A year and a half ago we recognized that although most of our core markets knew who Birko was, they didn’t necessarily know the breadth of our capabilities. In fact, when we would trot out the statistics from a national publication that rated sanitation chemical companies and Birko was ranked in the top third immediately behind a couple of multi-billion dollar companies, we received one of two responses: “Of course, we knew that,” or, “I didn’t know you were so good at sanitation.” Opposite ends of the spectrum.

This helped us recognize that we needed to tell the greater world about the Birko story. To accomplish this, we went through a very exhaustive search for the right firm that would be committed to Birko and help us to properly communicate this message. We recognized that Birko’s employees are phenomenal at assisting our customers in optimizing their food safety and chemical use, but we are not specialists at marketing. Therefore, Birko needed a partner that could help us communicate the huge benefits our employees and chemistry bring to our customers each day. This could only happen through a collaborative partnership. In the end, we chose The Creative Alliance out of Boulder.

I must confess that each company we interviewed had wonderful PowerPoint presentations and video clips as well as a very long list of successful clients. Each one eloquently discussed how they would be “our partner.” Yet only one company convinced us that they would truly be our partner and always have Birko’s best interest at heart.
As a result, a year and a half later after significant effort, long hours and many, many meetings and sessions, the efforts The Creative Alliance have put into marketing Birko in the right way are evidenced in the fact that they won the Gold Medal (top honors) at the BMA.

This is a true partnership – Thanks Bob, Jenny and the entire TCA team!

“These updated MSDS are a reliable source of information on chemicals from a global perspective,” said Ramsey Johnson, a research and development lab technician with Birko. “Under the GHS guidelines, they include details on health and environmental hazards of chemicals and also create a categorization system for toxicity and environmental impact.”

For example, “Birko’s chemicals are not toxic and fall in the 4-5 acute toxicity range,” Johnson said. Substances and mixtures are assigned to categories 1-5 based on LD50 (oral, dermal) or LC50 (inhalation). Category ranges are also given for other health hazards, such as skin corrosion, eye effects, mutagens, carcinogens, target organ systemic toxicity (TOST), and aspiration. Environmental impact also falls under a category system. Acute 1-3 and Chronic 1-4 Aquatic Toxicity categories are based on LC50 (fish), EC50 (crustacean), or ErC50 (for algae or other aquatic plants).

The new SDS have 16 sections, including recommended use, transportation information, the percentage composition of hazardous ingredients, and a list of appropriate PPE material types. These 16 sections are outlined specifically to create consistency among SDS.

Birko has completed revising its MSDS ahead of OSHA’s 2016 deadline. OSHA also mandates training for the changes in the SDS by Dec. 1, 2013.

About Birko
Birko is a leading provider of food safety solutions to the protein processing, food and beverage industries. The company’s combination of concentrated chemical formulations, state-of-the-art equipment and custom IT solutions are part of The Birko Advantage, a revolution in food safety. The Birko Advantage delivers world class processing solutions for a more efficient, economical and safer food plant operation. Founded in 1953, Birko is a WBENC Certified Women’s Business Enterprise and was awarded Supplier of the Century by the National Meat Association. birkocorp.com

The batch before my latest one was almost a complete disaster. I had a lot of foaming during fermentation and lost a lot of beer on a very expensive batch of barleywine. I knew I needed to do something different on my next batch.

Patco 376

I decided to take home a couple ounces of Patco 376, a canola oil-based antifoam. It is also a good kettle defoamer, so I added a few drops before the boil was reached. It did an excellent job of keeping the foam down during the boil. After the boil, while the wort was still hot, I added a few more drops to see if it would help keep the foam down during fermentation later on. Long story made short, it worked like a charm! Not only did it keep the foam down during fermentation, but the foam that did occur didn’t even make its way up to the dome of the glass carboy. That had never happened in over 100 batches of beer!

My latest batch with Patco 376 added has been bottle-conditioning for a couple of weeks and I just put one in the fridge. I plan to sample it this weekend to see how it tastes, but I know from all of my customers who have used Patco 376 religiously for years that it does not negatively affect flavor or head retention. I can’t wait to try it.

Don’t believe me? They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are two thousand words’ worth. The first picture is my fermenter of barleywine without using Patco 376, and a picture of my latest batch of very malty brown ale called “What The Fuggles?” with the Patco 376 added. Viva la difference!

Bottomline: I plan to use Patco 376 in every batch of beer I make from here on out!

Batch Without Using Patco 376

Batch Using Patco 376

Birko’s entryway foamer has a high CV, or flow coefficient value, which provides more air to create thicker, longer-lasting foam. A programmable logic controller with a real-time clock and adjustable dispense and dwell time settings allows users to foam on schedule for a pre-determined amount of time. The real time clock controls the operating hours so no chemical is wasted if the unit is not turned off at the end of the day.

The stainless steel entryway foamer has been redesigned to be a compact 14” x 12”. It uses 120 VAC electricity plus compressed air and a plant water line.

Entryway foamers help keep E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria and other pathogens from migrating at processing plants, and should be placed in all critical plant entries.

