Learning Center

It is estimated that 30% of drains in food and beverage production facilities test positive for Listeria. Is Listeria lurking in your Brewery or Food Processing Plant floor drainage systems? What is Listeria? In the past 20 years, Listeria Monocytogenes has become a major concern to the food industry. The CDC estimates that Listeria is the third [...]

Proper care, maintenance and storage of food contact tools is critical for ensuring a sanitary and code-compliant facility. In this blog, we’ll discuss the importance of tool maintenance, the basics on how to properly clean and store items, and how to identify when it is time for replacement. Why Tool Maintenance Matters Tool cleaning and storage protocols [...]

Safety, efficiency and comfort are important factors when it comes to cleaning and material handling in industrial settings. Long hours performing specific and repetitive tasks have a physical and mental impact on employees. It’s critical to understand that tool design choice plays an important role in a workforce’s overall health and productivity. Investing in the [...]

Color-coding is a simple way to have a big impact on your facility’s food safety, sanitation and compliance. Designating certain colors for tools based on different uses, processes or zones is practical and offers a host of benefits. It prevents cross contamination from allergens, pathogens, chemicals, and physical contaminants -- improving quality control and reducing risk of product recall and [...]

EPDM stands for ethylene propylene diene monomer. It’s a synthetic rubber that has quickly gained traction in breweries for use in transfer hoses. EPDM has superior chemical, ozone/UV and temperature resistance. It offers substantial elastic properties, making it extremely durable and giving it a high degree of abrasion and tear resistance. EPDM rubber material is known to have better durability and physical [...]

Sanitation is critical in any food and beverage facility. It is not only important for public safety and the quality of the products – it’s the law. The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), a large piece of legislation passed in 2011, put in place strict requirements for the food and beverage industry focusing on the prevention of foodborne [...]

At Union Jack, we are committed to providing the best and highest quality product options for all levels of FDA / Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) compliance and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) implementation. Ultra Safe Technology (UST) is Vikan’s latest initiative to create the most secure, safe and hygienic cleaning tools for the food and beverage industry. [...]

We know that brewing is a labor of love… and that 90% of your work is cleaning. We’ve developed four Brew Kits, exclusive to Union Jack, just for you! Based on core products used by brewers for cleaning and material handling needs, our kits help make your job easier and keep your brewhouse and beer clean. Union Jack chooses [...]

The Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA) of 2011 (pronounced “fiz-muh”) requires that breweries, wineries, cideries and distilleries follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) to keep consumers safe. This may seem like a daunting task for breweries that are just getting started or have a small staff. The regs were originally designed for food manufacturers until the FDA deemed beer “food” [...]