Quality Scoops for the Food Industry

There are few instances in which strict hygiene is as crucial as it is in the food industry. Restaurant chefs and workers in food-processing plants have a responsibility to their employers and their customers to ensure that the meals served and the products sold are safe for consumption. Safety measures begin with the handling process and it is in this area that the use of high-quality scoops can prove invaluable.

Whether in a restaurant kitchen or a processed-food factory, there are two main sources of potential contamination. The first and more obvious of the two can be attributed to microorganisms. The presence in foodstuffs of bacteria such as Salmonella species, E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes pose a serious threat to the consumer and is avoidable with appropriate hygiene measures. Any scoops used in the preparation stages need to be of a material that can be safely steam-sterilised. Polypropylene is not only highly resistant to wear and tear but can be safely heated to a temperature of 121 °C, that of an autoclave.

The second source of danger is cross-contamination. Handling minced beef with the same utensils previously used to handle prawns, for example, could result in a potentially fatal anaphylactic reaction in someone with an allergy to shellfish. In addition to their wear- and heat-resistant properties, Vikan scoops from Pescatech are available in a range of colours. This enables the introduction of a colour-coding system to eliminate the risk of cross-contamination.