The CRC GREENLIGHT programme has made compliance and auditing simple for food manufacturers – and certainly that is the case with a cannery on the outskirts of Adelaide in South Australia.
“As a food manufacturer, food grade lubricants are essential for the maintenance of machinery at the plant and the CRC GREENLIGHT programme has made this very easy for the customer to manage,” says BSC Wingfield Sales Representative Robert Harris. “CRC came up with a ground-breaking programme that makes all their food grade lubricants distinguishable from non-food grade products and this, in turn, has simplified audits.”
According to Robert, auditors look for information on the products and packaging themselves and are familiar with the CRC GREENLIGHT programme and range.
“The GREENLIGHT programme is very smart and simple to use – GREENLIGHT refers to a traffic light and as such all the food grade products are green and good to go” explains Robert. “Auditors are familiar with the CRC GREENLIGHT programme too and so if they see these are being used at the plant during an audit, it will tend to fasten the auditing process as they trust that all the green food grade products have been quality controlled and checked by CRC.”
Moreover, the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and other pertinent product information is available on the CRC packaging.
“You simply scan the QR code on the side of the can and all that information becomes available from the website but additionally the same advice is on the inside of the peel off label,” says Robert. “The cans themselves also stand out quite readily as food grade – they’ve been designed that way. CRC have just simplified the entire process for the customer from the get-go.”
Other key safety features include the Perma-Lock™ feature on all the CRC food grade products. This ensures nozzles and straws on the products are secured in place.
“Some of the sprays need a longer straw to get into certain machinery, so CRC have designed these and all the nozzles to be locked in place permanently,” says Robert. “This means none of these parts can fall into any food that’s being processed.”
CRC National Business Development Manager, Peter Oudomvilay, says food manufacturers and processors are under increased scrutiny when it comes to food safety.
“The CRC GREENLIGHT program makes identification of compliant products easy and ensures proper product usage through detailed training and extensive documentation,” he explains. “This system will not only aim to reduce cost, inventory duplication and invoicing but will also maximise regulatory compliance. Other safety measures include aerosol labels with QR codes and printed SDS information as well as cap and nozzle materials which are designed to be picked up by x ray and visual systems if dislodged during food production and on processing lines.”
The CRC GREENLIGHT program involves the following steps:
• Inventory assessment on site for compatibility to applications and environment
• Identification, offering of CRC range of NSF H1 compliant maintenance products
• Visual food safety identification program through wall/ cupboard signage, posters, printed materials and storage cabinet for food grade lubricants/ chemicals only
• Onsite staff training on the risk reduction program
• Ongoing updates to ensure customers remain at the highest level of regulatory compliance
Robert works closely with his cannery client to ensure they are kept in supply with a variety of CRC food grade products, such as penetrating oil, multipurpose grease, silicone spray, chain lube and cleaners. Besides providing the food grade lubricant range, he also keeps the cannery in stock with other parts and services.
“It’s a personal relationship that that I’ve formed with the management over the years, and we have immense respect for each other – importantly, the maintenance manager at the cannery has confidence in the products and service I provide,” he concludes.
