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Scores on Doors

You may have read or heard about the SCORES ON DOORS scheme which will see all food establishments display a rating of between zero and five for food hygiene, which should preferably be shown on the front door.

Outlets will be assessed on a wide range of criteria such as food preparation, cooking, reheating, cooling and storage, as well as effective pest control, waste disposal and whether employees are suitably supervised, instructed or trained in food hygiene.

The range of products we manufacture, along with leaflets, wallcharts and the technical advice we offer, will all contribute to the food outlet working towards a top rating.

We are sure the food establishments near you are aware of the scheme but, if not, it may be a good idea to remind them.

Herewith are details issued by the Food Standards Agency, to give you a guide to hygiene standards in your favourite restaurants, takeaways and food shops.

Eating out? Getting food in? Check the food hygiene rating.
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme helps make it easier for you to choose a place with good hygiene when you’re eating out or shopping for food. The food hygiene rating tells you about the hygiene standards in restaurants, pubs, cafes, takeaways, hotels and other places you eat out, as well as in supermarkets and other food shops.

The scheme is run by local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in partnership with the Food Standards Agency.

Spotting good food hygiene
When you eat out or shop for food, look out for a sticker in the window or on the door, or a certificate on display, showing the food hygiene rating for that business. Businesses are encouraged to display these stickers and certificates at their premises in places where you can easily see them when you visit.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is new. This means that not all food businesses will have a hygiene rating yet. If the food outlet you want to visit isn’t displaying a sticker or certificate, you can speak to staff about the business’s rating.

You can also look up food hygiene ratings online at food.gov.uk/ratings

About hygiene ratings
Each business is given a hygiene rating when it is inspected by a food safety officer from the business’s local authority. The hygiene rating tells you the standards of hygiene found at the time of the inspection.

A business is given one of six ratings. These are on a scale from ‘0’ at the bottom, which means that urgent improvement is necessary, to ‘5’ at the top, which means that the business was found to have ‘very good’ hygiene standards. Any business should be able to reach this top rating.

The food hygiene rating is not a guide to food quality.

What’s inspected?
The food safety officer inspecting a business checks how well the business is meeting the law on food hygiene by looking at:
•    how hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, cooled and stored
•    the condition of the structure of the buildings, including cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation, equipment and other facilities
•    how the business manages and records what it does to make sure food is safe
The food safety officer will explain to the person who owns or manages the business if there are any improvements needed, what they are and how they can achieve a higher rating.

Dalek visits the Dairy Event

A Dalek was on display on the Evans Vanodine stand at the Dairy Event and Livestock Show (6/7th September). The Dalek, which was said to be Evans’ version of the latest robotic milking machine, raised money for Comic Relief.

Evans Vanodine Golf Team Win

Much to their surprise the Evans Vanodine golf team won the Rotary golf competition at Garstang Golf Club!

Evans Vanodine win Manufacturer of the Year Award at the BIBAS!

Evans Vanodine were very honoured to receive the ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ award at this year’s ‘Be Inspired Business Awards’ (BIBA), especially after they saw the quality of the competition for this year’s award. The award was gratefully received by Peter Evans and Stephen Jones at the BIBA Awards Ceremony which took place on the 10th June at Blackpool’s world famous Tower Ballroom. They received the award on behalf of all the staff at Evans Vanodine, who have worked so hard to help the company achieve this award.

Evans Vanodine were lucky enough to be nominated in no less than 3 categories namely ‘Manufacturer of the Year’, ‘Exporter of the Year’ and ‘Business of the Year’. .

The BIBA’s are hailed as ‘the award they all want to win’ and the “BIBA’s 2011” is the most ambitious business awards programme of its kind in the North West. This year the awards attracted an exceptional 1079 entries from some of Lancashire’s top performing companies.

Aquaculture Disinfectant Listing Scheme

Aquaculture Disinfectant Listing Scheme - Product Listings

Evans Vanodine International plc is the first company to have products listed on the Aquaculture Disinfectant Listing Scheme.

The list is operated on behalf of Defra by the Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas). It is also supported by Marine Scotland Science and Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Northern Ireland (AFBINI).

FAM 30 and VANOQUAT NEW FORMULATION are listed as effective against bacterial diseases of relevance to aquaculture.

The tests to confirm this effectiveness (EN 1656 Modified) were carried out in our UKAS Accredited Microbiology Laboratory. Test reports were submitted to CEFAS for assessment before listing was granted.

The list is publicly available (www.efishbusiness.co.uk/disinfectant-listing/disinfectant-listing-scheme-list.asp) and can be used by aquaculture and related industries to aid selection of effective disinfectants.

British Mastitis Conference October 2010

BRITISH MASTITIS CONFERENCE OCTOBER 2010

Evans Vanodine sponsored the British Mastitis Conference for the first time this year. This annual conference brings together experts in the field of mastitis, veterinary practitioners, dairy consultants, producers and farmers to discuss progress and future trends in mastitis control.

