It was bad news for the food manufacturing and retail industries again, as tens of thousands of cases of fruits and vegetables had to be pulled from the shelves. The wide scale recall comes after an announcement that many of these products could be contaminated with Listeria.
Listeria infection can, of course, cause many nasty symptom’s for the average person, including fever, muscle aches, and diarrhea. However, for pregnant women the concern is much more serious. Listeria infection can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or premature birth.
Obviously, the need to properly preserve and store food products is essential. Failing to do so can literally be the difference between life and death. Although, this situation was likely caused by cross-contamination, bacteria becomes a concern when food is not properly stored as well. Improper temperatures or humidity levels can leave foods susceptible to bacteria growth, and that means that the end user may be exposed. Any individual or entity operating in the food and beverage industry must be aware of this and do all that is necessary to prevent such circumstances.
Food and beverage distribution companies rely heavily on automated temperature control systems to regulate and maintain safe temperature ranges for proper storage of their products.
This means gauging temperatures in the designated space as well as in the ducts, before that air enters the space. Controlling the systems means that technicians must rely on duct mounted temperature sensors, space mounted temperature sensors, and humidity sensors. By measuring all three and using that information to make automatic alterations to system settings, a controlled environment can be properly maintained, and that greatly decreases the likelihood of food contamination.
The SRP Controls Solutions group has a wide range of duct mounted temperature sensors, OA temperature sensors, and humidistats that can be easily installed to any new or existing system. Combined, these can provide the end user unparalleled temperature and humidity control.