If you work in any facility where food is processed or packaged, you’ll be all too familiar with the strict regulations set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The standards are designed to ensure that hygiene is maintained in any area where food is handled, stored, or prepared.
The standards state that “floors within establishments must be built of durable materials impervious to moisture and be cleaned and sanitized as necessary to prevent adulteration of product.”*
We speak to many food processing facility managers across the United States who want to ensure their flooring is USDA-compliant and prevent the area from becoming a haven for bacteria and microbes that could cause structural damage to the floor or, even worse, contaminate the food product itself.
Is your flooring USDA compliant?
Many flooring manufacturers will claim that their systems are approved by the USDA, but the truth is that no government agency will endorse or align themselves with any flooring brand.
Instead, the USDA exists to ensure that flooring solutions in food processing plants, commercial kitchens, and restaurants meet regulatory standards. We are proud that our Everlast® Epoxy flooring systems all meet the USDA requirements, giving our customers added peace of mind.
Interested in seeing high quality Epoxy flooring up close? Get our FREE sample pack today!
Food-grade flooring
To help our customers meet the USDA regulations, our floors provide a seamless solution that prevents oil, water, fat, blood, and chemicals from seeping into the substrate and causing damage and bad odors, and becoming a breeding ground for microbes.
Our high-quality resin floor is impervious to liquids—its resin-rich formula is what makes our floors completely watertight.
There are inferior floors on the market that claim to be waterproof, but they only live up to that claim for the first few months. This is because most have only a thin layer of waterproof sealant that quickly wears away, leaving your floors vulnerable to water ingress.
Everlast® Epoxy floors contain the correct ratio of resin to aggregate to provide the flooring in your facility with the moisture barrier you need to meet USDA standards.
Hygienic flooring systems
The USDA standards demand that flooring in the food manufacturing industry provides a sanitary surface that is easy to clean and maintain.
Our floors are resistant to chips, cracks, and dents, all of which are opportunities for harmful pathogens and microbes to hide and breed freely. Another advantage of Everlast® Epoxy food-grade flooring is that it contains an EPA-registered antimicrobial component that is designed to stamp out the growth of fungi, mildew, bacteria, and yeast.
By ensuring the antimicrobial component penetrates each layer, Everlast® Epoxy floors remain protected from odor- and germ-causing microorganisms—from the surface to the substrate.
Some of the microorganisms controlled by our antimicrobial component include Aspergillus flavus, which causes mold growth on stored grain, and Aerobacter aerogenes, which can turn milk sour.
Easy to clean and maintain
The flooring in any food-related facility must be kept scrupulously clean—which usually means a lot of hard and time-consuming work for your janitorial team.
Everlast® Epoxy floors are low-maintenance commercial floors that your cleaning staff will love. They can say goodbye to back-breaking buffing and polishing when you install our nonporous floors. They are easy to clean with just detergent and water.
Once any loose dirt and debris is swept away, we recommend covering the floor with a dilution of Everlast® Floor Cleaner Concentrate that can be worked into the ribbed surface with a floor cleaning machine. Any excess water can simply be directed to the drains for a hygienically clean finish.
It’s also good to know that the Vital Oxide disinfectant used in our cleaning system is approved by the EPA for use against the spread of coronavirus, further protecting your flooring from contamination.
Speak to our team about food-grade flooring
Our flooring experts are on hand to help you plan your food facility flooring installation and answer any questions you may have on meeting USDA regulations.
Call our team on (800) 708-9870 or contact us online to find out more about our clean, healthy, and safe flooring for the food and beverage industry.
Interested in seeing high quality Epoxy flooring up close? Get our FREE sample pack today!