This year’s conference with over a hundred attendees was split in to three main areas of interest: Controlling Somatic Cell Counts; Research Updates; and Milking Management.

The first session started with a 30 year progress report emphasising the major influences ; the EU’s Dairy Policy in 1984 implementing milk quotas; the dissolution of the Milk Marketing Board in 1994 allowing farmers to sell their milk directly; technical advances resulting in more automated equipment and the changes during this period to herd sizes (increasing from 51 cows per herd in 1980 to 114 in 2008), milk yield (4,670 litres per cow in 1980 to 7,400 litres in 2008) and somatic cell counts (469,000 per ml in 1980 to 197,000 per ml in 2008).

The next three sessions gave updates on progress made with the DairyCo Mastitis Control Plan from the perspective of the plan organiser, a veterinary practitioner and a farmer.

The research updates covered Streptococcus uberis and the search for an effective treatment; PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) technology for identifying mastitis pathogens in milk; preliminary results of the National Mastitis Survey were presented with interesting figures for percentage farms teat dipping (49%) and teat spraying (46%).

The final session started with a paper on teat disinfectants, an overview of active ingredients and emollients, activity against mastitis pathogens and legislation; continued with a paper on ventilation and its impact on mastitis control; and finished with a paper looking at the role of the milking machine in mastitis. This paper gave some very useful practical advice on what to look for in the dairy and housing when trying to resolve problems on farm.

There was a very lively question and answer session at the end of each session and a number of very interesting poster presentations including a paper evaluating the bacterial count in a liner before and after spraying with peracetic acid and the comparison of a teat care product containing lactic acid bacteria with a conventional iodine teat dip.

For copies of the proceedings see www.britishmastitisconference.org.uk

Cosmetic Products Regulations

COSMETIC PRODUCTS (SAFETY) REGULATIONS

The manufacture and supply of Cosmetic Products are regulated in UK under Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations. The most obvious indicator of compliance is that the ingredients have to be shown on the label according to the correct nomenclature and listed in descending order of inclusion level. However, few people appreciate all the other implications.

WHICH PRODUCTS ARE INVOLVED IN THE REGULATIONS?

Any product which is intended to be placed in contact with external parts of the human body such as skin, hair, nails and lips.

WHICH EVANS PRODUCTS ARE INVOLVED?

All handcare products including Trigon, Pink Pearl, Peach Fresh, Ocean Blue, Luxury White, Citrus Foam and Citrand.

APART FROM LABELLING THE PRODUCTS CORRECTLY, WHAT ELSE DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO COMPLY?

The requirements imposed in meeting the regulations are far-reaching. From a manufacturing standpoint, one of the most demanding is to ensure all our cosmetic products meet the microbiological requirements specified in the regulations.

WHAT DOES THAT INVOLVE?

This requires that the manufacturer must have in place a comprehensive approach to plant and process hygiene and a system of quality control that assures the microbiological quality of the following:-

Deionised water used in manufacture.

All raw materials capable of supporting microbial growth.

Samples of the finished product from the manufacturing vessel for every batch and every pack size.

WHAT SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED TO ACHIEVE THIS?

Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for sampling, testing and cleaning/disinfection of equipment describe all procedures in detail and are used by manufacturing and filling operatives, and laboratory staff.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH ALL THE FINISHED PRODUCT PACKS TAKEN?

We are required to retain them for the length of shelf life of the product. These samples are inspected in a rolling performance on a monthly basis to look for any changes in physical characteristics that might indicate deterioration, either chemical or microbiological. Any such instances would be subject to in depth investigation.

DO YOU CLEAN AND DISINFECT THE MANUFACTURING VESSELS BEFORE PRODUCTION?

Yes, there are SOP’s for cleaning and disinfecting the manufacturing vessels, the recirculation pumps, transfer lines and tanks, filling lines and all equipment involved in production.

Regular deep cleaning procedures are also carried out to reduce the risk of biofilm build up on equipment and surfaces.

DO YOU TEST THE SURROUNDING AREAS OF THE FILLING LINE AND THE LANCES?

Yes. Periodically we take swabs from filling line surfaces and lances. The results of these tests are recorded graphically to help identify trends and enable a quick response to any adverse signs.

DO YOU CARRY OUT AUDITS ON YOUR PLANT?

Yes. An audit programme is in place covering every aspect of the manufacture, filling and testing of cosmetic products.

DOES STAFF TRAINING OCCUR WITH RELATION TO THE REGULATIONS?

Yes. The regulations require that employees engaged in activities related to production and testing of Cosmetic Products receive appropriate training and we consider this a very important feature of our approach to meeting our obligations. Regular training sessions are carried out to update operatives on the regulations, results of audits, hygiene checks and contamination test results.

WHAT CAN YOU CLAIM AFTER CARRYING OUT ALL THESE PROCEDURES?

All the cosmetic products we manufacture are produced in accordance with requirements of the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations.

DO ALL COMPANIES CARRY OUT SIMILAR PROCEDURES?

