A hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) assessment is an essential part of food safety at every level. The Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA) made HACCP assessments and plans more stringent for food manufacturers and processors, with the goal of reducing risk and improving food safety. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how…
Good manufacturing practices (GMP) help to reduce risk and prevent illness and injury throughout the supply chain. CFR Title 21 Part 110 lays out GMP for food safety in manufacturing, covering a range of activities from packaging to processing to storage and more. In some areas, the document provides explicit instructions about GMP. Other areas…
A variety of bacteria and viruses, including Norovirus, Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, E. coli, and Campylobacter, among others, can infect food, causing thousands of illnesses and deaths every year. These pathogens can hide in many different materials, usually originating from infected water or soil. The sheer volume of ingredients and finished products that food processors and…
The Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA) created stricter food safety rules for farmers, growers, and food processors of all kinds. Compliance means preventing or dramatically reducing the chance of contamination, while non-compliance can result in FDA fines, consumer illnesses, and legal battles. Process design, planning, and controls play a key part in FSMA food…
Accurate load cells are critical to get the right mix. There are many different types of load cells for different processes, all of which can become inaccurate for different reasons. In this blog post, we’ll discuss a few of the ways your load cell may become inaccurate, what these problems look like when they occur,…
Though they’re often used in highly durable scales and heavy equipment, load cells themselves are somewhat delicate, and can easily be damaged by surrounding elements. This is what makes hermetic sealing so important. Hermetically sealed load cells are air- and water-tight, protecting the delicate measurement components inside from damage. In this blog post, we’ll explain…
In our previous post, we discussed problems engineers and scale dealers often face when working with traditional strain gauge scales and load cells, and solutions that can improve accuracy and durability. In many cases, utilizing capacitive digital load cells can help to avoid problems posed by the strain gauge. In this post, we’ll explore the…
Load cells are essential devices used in many processing systems, though we seldom think about them. Only when the load cell malfunctions and the scale is inaccurate do we think about the workings behind the measurement. When it comes to measuring ingredients, from fine pharmaceutical powders to silos full of grain, understanding how strain gauge…
For automated processing to work in any industry, from food processing to chemical processing to pharmaceuticals and more, ingredients must be weighed accurately. In our previous post, we explained how to choose a load cell and scale instrument that works best for your mix. In this post, we’ll cover other factors that influence the accuracy…
Automated systems have made food, pharmaceutical and chemical processing systems faster and more efficient. An important part of this process is the accurate weighing of ingredients. As ingredients have become more concentrated, the importance for highly accurate scales has increased. The challenge for many engineers is designing an automated system that is both efficient and…