“These fully automatic systems replenish a heavy antibacterial foam as needed throughout the shift. The entryway foamer can be set up as a stand-alone unit or linked in multiple units to a central chemical source,” said Jerry Oates, director of Birko’s equipment division. The new entryway foamer is completely manufactured in the United States by Chad Equipment, LLC, a Birko company, headquartered in Olathe, Kan.

Birko’s entryway foamers use economical Entry Foam® for regular applications or Birko Quadra-Quat™, Ultra Quat™ or Liquik 2CS™ for more serious plant problems.

About Birko
Birko is a leading provider of food safety solutions to the protein processing, food and beverage industries. The company’s combination of concentrated chemical formulations, state-of-the-art equipment and custom IT solutions are part of The Birko Advantage, a revolution in food safety. The Birko Advantage delivers world class processing solutions for a more efficient, economical and safer food plant operation. Founded in 1953, Birko is a WBENC Certified Women’s Business Enterprise and was awarded Supplier of the Century by the National Meat Association. birkocorp.com

In response to these problems, Birko has developed and recommends several procedures to remediate neglected cooler floors and subsequently maintain them in sanitary state.

Remedial cleaning of the hot boxes should be completed before implementing the routine cleaning program. As with any cleaning program, the remedial cleaning should begin with a dry pick up and thorough wash down of the floors with hot water. Some plants have found it advantageous at this point to run a dilute solution of Birko Liquik® Bleach through the spray chill system and on to the cooler floors. The hydrogen peroxide functions to not only clean the spray chill system, but also helps to displace embedded fat and proteins from concrete floors. Next, the walls and floors should be foamed with an EPA-approved biofilm remover and the entire floor scrubbed either by hand or by machine. After scrubbing, all traces of the biofilm remover should be rinsed thoroughly away using potable water. The floors can then be sanitized with a flood application of Birko Quadra Quat® or Ultra-Quat™ applied at 800ppm. Prior to returning the cooler to production, use a lawn fertilizer spreader to apply a coating of Birko Sour™ to the floor and a layer of Pow-Quat™ to the floor in the in-feed and out-feed areas of the hot box.

Following the remedial program, cooler floors should be maintained on a daily and weekly basis. As soon as the cooler bay is empty, pick up all solid debris and wash down the floors using a shielded water broom at a temperature of 140° – 150°F. The use of a water broom is recommended to minimize the potential for aerosol formation that might spread microbial contamination. If desired, the floors can be sanitized with a flood of BIRK-OX™ (peracetic acid) at 200ppm. The application of Pow-Quat™ to the in-feed and out feed areas should be repeated daily, and the application of Birko Sour™ to the floors should be repeated weekly.

Craft brewers produced 1.3 million barrels of beer in 2011, which represents $8.7 billion in sales. (To give you an idea of how much beer that is, a U.S. barrel represents 31 gallons – two 15.5 gallon kegs.)

According to Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, “It is becoming increasingly clear that with the variety of styles and flavors to choose from, Americans are developing a strong taste for high-quality, small-batch beer from independent brewers.” Microbreweries and “nano-breweries,” which make only a few barrels at a time, are on the rise these days as well. Many of these breweries have tasting rooms, where the beer is mostly sold over the bar in 4-oz. “tasters,” 16 oz. “pints,” and 64 oz. “growlers” (1/2 gallon jugs). Unlike brew pubs, which offer food made on site and served restaurant-style, many of these establishments allow food from other restaurants to be delivered to the tasting room so the brewery patrons can enjoy food with their beer. The breweries also sell merchandise, (hats, t-shirts, glassware, etc.) and they make a decent profit on those items as well.

This year, Craft Beer Week will be held May 14-20, 2012. Please support your local brewery! For more information on Craft Beer Week, please visit the following link: http://www.craftbeer.com/pages/news-and-events/american-craft-beer-week

HENDERSON, Colo. — Birko, a leader in providing food safety solutions to the protein processing, food and beverage industries, has announced a guaranteed 20% cost savings through its integrated food safety solution, The Birko Advantage.

The Birko Advantage combines Birko’s expertise in chemistry, equipment and technology to help processors achieve a more efficient, economical and safer food plant operation.

“Through our specialty chemicals for food and beverage processors, state-of-the art harvest and dispensing equipment and integrated IT solutions, The Birko Advantage provides a guaranteed 20% cost savings or we will make up the difference,” said Mark Swanson, Birko’s CEO. “Processors will see an immediate return on investment through chemical cost analysis, automated sanitation practices and more efficient use of existing resources.”

Philip Snellen, Birko’s vice president of sales, said, “There are several ways customers can achieve a guaranteed 20% savings when they take advantage of this program. For example, a customer who is using lactic at the current retail price can save 20% by switching to Beefxide®. Or for those who are using the powdered bromine system, we can guarantee a substantial savings by switching to the Birko BLAST (Bromine Liquid Antimicrobial System Technology).”

Birko’s environmentally safe chemistry includes industrial strength formulations for cleaning, sanitizing and antimicrobial interventions. Its state-of-the-art equipment includes automated chemical dispensing systems, as well as a complete line of USDA-approved harvest and processing equipment through Chad Equipment, LLC, a Birko company.

