you can follow to get the most out of color-coding the facility.

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Vikan NA Staff - Staff

Color-Coding Basics: Zones and Critical Control Points

For food processing facilities, ensuring compliance with food safety regulations set forth by the FDA and other relevant authorities is a critical component of operational success.

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Vikan NA Staff - Staff

Color Coding Basics: Who Can Benefit from Color Coding?

All types of food processing facilities can benefit from a color-coding program. Not only does it help prevent contamination from pathogens, allergens and foreign contaminants, color coding has a variety of other uses.