Any company that manufactures cosmetic products must comply with the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations and must therefore have similar systems in place.

NDM-1

You may all have read in the national press about a new “superbug” commonly known as NDM-1. We are aware of this superbug and herewith a brief explanation of our recommendations.

NDM-1 (New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1) refers to an enzyme produced by bacteria such as E.coli or Klebsiella pneumonia, which makes the bacteria resistant to Carbapenems (antibiotics effective against other resistant bacteria). This resistance can be passed from one bacterial strain to another, making antibiotics largely ineffective except for polymyxins and less consistently tigecycline

For short it is an enzyme that can live inside different bacteria and will be resistant to certain antibiotics

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) have been monitoring Carbapenem resistance in ESBL (Extended Spectrum b Lactamase) bacteria for a number of years. In the last two years an increase in NDM-1 strains has been noted although at the present time (August 2010) there have been less than 100 reported cases. Alerts have been issued by the HPA to advise doctors to look out for these infections. The most recent alert gave exposure to healthcare systems in India and Pakistan as major risk factors.

We will not be able to test NDM-1 strain until they become available at the National Collection. Given the small amount of infections and associated risks it is unlikely we will have access to them in the near future. A number of Evans Vanodine disinfectants have been successfully tested against E.coli ESBL and found to be active at the following dilution rates: Safezone 1:10, Vanoquat ‘New Formulation’ 1:100, Handsan undiluted.

For the time being normal infection control practices are recommended, for example disinfecting equipment, surfaces and most importantly good hand hygiene including washing with soap and water and after drying, disinfecting with Handsan alcohol hand rub especially when dealing with susceptible individuals.

Chemicals North West International Trade Award

‘Evans Vanodine are proud to announce that they were recently awarded the ‘Chemicals North West International Trade Award’ for 2010

The award is in recognition of Evans continued high performance in over 60 export markets with its range of Janitorial hygiene and Animal Health chemical products. The award is most welcome since it is a dedicated chemical industry recognition of Evans as a major player, in a market which houses such giants as ICI, Shell and other multi-nationals also from the north West of England.

Once more Evans are hitting above their weight despite the challenges of international competition, wildly varying raw material costs and exchange rates.

International division manager, Peter Thompson commented,,”it is an honour to receive this award and is a tribute to the hard work and commitment of the company to international business development. It also demonstrates that Evans products meet the customers needs on a truly international basis”.

www.evansvanodine.co.uk/images/documents/DSCN0819.jpg

Tomorrows Cleaning

We had the privilige of a vist from Charlotte Taylor the Editor, and Mark Hanson of the popular on line magazine Tomorrows Cleaning. Charlotte and Mark spoke with many of our staff in the works, warehouse and laboratories as well as the Directors of the company and have produced an interesting story which you can read by clicking onto the Thank Evans article.

International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation Society Conference (IBBS)

Evans Vanodine sponsored the International Biodeterioration and Bidegradation Society Disinfection and Decontamination Conference on the 28 and 29 September at the University of Central Lancashire.

This important conference had experts in the field of disinfection from the UK, France and Germany talking about disinfection for many different applications. Research on recovery of bacteria from surfaces, Electronic Nose Technology and biofilms was presented. Results of practical experience on laundry disinfection, hospital surface disinfection, decontamination of houses following possible contamination with anthrax spores and decontamination of spacecraft were also discussed. Efficacy requirements for Biocidal Product Authorisations, guideline development and standard test methods were considered. Click here for a copy of the 2 day programme.

Our Chief Microbiologist Valerie Fotheringham presented a paper on veterinary disinfection. Valerie is the convenor of European Committee CEN TC/216 Working Group 2 Veterinary Disinfectants and Antiseptics and presented a paper comparing laboratory standard disinfectant test methods with results from practical trials and clinical experience. The abstract can be seen below. A full copy of the powerpoint presentation is available on request.

Veterinary Disinfection - testing and practical application

V J C Fotheringham

The Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR) requires the authorisation of disinfectants used in the veterinary area. Efficacy claims have to be supported and therefore suitable tests are required to provide assurance that products will be effective under practical conditions of use. EN standard methods for testing the activity of disinfectants used in the veterinary area have been published and are gaining acceptance as suitable methods for supporting efficacy claims. Bactericidal, fungicidal, mycobactericidal and virucidal test standards are published and work continues on the development of sporicidal test methods and surface test methods. In the United Kingdom disinfectants used in the veterinary area have been regulated for many years under the Animal Health Act and are listed as approved disinfectants for use against notifiable diseases. Products are required to pass laboratory tests against the causal agents of the disease to obtain DEFRA listing. This listing is accepted in many countries as proof of activity. These methods and the EN standard methods are designed to test products under conditions that influence the action of disinfectants in practical use. The suitability of the test conditions and the usefulness of the laboratory tests to support efficacy claims in the veterinary area is demonstrated by field tests, data from outbreaks of notifiable diseases and disease surveillance schemes.

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