Comark at NRA 2019

Comark at NRA 2019 – Centennial Show

From May 19-21 you will find Comark at NRA 2019, celebrating not only a new range of Bluetooth thermometers and feature-rich food thermometers but also celebrating the National Restaurant Association’s centennial year! If you visit Comark at NRA 2019, at booth 3746, you will be able to see the latest range of hand-held Bluetooth food thermometers, which transmit their temperature data to our Comark Kitchen Checks App, installed on your mobile device or tablet. If you are looking for new ways in which to automate data collection and to avoid human error in the process, then you definitely need to swing by!     For most professionals attending NRA 2019, a food thermometer needs to be used in a specific and controlled manner and the temperature data collected at source. This makes a secure data transmission protocol such as Bluetooth … Read more

Data Loggers

What is a data logger?

Comark have a range of data loggers; compact, electronic instruments that record measurements at set intervals over a fixed or unlimited period. Depending on your requirement, data loggers range from models that can be downloaded after a single trip or more sophisticated wireless devices that can be left in place continuously. Your application will dictate which model you choose as the requirements for measuring a consignment in transport is very different to the continuous monitoring of storage areas in food and healthcare applications. A data logger may be a single unit, stand-alone device with internal sensors that can be downloaded manually, through to high-tech, wireless instruments with internal plus one or more external sensors. The basic explanation is that a data logger is a device with a sensor to measure something and a computer chip to store it prior to … Read more

How to check commercial dishwasher temperatures

Commercial Dishwasher Temperatures

High temperature commercial dishwashers use hot water that has reached a high enough temperature to remove food remnants and bacteria.  The correct commercial dishwasher temperatures mean that table and cookware is by hot water. Kitchen staff spend much of their time documenting food storage and cooking temperatures as part of their HACCP plan.  Measuring water temperatures of your dishwasher cycles is just as important to prove to that the correct safe-guards are in place. In a 2011 germ study conducted by the US based National Sanitation Federation (NSF), it was found that the place in most homes with the highest number of germs wasn’t the bathroom, but the kitchen! Washing hands, proper cleaning, of kitchen work surfaces and following food handling guidelines, are important ways to protect against food-borne illness.  A vital measure is to ensure that dishes and cookware, … Read more

What is HACCP?

How Does HACCP Protect You and Your Food?

What does HACCP mean? How does it safeguard your food? What are the obligations placed on the food industry to ensure compliance?   HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points. Let’s look at this food safety system and see how it works. Set up by the European Union HACCP has been mandatory in the food industry since 2006, HACCP origins date back to the 1960’s space program where it was decided early in the process that maintaining food for prolonged periods of time in space was essential. It was defined as an overview more than ten years before that by the World Health Organisation’s Codex Alimentarius Commission.   The principles behind HACCP are best described as PDCA. Plan, Do, Check Act. A terminology that should be familiar to those familiar with process control. This means that for most businesses … Read more

C12 Thermometer used on MasterChef

Comark’s C12 Thermometer on Celebrity MasterChef

It’s always exciting to see our products being used and this week’s spot was no exception.  One of our eagle-eyed staff members spotted the C12 HACCP Thermometer being used to check meat temperatures on Celebrity MasterChef. This handy thermometer was seen in action at Smith & Wollensky, the iconic American fine dining steakhouse in London, being used to check cooked meat temperatures.  Comark’s C12 HACCP Thermometer can be used for core food checks to make sure that safe minimum internal temperatures have been reached to avoid food poisoning.  It is a great choice for any kitchen and perfect for catering, food service and other food uses. If you are a budding MasterChef, you might be interested to know that the C12 HACCP thermometer is supplied complete with a penetration probe for core food temperature measurements and an air probe for measuring … Read more

HACCP and Food Safety Training

Comark announces new accredited HACCP and food safety training

As suppliers of specialist temperature measuring equipment supplied into food manufacturing, food service, catering and retail businesses, Comark is well placed to understand the importance of HACCP and food safety training to these organizations. “Comark continues to innovate food safety solutions. We are proud to launch our HACCP food safety and food hygiene training programme. Our aim is to provide new and established businesses with the knowledge and equipment required to meet the stringent safety standards of the global food industry.” – Mike Slevin, Global Sales & Marketing Director, Comark Instruments

