We celebrated National Ice Cream Month in July 2021, and each week we introduced a Sterilex team member on social media, asked our followers to guess their favorite (or least favorite) flavor of ice cream and shared a dairy sanitation tip. We didn’t want you to miss out on the fun, so we created a summary of the posts and tips below and added some additional advice. This insight only covers a fraction of our collective knowledge, so let us know what questions you have about sanitation in the dairy market.
Stacy Ostromecki, Commercial Development Manager, Dairy
Meet Stacy Ostromecki, our Dairy Commercial Development Manager. Her favorite ice cream flavor (Blue Moon) is pretty exclusive to WI, where she is originally from. She also loves gluten-free cookies and cream.
Stacy’s Dairy Sanitation Tip:
CIP Basics and Soft Metal Solutions
Don’t forget the CIP basics — time, temperature, concentration and flow. Improper cleaning is a root cause of food safety incidents. It’s estimated that 75% of cleanings executed on a daily basis in the food industry are not properly validated and poorly documented. Routinely validate CIPs to help prevent problems before they happen and demonstrate regulatory compliance. Sterilex’s Ultra CIP can be used inside pipes, and we have a formula specific to soft metal for vitalines and freezers. Contact Stacy with questions about our CIP and soft metal dairy sanitation solutions.
Meet Stefan Wright, VP of Sales. Instead of a favorite flavor, Stefan has a favorite ice cream delivery method — ice cream sandwiches.
Stefan’s Dairy Sanitation Tip:
Clean Surfaces Equal Effective Disinfection
Focus on access to the surface. The most effective approach to disinfection is allowing your chemistry access to the surface. Remove as many barriers as possible (such as gross soil) that could consume your heavy-hitting disinfection chemistries so they can focus on creating a safe micro baseline. Once your surfaces are clean, use one of our disinfection and biofilm control products to lower your microbial load. Disinfection and biofilm removal are an important 8th step to include in any best-practice food sanitation program. Learn more about the differences between sanitation and disinfection.
Stefan Wright, Vice President of Sales
Adam Esser, Regional Sales Manager, Mideast
Meet Adam Esser, our Regional Sales Manager, Mideast. Adam loves most ice cream, but his least favorite is salted caramel — the salt ruins it for him.
Adam’s Dairy Sanitation Tip:
A Listeria Solution
A Listeria-seeking mission several years ago yielded some interesting results. In a sample size of 30 dairy plants, the following results were found.
% of positive Listeria tests by area:
47% – Coolers + Freezers
43% – Dry Storage
40% – Entrance to Processing
39% – Raw Milk Receiving
38% – Drains
36% – Processing
30% – Non-Processing Entrance
15% – Other (Hallways, etc.)
No one on the team guessed that the highest percentage of positives would be in coolers and freezers, even though they are the most overlooked areas in dairy plants.
Use our Sterilex Ultra Disinfection Cleaner Solution 1 combined with our Ultra Soft Metal Activator to tackle Listeria issues in your coolers and freezers. Check out our full line of products to treat other areas of your dairy facility.
Meet Katie Moore, Former VP of Sales. Katie’s favorite flavors are mint chocolate chip or the one pictured, lemon and orange twist with twinkle coat (toasted candy-coated peanuts and sprinkles — it’s delicious!)
Katie’s Dairy Sanitation Tip:
Manage Your Environment
A common misconception in the dairy industry is that environmental sanitation isn’t as important because dairy products are run through enclosed CIP systems. While CIP systems are used, dairy products like ice cream are still dispensed and packaged in an environment that needs to be maintained. Dairy Brick, for example, tends to wear over time and can pop up, allowing water, soil and dangerous pathogens to collect underneath. Maintaining floors and the environment in dairy plants is a key part of a best-in-class food safety program.
Our Sterilex Ultra Step product is a perfect fit for floors and other environmental sanitation problem areas. Contact us for questions about environmental sanitation in your dairy facility.
Katie Moore, Former VP of Sales
Learn more about sanitation in the dairy industry and reach out to our Dairy CDM, Stacy Ostromecki, or one of our Sterilex RSMs with questions. For more information about how our products benefit the dairy industry, visit our Dairy Market page.
Curious which flavors our team favors? Sign up for our food processing newsletter to find out!
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