The challenging conditions within today’s food and beverage industry requires flooring materials that can withstand the sector’s fast pace while effectively minimising contamination risks.
As facilities get bigger and quicker to cope with increasing global demand, plant designers still have to make sure that they adhere to regulators such as Food Standards Australia New Zealand as well as accreditation bodies such as HACCP International. Failing to meet the necessary cleanliness level could lead to serious consequences, including being denied access to lucrative export markets.
The floor area plays a significant role in reducing the threat of contamination, as seamless, impervious finishes stop contaminants hiding within hard to clean gaps where they can colonise. Durability goes hand-in-hand with this, as the floor will be subjected to a long list of damaging factors and if it fails it can turn into an unsightly, unsafe and unsanitary surface.
The activity within large-scale food and beverage plants can affect the floor in a variety of ways. It may be exposed to corrosive substances such as fats, hot oils, blood, sugar solutions and food acids, while rigorous cleaning processes can place a lot of stress on the floor. There may also be multiple sources of thermal shock, such as blasts of -25°C air from an open cold storage unit or steam cleaning at 120°C.
Thick, 6-9mm polyurethane finishes are able to withstand these types of conditions for the long-term and antimicrobial additives can be incorporated within polyurethane systems to provide extra protection against microbes.
Laying the floor to a fall so that excess liquid flows towards stainless steel drains and adding coving to create a seamless transition between the floor and the wall are both vital for creating an easy-to-clean area.
The floor’s aesthetics plays an important health and safety role in the food industry. Bright colours can differentiate between various zones and can be used to highlight hazardous areas while glossy tones can make the working environment more pleasant for the staff.
Contact the flooring specialists Flowcrete on 07 3205 7115, or email futurefood@flowcrete.com for more information on our HACCP International certified, antimicrobial PU flooring range.