Hazard Analysis for Butchers

The Importance of Hazard Analysis for Retail Butchers

All food businesses must develop documented food safety management procedures based on HACCP.  This is particularly important in premises that have higher risks such as butchers handling raw and cooked food. Butchers’ shops will require more in-depth record keeping than lower risk food businesses.  It means that butchers must identify where risks to food safety could occur and how they will control those risks. By conducting a hazard analysis, the critical control points are identified then procedures based on the HACCP food safety management system are put in place to implement and maintain a food safety plan.  When carrying out the hazard analysis assessment, the business owner must ensure that it will work in practice and that every step can be continually implemented. Keeping HACCP records up to date may help you establish a defence of due diligence should you … Read more

5 Temperature Safety Tips

5 Temperature Safety Tips

 Accurate measurement and control of temperature is critical to the quality and safety of food products. Throughout the supply chain of any food business there will be critical control points (CCPs) identified in the HACCP plan.  There will be temperature safety checks at each of the CCPs identified.  1. Why is temperature control important? Harmful bacteria are a hazard present in many foods handled in homes, food service and food processing businesses.  Growth can be controlled by keeping food hot or cold.  Harmful bacteria can be reduced or destroyed by cooking or reheating to the correct temperature. 2. Handling temperatures on receipt of goods When accepting deliveries of food quick temperature safety checks can be made with infrared thermometers.  These thermometers take surface temperatures and do not damage packs.  They are particularly useful for checking frozen goods which may be … Read more

Comark Experts

Comark Experts: Q&A with Product Marketing Director Michael Hall

Food safety technology is taking a more prominent role in kitchens and food processing facilities now. Handheld temperature monitoring devices and wireless data logging solutions are positioned to help food service providers take quality products to market, with customer safety as their primary ingredient. In this interview, we talk with Michael Hall, Director of Product Marketing at Comark Instruments, about Comark’s new Bluteooth Pocketherm. Q: How does the Bluetooth Pocketherm work to efficiently upload HACCP information? A: The Bluetooth Pocketherm is a game changer in the temperature-monitoring industry. With Bluetooth pairing capabilities, this thermometer pairs with the Comark Checks app on a smart device to log temperature data. The fast and easy technique transfers from thermometer to smart device in a matter of seconds. This speeds up the data logging process all while maintaining accuracy and running a HACCP plan. Q: What are … Read more

New Kitchen Checks PRO

Comark Instruments Launches New Comark Kitchen Checks

 (7 February, 2017) – Comark Instruments is continuing its commitment to raise the standards in food safety with the launch of the new Comark Kitchen Checks App and Bluetooth Pocketherm – a waterproof folding pocket thermometer with Bluetooth capabilities. “Comark has been a global leader in providing high-quality precision thermometers, data loggers and monitoring solutions for more than 50 years. The introduction of the New Comark Kitchen Checks, Comark Kitchen Checks App and Bluetooth Pocketherm strengthens our position as an industry leader by delivering compliant-focused capabilities that help automate many manual procedures while simultaneously improving food and consumer safety.” Lika Dutta, General Manager, Comark Instruments. “Our innovative products bring new levels of safety and efficiency to kitchens across the food-service industry. The Comark Kitchen Checks App connects to the Comark Cloud to ensure greater security and expanded recording capabilities. And … Read more

RF314Dual WiFi Dual Channel Data Logger with Thermocouples

Comark Instruments Launches New Line of WiFi Data Loggers

Comark Instruments launched a new line of Data Loggers with WiFi compatibility and a wide variety of new features, including dual channel systems and probe attachments, improving upon the already wide range of data monitoring solutions offered. “Comark’s new WiFi Data Loggers take the guesswork out of data monitoring and temperature measurement,” says Michael Hall, Product-Marketing Director for Comark Instruments. “Each model offers upgraded, tailored features suited to fit the needs of any food service professional.” “Diligence WiFi Data Loggers from Comark provide an easy way to organize temperature data,” says Lika Dutta, General Manager for Comark Instruments. “But most importantly, it provides critical visibility of food safety compliance for any organization in the food service industry.” Each model in the new line of Data Loggers released includes an LCD display featuring minimum and maximum readings and indicators for battery, … Read more

The HACCP Standard

The HACCP Standard: Maintaining Food Safety

When it comes to safety within the food industry, the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is the standard for an effective and rational means of assuring food safety from harvest to consumption, according to the FDA. Developing your HACCP plan is vital to maintaining compliance, as well as ensuring your consumers’ safety. By establishing a written procedure across the supply chain, members of the food industry minimize the risk of food safety hazards. These critical control points can vary across HACCP plans and will depend upon your role in the food preparation process, but may include receiving, cold storage, thawing, preparing, cooking, reheating or during transport, according to Calver Health. The limits represent the point at which product falls out of a “safe range,” like a minimum temperature for reheating or the quality of packaging. And while monitoring … Read more