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Birko Blog

As a leader in food safety, Birko is at the forefront of industry research and trends. Fighting resident foodborne pathogens, developing plant sanitation solutions, sanitary design of custom equipment, and precision chemical blending. In this space, our experts share their insights on these and other timely topics.

September 14, 2018

Three Ways Sanitation Automation Benefits Fresh Cut & Produce Processors

Automation is revolutionizing many industries. Technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace while food manufacturers look to invest in innovations that give them an edge and help mitigate the rapidly rising labor costs. In fresh-cut and produce processing, a significant opportunity exists for plants to implement equipment that automates sanitation processes. Why pursue this type of automation? At Birko, we see several distinct reasons for considering ways to use sanitation automation to your advantage.

Article by Bob Ogren

August 23, 2018

A Great American Beer Festival Judge’s Take on Hazy Juicy Beers

The Brewers Association has added three new beer categories at the 2018 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) next month. The styles are: Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale (131 entries) Juicy or Hazy IPA (414 entries) Juicy or Hazy Double IPA (161 entries) There is good reason to include these beers in the GABF competition. Hazy Juicy beers have become wildly popular, and these new styles have the most 2018 GABF entries, 706 to be exact. What does this mean for those of us who judge at the GABF? I think it means there will likely be varying opinions on which… Read More

Article by Dana Johnson

August 8, 2018

Key Food Safety Takeaways from United Fresh 2018

If you were unable to attend this year’s United Fresh Expo, you missed some great opportunities to network, learn about trends, hear from experts and discover innovations for fresh cut and produce processing. Birko had the privilege of sponsoring the Food Safety & Technology meeting at the 2018 event in Chicago. Dr. Elis Owens and I also attended the meeting, and there are a few interesting and important takeaways we wanted to pass along to you.

Article by Miles Murphy

July 17, 2018

Birko Celebrates Its 65th Year in Business As a Family-Owned Company

According to Forbes, family-owned businesses generate roughly 50% of our gross national product, and only 13% only make it through their third generation. As Birko celebrates its 65-year anniversary today, we beat these odds and continue to thrive. My grandparents, Ward and Florence Smith, built this company in their garage, blending cleaning chemicals to address their customers’ pain points. They formulated chemistry specifically to handle the most challenging cleaning environment possible: beef slaughter facilities. Today, we have over 400 formulations that support many environments such as produce, brewery and all proteins. Through our keen understanding of companies’ food safety needs, we’ve… Read More

Article by Kelly Green

July 11, 2018

Contract Sanitation: Do You Always Get What You Pay For?

Finding the right people to fill sanitation roles can be challenging. You’ve got to hire employees who are willing to work third shift, and the work can be tedious, yet you need experienced sanitarians who understand proper food safety procedures. The tight labor market isn’t making the task of maintaining an in-house sanitation team any easier. It’s no surprise that many small-to mid-sized operations have no choice but to seek out contract labor for plant sanitation. Something we recommend you avoid, however, is the tactic of bundling your labor and sanitation chemistry under one contract with a single company. Here’s… Read More

Article by Dave Premo