Birko’s integrated solutions include the Blend-on-Site System (BOSS™), which blends high performance cleaning products on-site from custom concentrates, and BirkoStats™, an online chemical tracking system that monitors usage trends by individual, department or chemical application.

About Birko
Birko is a leading provider of food safety solutions to the protein processing, food and beverage industries. The company’s combination of concentrated chemical formulations, state-of-the-art equipment and custom IT solutions are part of The Birko Advantage, a revolution in food safety. The Birko Advantage delivers world class processing solutions for a more efficient, economical and safer food plant operation. Founded in 1953, Birko is a WBENC Certified Women’s Business Enterprise and was awarded Supplier of the Century by the National Meat Association. birkocorp.com

Today, our environmentally safe chemistry includes industrial strength formulations for cleaning, sanitizing and antimicrobial interventions. Our state-of-the-art equipment includes automated dispensing systems designed to help food processing professionals safely blend and distribute both sanitation and processing chemicals. And now with the addition of Chad, we offer a complete line of USDA-approved harvest and processing equipment for small- to large-volume operations.

On the technology side, our integrated solutions include the Blend-on-Site System, or BOSS™, which blends high performance cleaning products on-site from custom concentrates to solve specific cleaning and sanitation challenges. The BOSS delivers the details to BirkoStats™, our online chemical tracking system. Together, BOSS and BirkoStats provide an immediate return on investment through chemical cost analysis, automated sanitation practices and better resource use.

Our chemistry, equipment and technology comprise a total integrated food safety solution that we call The Birko Advantage. Through our family of over 400 chemicals for sanitation and processing, specialized delivery and harvesting equipment and custom IT solutions, we help our customers meet HACCP and SSOP standards and maximize their return on investment.

We are so confident that The Birko Advantage will deliver world class processing solutions while helping provide a more efficient, economical and safer food plant operation that we guarantee a 20% cost savings, or we will make up the difference.

For example:

• If a customer is using totes and drums for sanitation chemicals, we can guarantee 20% savings by switching to Birko with the BOSS™ Blend-on-Site System.
• If the customer is using lactic at our current retail price (or even the competitor’s product in most cases), we can guarantee a 20% savings by switching to Beefxide®.
• If a customer is using the powdered bromine system, we can guarantee a substantial savings by switching to the Birko BLAST.
• If a customer switches to a recirculating cabinet versus conventional, we can save them 20% on their water use.

We’d be glad to tell you more about The Birko Advantage and the way it’s revolutionizing food safety. Give us a call or e-mail me directly at mswanson@birkocorp.com to learn more. We look forward to helping you increase your bottom line through The Birko Advantage.

BIFSCo and the Beef Safety Summit grew out of the Jack In The Box E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in 1993 and the first Beef Safety Summit was held in 2003. As this year was the 10th annual Beef Safety Summit, there were a number of activities to commemorate this anniversary. This year’s keynote address took the form of a retrospective panel discussion between Dave Theno and Bill Marler. Dave was the food safety consultant who was employed by Jack In the Box to review their beef procurement and cooking procedures in response to the outbreak. Dave pioneered many of the processes that are prevalent in the beef industry today. Bill Marler was the attorney who represented a number of victims of the outbreak in their claims for compensation from Jack In The Box. As you can imagine, this was a very moving reminder of why we do what we do.

Bill provided copies of the book Poisoned by Jeff Benedict, which is a history of the Jack In the Box outbreak. I highly recommend reading it.

At the first Beef Safety Summit, industry representatives were invited to sign a pledge of their commitment to work together to combat E. coli O157:H7. At this year’s meeting there was an opportunity to sign an updated pledge to reaffirm our commitment to the fight against foodborne pathogens. I was honored and privileged to sign the pledge on Birko’s behalf. This message fits well with Birko’s belief that we are “your partner in food safety” and I know that each one of you will assist our customers to the best of your ability in their efforts to live up to this pledge.

Birko sponsors the six-times-a-year section, which is advertised through an e-blast and published in both an online and print version. “Sanitation Tips” is translated into Spanish and targets team members of plant sanitation crews with practical suggestions.

View the latest issue of “Sanitation Tips” here:
http://www.nxtbook.com/sosland/mp/2012_02_01/#/56

With food safety as the highest goal, Birko provides practical help on the most effective plant sanitizing procedures. Birko understands the challenges processors face in meeting HACCP and SSOP standards and provides expertise on optimizing yield, labor, utilities and chemicals to reach required sanitation outcomes.

About Birko
Birko is a leading provider of food safety solutions to the protein processing, food and beverage industries. Birko manufactures concentrated CIP, sanitation, antimicrobial intervention and process chemical formulations. Birko’s equipment division designs and manufactures chemical dispensing systems, antimicrobial mixing and spraying conveyors and carcass washing and pasteurizing equipment. Birko’s information technology includes BirkoStats™, an online chemical usage tracking system. Founded in 1953, Birko is a WBENC Certified Women’s Business Enterprise and was awarded Supplier of the Century by the National Meat Association.