Allpax Retort Monitoring and Control Solutions Ensure Compliance with Food Safety Modernization Act

Covington, LA - Allpax Products, a division of ProMach and a market leader in retort technology and retort room automation, introduced today a program for ensuring that retort rooms meet the quality and reporting mandates specified under the Food Safety Modernization Act, which was passed by Congress on January 4.

Under this new Allpax program, experienced field technicians will evaluate, free of charge, retort room controls and record keeping and provide recommendations on what steps, if any, are needed to bring the retort operation into compliance with the modernization act. Allpax is focusing a great deal of this effort on older canneries that utilize vertical saturated steam and water immersion retorts and on operations that import foodstuffs.

"Older canneries and importers are at highest risk of not having the control and monitoring capabilities essential for assuring retort room compliance," said Greg Jacob, vice president and general manager of Allpax. "The act emphasizes prevention, holding control, and record keeping to the highest standard in the country's history. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, for manual control, clipboard records, and last generation black box controllers to measure up to the new tougher standards."

The modernization act expands FDA access to records in a food emergency, requires all facilities to have in place prevention plans to address identified hazards and adulteration, increases the number of FDA inspections, and gives the agency the power to order mandatory recalls. Furthermore, the act empowers the FDA to suspend a food facility's registration if there is a reasonable probability that food from the facility will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.

Allpax offers a range of solutions, giving customers the flexibility to apply the solution or solutions most needed to meet mandate requirements. These include:

• Allpax Monitor is the cornerstone of the Allpax process data storage system. It provides a secure, easy-to-use interface for qualified plant personnel to design processes as well as call up a wide range of process records for review and analysis. Both basic and detailed records are available at any time through the mature, intuitive interface designed by Allpax software engineers.
• Allpax Challenger provides an automated test cycle process that challenges and documents that each critical alarm is functioning. It can be used by quality control personnel to assure that all processing systems are functioning properly, and also by maintenance personnel to test a machine after repairs are made before returning it to normal production.
• Allpax AllCheck provides a comprehensive system validation documentation package that addresses critical control points in the design, manufacture, installation, and operation of a retort control system. The AllCheck Validation is designed around the standards and protocols outlined in the NFPA Bulletin 43L.
• Allpax Maintainer provides a complete overview as well as detail views of all functional parts of the processing system, allowing plant personnel to observe when regular system attention is required. Maintainer prompts for preventative checks of critical parts while providing helpful visual feedback for maintenance personnel, assuring that the system is functioning efficiently.

Jacob said that one of the positive unintended consequences of modernizing retort control and monitoring systems is that older canneries will improve productivity, lower waste, and in general extend the operational life of the retort room.

"Allpax has always worked hand-in-hand with regulatory agencies like the FDA to make sure our customers have access to retort room solutions that comply with all the latest rules regarding processing safety and security," Jacob said. "Our solutions provide the peace of mind that comes with an efficient, compliant system."

For information on Allpax's FDA compliant control and monitoring solutions, R&D retorts, automation, refurbished retorts, and products and services for older canneries relying on vertical retorts, call 1-888-893-9277 and visit www.Allpax.com.