Conveyor System in the Food Industry?

 

The conveyer belt is the integral part of the manufacturing industry; it is estimated that the conveyor belt industry itself was valued at over $3.4 billion in the year 2020, and with a growth rate of over 4.1%, will be worth a staggering $4.4 billion by the year 2027.

However, it is prudent to understand that in the food industry, the importance of conveyor belts, although ubiquitous, comes with its own disadvantages and advantages; for example, conveyor belts have greatly increased the efficiency of a number of manufacturing facilities, which in turn has increased the output of several of these companies. The use of conveyor belts by the food industry has several pre-requisites which have been set by the FDA or Food and Drug Authority, which can be used a template for creating guidelines for the installation of the same in all kinds of facilities globally; to elaborate, it is crucial to understand that:

·         Easy Cleaning and Sanitization

·         Food Grade Material

·         Food-Safe Cleaning Chemicals

·         Reduction in Human Error and Increase in Efficiency:

·         Accident Reduction

·         Material Inspection

 

Personal Hygiene Policy

It is common that most material handling processes are labour-heavy thus, a specific personal hygiene policy need to be created and implemented in order to ensure all material that is being handled in any food facility has little risk of exposure to pathogens such as S.aureus, E. coli etc. Aspects such as this can be quite difficult to monitor, so a common recommendation is that such policies be enforced everyday during the start and end of an employee shift, and be reiterated during refresher trainings which are to be conducted on a regular basis.

Thus, it is safe to use the conveyor belts in the food industry is of great significance; with advantages of human error reduction, efficiency and reduction in work-place related accidents, it is clear that this equipment is essential in the overall productivity of any facility. Building on the same, material handling also plays a large part in the success of any manufacturing/catering facility, as there are numerous food safety and work safety norms involved in the Material Handling step that need to be implemented in order to ensure the overall safety of the final product from any kind of facility, manufacturing or otherwise. Therefore, it is prudent to consider that both these aspects be given maximum precedence in the processes created for any kind of facility.