When your gym members exercise with the same equipment, it may improve their health, but without regular cleaning, the same equipment also creates the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Maintaining and verifying cleanliness helps create a healthier facility and ensures you retain your positive brand image and reputation.

Studies conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine show that coronaviruses remain viable on plastics for 72 hours, stainless steel for 48 hours, cardboard for 24 hours and copper for 4 hours.  Residues remaining on surfaces can also sustain the viability of bacteria.  This highlights the significance of cleaning and verifying the cleanliness of your weighing machinery and work areas.

Hygiene has always been a core focus for the hospitality industry, and in the post-COVID-19 world, this focus will be stronger than ever. When you reopen to the public, customers will be more diligent and demand the highest standards of cleanliness.

Hygiena™ has been closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and the implications it has for its employees, distribution network, customers and communities.

Week 1: Environmental Monitoring Recognising food safety and quality issues As the world increasingly recognises food safety and food quality failures, there’s more emphasis on the environmental monitoring programs. Read more... Environmental monitoring for spoilage organisms Environmental monitoring is used by food production companies to plan for microbial spoilage as it allows them to address the issues as they arise. Read more... The importance of identifying specific goals in...

The best way of controlling potential cross contamination of products with allergens is a vigorous allergen monitoring regime, which the BRCGS recommends. In this guide we will cover a range of key topics. Content: What is a food allergy? Key allergens Production facilities Kitchens Non-packaged food Packaged food Cleaning surfaces Training staff Our allergen product range What is a food allergy? A food allergy is a medical condition in which exposure to food triggers a...

At Gem, we talk a lot about the importance of having a robust hygiene monitoring program. But that all falls flat if your swabbing technique isn't up to scratch. In this blog, we will highlight the best practices to achieve accurate, consistent and reliable results when swabbing surfaces for hygiene and environmental monitoring. HOW TO COLLECT A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE To collect a substantial sample on a flat surface, swab a 10 X 10 cm square. In a hard-to-clean area, swab as much surface as...

ATP monitoring is a quick, simple-to-use testing method for assessing the cleanliness of surfaces in food processing facilities. Food and beverage facilities are using ATP monitoring to validate that there is no presence of ATP. If there is a presence of ATP on a surface, it indicates it hasn't been cleaned properly. An unclean surface has the potential to harbour bacterial growth. The surface should be re-cleaned and re-tested with a luminometer. What is ATP? Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)...

Working to identify specific goals within your environmental monitoring program allows you to serve multiple complementary purposes. Although there isn’t a universally recognised framework for environmental monitoring, there are some approaches which are consistent with other parts of food safety and quality management e.g. HACCP. Environmental monitoring programs include a variety of tests e.g. ATP and indicator organisms to pathogens, allergens and spoilage organisms. Samples are collected...

What is Environmental monitoring for spoilage organisms? Environmental monitoring is used by food production companies to plan for microbial spoilage organisms as it allows them to address the issues as they arise. Quality management systems are useful because spoilage incidents can happen at irregular times. Without consistent monitoring, chronic issues can go unseen. Processing environments are considered to be the main contributor to microbial quality issues. Manufacturers use...