F A C T O R Y www.foodtechnology.co.nz 41 TOUGH, EASY CLEAN, FOOD-FRIENDLY FLOORS Sika is a global specialist in food-friendly, hard wearing, hygienic, easy-clean flooring systems that can be formulated to resist everything from lactic acid to heavy forklift traffic. For more information on the best flooring system for your food production or processing areas, contact Sika on 0800 745 269 Scan for more info and Data Sheets www.sika.co.nz Sika 1356 SURFACING NEWS Quartz – one of the most abundant minerals on the Earth’s crust and found on every continent of the globe – is making waves in the food industry as an upcoming Food Zone Certified engineered quartz ideal for food manufacturing and preparation areas. Quartz is now competing with granite products, due to engineered (or man-made) quartz requiring less maintenance, having a colour and texture more consistent than natural stone, and binding agents that allow some flexibility in handling and fabrication. It is more resistant to mould and mildew, is more hygienic than traditional stone, and is made of crushed stone bound together by a polymer resin. Chinese food manufacturers, in particular, are very keen on engineering quartz surfacing, with China being the largest producer of the product in the world, boasting more than 100 companies in the industry. However, most producers work on a contractual basis for companies competing with original and dominant quartz suppliers Breton SPA, and the quality is not as good. These companies are not being regulated for the chemicals used in their resins, with most containing harmful volatile organic compounds like Benzene, Toluene and Styrene…all of which are considered carcinogenic and extremely harmful to humans. Most of China’s engineered quartz producers are getting their products certified by the NSF Food Equipment Certification Programme as Splash Zone safe, which is allowing products to appear safe for kitchens and food contact areas without being tested for their chemical makeup.
FT-Jul17-eMag-1
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