By Akis Anargyrou

Ultra-hygienic food processing facilities have gained notoriety in Europe, and in recent years, has started to gain popularity in the U.S.

As competition has grown, with more and more innovative products and prices, there is a need for the industry to reinvent itself not only to supply abundance for population, but quality and safety as well. Also, together with the food industry’s growth, food-borne diseases affect millions of Americans every year — and until recently, outdated safety regulations were part of the problem. Recently, authorities have reacted becoming more and more demanding with continuously growing strict regulatory laws and inspection procedures.

New Stricter Sanitary Regulations
Preventable, food-borne diseases affect millions of Americans every year — and until recently, outdated safety regulations were part of the problem. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) of 2011 was the most sweeping reform of our food safety laws in more than 70 years. New regulations focus on preventing food-related health issues through frequent monitoring, higher safety standards, and strict quality controls.  A clean, hygienic environment is a crucial element of food safety.

USDA and FDA Cooperation Agreement For Regulation And Inspection
In 2018 USDA and FDA signed a formal agreement to improve and add efforts in the regulation, inspection and control of food safety. As outlined in USDA Strategic Goal 7 (USDA FY2018-2022 Strategic Plan), food safety is a priority at the Department. No fewer than six USDA agencies work to protect the public from the dangers of pathogens that may cause illness.

HB: The All-In-One Seamless Plant
Hygienic Builders (HB) is the merge of three of the best in business partner companies with over 100 years of combined experience in complementary fields of hygienic food plant construction integrated seamlessly from ceilings-to-drains forming the next generation of food plants.

Our choice for hygiene, performance and durability allows our clients to focus on what is most vital to their business: produce safely and continuously.

The Food & Beverage building premises` challenge
Food & Beverage processing facilities are among the most challenging, harsh and unrelenting environments – especially when it comes to the building installations and premises such as Floors, Walls, Ceilings and Drains. Most construction materials just cannot stand up to the abuse of:

• Spills of liquids and solids including sugars, hot oils, blood, grease, acids as well as other aggressive liquids, solids and bacterial attacks.
• Heavy equipment and mechanical operations, abrasion and impact from machinery and tools. 

Nor can most construction materials withstand the vigorous cleaning regimens that require acidic cleaners, strong and corrosive disinfecting solutions and extremely hot water, among other harsh, but necessary cleaning processes.

These facilities need to be strong and durable to withstand the many extreme challenges in these facilities over the long term and be installed and serviced quickly with minimal or no disruption of activities and regular cleaning and sanitization regimens.

It’s critical to get the right systems installed correctly, the first time, on time and on budget - with minimum or no downtime and disruption to people and processes. These floors, drains, walls and ceilings need to be seamless, impervious/non-porous and extremely easy to clean resulting in an environment that is hygienic, safe and provides a comfortable and productive workplace.

Exclusive Solutions for the Food & Beverage Industry
All HB high performance Wall, Ceiling, Floor and Drain systems, are tested and meet or exceed ISO 22000 standards; FDA, USDA, ISEGAmbH requirements, and are NSF registered.

Our founded knowledge base and integrated workflow from ceilings-to-drains is the result of decades of experience. Whatever your challenges may be - chemical attack, thermal shock, abrasion, mechanical and impact abuses – HB will work with you in the greatest of detail to specify and install you seamless ceiling -to-drain system that will outlast and outperform any other in the industry.

The HB Difference
No one makes it easier to select, specify and install high performance Walls, Ceilings, Floors and Drain systems than HB. With HB’s cutting-edge technologies, minimum downtime installations and the unparalleled expertise and experience of our world class project engineers and installation crews, deliver a new experience, level of service, commitment and solutions for every new or retrofit project.

System Installations
No matter the size of your project, or the aggressiveness of your environment, HB has the right systems and setups available and will tailor a customized solution each time.

Every HB project is designed and installed with care and excellence to provide maximum strength, durability and hygiene in the harshest abusive and relentless activity of Food & Beverage environments.

To maximize, investment, performance and time, our systems are available in four types. Ultra-Duty, Heavy-Duty, Medium-Duty and Light-Duty and will be combined as needed.

HB SOLUTIONS

Shield it: FRP Hygienic Walls, curbs & ceilings
Shield It has been in the Pharmaceutical, Food and Beverage construction market for nearly half a century. With a proprietary technology, FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastics) Curbs, Walls, Ceilings, Doors and Windows has been providing extremely hygienic pharmaceutical, food processing and cold storage facilities.

Shield It’s HC Weld Sealant System creates a permanent continuous seal resistant to harsh washdowns without any deterioration.

With a unique modular curb, integrates walls to floors protecting the FRP panels from damages from forklifts and hand trucks.

Shield It Seamless Hygienic System bonds surfaces together in a smooth, safe, reliable, long-lasting virtually maintenance free result.

Quantum Americas: 100% Reactive Resinous Hygienic Floors
Manufacturer and installer of floors and lining systems. Over the past three decades, Quantum has evolved into a world class supplier of high-end performance resinous floors focused on the most demanding food processing environments.

Formulating, manufacturing, and installing our systems with own crews around the globe, Quantum stands behind every detail on each project with a single source warranty.

No matter what your floor situation and challenges may be, Quantum’s customized and tailored solutions will provide the answers you need.  Quantum systems offer maximum performance, extensive design and aesthetic options, fast cure-times and incredible durability.

Whatever your challenges may be - chemical attack, thermal shock, abrasion, mechanical and impact abuses - Quantum Floor Systems will work with you in the greatest of detail to specify and install a floor solution that will outlast and outperform other types of systems. Quantum Floor Systems are made to last.

New or overnight retrofit projects; cold, wet or highly humid areas... solving the most complex and demanding flooring challenges in food processing facilities is our niche.

ATT: Hygienic Inox Drains 
ATT is within the world leading manufacturers of sanitary stainless-steel drainage systems.  

Made of German stainless steel, ATT’s drain and trench product line of corrosion resistant heavy duty to light pedestrian traffic can be customized to provide a precise solution for every project.

Seamless, no welds, with a steep channel design allow maximum water and multiple size waste flow, easy to clean and disinfect. A broad array of waste basket sizes and flow ability assure waste does not clog your draining systems.

Design, shape, and corrosion resistance, special bonding into concrete slab for expansion and contraction, and a revolutionary edging design for perfect intersection with Quantum’s floor overlays. ATT’s drains deliver the highest levels of strength and hygiene, surpassing drainage industry regulations.

Single Source Warranty
There are no distributors, dealers or independent agents. Our clients always work directly with HB and our stellar team – one-on-one and you are always covered by our One Source Warranty.

There is a reason why 100% of our customers are repeat buyers.  From our products, processes and people, to meeting your unique and most challenging construction needs, HB has you covered.

Akis Anargyrou is the Technical Sales Engineer at Hygienic Builders. For more information, visit www.HygienicBuilders.com or call 800-916 5889