3 Big Tips for Safely Displaying Consumable Iced Products

by Ice Systems

Maintaining food products like meat, produce, and seafood cold on ice helps to maintain their freshness and prevent dangerous bacteria from endangering consumers. What some consumers and companies do not realize is that ice is considered itself a food, and it must be treated as carefully as food. Utilizing high quality and safe ice is critical to keeping your products safe. At SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC, we manufacture and install industrial cooling systems like ice makers to help maintain food safety and freshness. This article with outline three tips for safely displaying consumable iced products.

Tip #1: Make Sure That The Water Going Into Your Ice Machine is Clean

The quality and safety of your ice is as good as the input water used in the process. If you would not drink directly from the input line to your ice machine, redesign your process to properly filter or clean water. When you are not sure if your water is clean, send some of the water to a laboratory company to test it for pathogens or chemicals. Consider setting up a regular process to test for water quality so that you will be alerted if there is an issue in your process.

Also, consider utilizing an in-line filter to make sure that the water going into your ice machine is clean. Although others might consider extra controls excessive, you can have the peace of mind knowing that your process will be safe even if the water company sends contaminated water.

Tip #2: Clean Out the Ice Machines and Bins Regularly

Your ice machine and bins should be frequently cleaned according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Whether you have a new or older SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC system, feel free to contact us at SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC to review recommendations for unit cleaning. This protocol should outline the cleaning steps, the frequency, the tools and how to verify that cleaning is effective. Including pictures and easily accessible equipment will help you or employees complete the process. Additionally, verifying completeness of cleaning with a checklist will help you to show regulatory officials that you completed the task correctly each time.

Here is a sample list of steps for cleaning an ice machine:

  • Shut down and lock out the ice machine so that it will not activate during cleaning.
  • Clean and shine the outside surface of the machine.
  • Remove any residual ice in the machine.
  • Clean the inside of the machine using a suitable chemical approved for cleaning food contact machines.
  • Carefully clean the inside of the door and the gaskets with the approved sanitizer.
  • Rinse thoroughly to remove sanitizer chemical.
  • Check and service in-line water filter if needed.

Tip #3: Create Sound Systems For Safely Handling Ice

Any ice used to cool produce must be treated as a food, even if the ice is not directly consumed. The ice will come in contact with the food and thus must not contaminate it. Even if you have a clean machine to produce ice, the following guidelines can help you and your employees maintain safe ice utilization.

  • Before handling ice, wash hands completely with soap and warm water.
  • Utilize clean hands or clean gloves before removing ice. Remember that dirty gloves are just as bad as dirty hands.
  • Ice bins used to transport ice must be clean whenever used and should never be placed on the ground.
  • Utilize clean and undamaged scopes for ice.

Taking the time to create and utilize procedures that keep your ice clean will help protect your customers from food-related illness. Remember that consistent practice of the right procedures will make food safety simple.

4 Options That Exist for Industrial Ice Rakes

by Ice Systems

An industrial ice rake is used within an ice storage and delivery system. The purpose of ice rakes is to move some of the ice flakes into the conveyor area and to level out the ice in the storage bin. While the role of ice rakes may seem simple enough, the fact is that not all systems are created equally. Low quality ice rakes can break from the weight of the ice and some ice rakes even get buried in the ice because they aren’t delivering the ice fast enough.

Fortunately these problems can be avoided with high quality ice rakes and ice systems. There are a lot of different ways that you can customize your ice storage and delivery system to get exactly what you need. Here are a few different beneficial options that exist for ice rakes:

Guiding Systems for Ice Rakes

One great option for systems that include ice rakes is a guiding system. Made from heavy girder side frames with flanges, this guiding system forms an endless track for the ice rakes. This type of track is more beneficial than the typical chain and sprocket guiding system because it reduces hang ups. This helps ensure that the ice makes it to where it is needed in a timely fashion.

Galvanized Steel for Ice Rakes

Another great option is using galvanized steel for ice rakes. With this feature, every part of the ice rake is hot-dipped, galvanized steel. Why is it beneficial to use a rake that has undergone this process? Hot-dip galvanizing is a corrosion protection method. This means that ice rakes featuring galvanized steel will be stronger and more resistant to rust.

Microprocessors for Ice Rakes

Most industrial ice rakes that you’ll find today are automatic. This means that you can use an on-board computer to program them to run when you want them to and so on. The microprocessor controlled rake drive is beneficial because it gives you precise control over what the rake is going to do. You can trust that the rake will be able to level and direct the ice because the microprocessor will ensure that it does its job.

Pneumatic Doors for Ice Rakes

The doors may not be a part of the ice rakes themselves, but they are imperative to a rake doing its job well. At SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC we know how important it is for your ice delivery system to deliver the ice as you need it. That’s why you can get four pneumatic operated doors. In other words your doors will be opened using pressurized air or gas. These doors form a tiered ice retaining wall to ensure that there isn’t an ice avalanche as the rakes start working. The high quality seal of the pneumatic door also avoids energy loss, preserving the efficiency of the system.

Ice rakes are simply one component of a high quality ice system. SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC designs and manufactures fully customizable industrial cooling and freezing systems. We always strive to offer our customers the features and options they need to make the ice system perfect for their tasks.