FEATURE
THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS
Preserving the right environment for food from damaging conditions within a storage facility is vitally important to maintaining the integrity of goods. This is where being forewarned is being forearmed, says Derek Richardson, an Environmental Manager specialising in temperature monitoring for Ellab Monitoring Solutions Ltd.
Weather extremes from a heat wave to an icy blast from the east can have detrimental effects on the external structure of warehouses and food storage facilities. These in turn could also lead to damaging temperature fluctuations, damp and potential leaks causing damage to both interior walls and ceilings, creating poor conditions for food items if left unchecked.
Early detection through environmental monitoring systems can help nip in the bud potential problems for temperature sensitive foods, whether ambient, stored in freezers or kept in refrigerators. There is a variety of accurate and flexible environmental management solutions that can protect companies in sectors like hospitality from not just monetary loss but also harm to reputation.
Safeguarding food hubs Frozen food needs to be stored at around minus 20 degrees (Celsius), chilled is 0-5 degrees and ambient 20 degrees. If party items like pigs in blankets or sausage rolls suffer prolonged compromised conditions in a warehouse before being delivered to customers, they will run the risk of ending up as food waste.
Having an early-warning system in place to keep track of the storage conditions could save the day. In fact, the latest monitoring systems can also gather data to give supervisors information on what they might need to do to improve the environment within the supply chain.
56 | TOMORROW’S FM
The key thing is to react swiftly to potential problems which can be triggered by temperature fluctuations and increasing humidity levels caused by events such as a damaged roof, broken pipes or human error.
Undetected flooding or leaks will test not only a building’s integrity but also the goods housed in them. So, an early warning system of water ingress can prevent a lot of heartache and financial implications by protecting the structure and contents against resultant condensation and significant ongoing damp problems.
Getting to the ‘roof’ of the problem Water coming through roofs due to blocked gutters and downpipes can soak into timbers and framework causing potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage. Compare that to the tiny cost of putting leak detection sensors in place.
Reacting swiftly to adverse environmental conditions, even a sudden rise in temperature, is vital in vulnerable areas - particularly cold storage housing items such as frozen peas, chips and ice cream or chilled fare like butter, meat and bacon.
Solutions such as Ellab’s wireless monitoring technology uses sensors placed in the roof integrated with environmental monitoring software. It can warn designated stakeholders of leaks from defective roof drainage, blocked gutters or from a bad seal, missing tiles
twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66
