5 Generation Bakers Wins 2017 Food Quality & Safety Award

Baker says this exemplary food safety culture has resulted in a strong market position and brand recognition. “5 Generation Bakers has established a reputation for controlling risks, which has attracted investors to support our expansion plan to create a state-of-the-art commercial bakery,” he notes.

“To achieve these goals, we are consistently looking for the best, freshest, all-natural ingredients,” Baker elaborates. “We strive to continually improve our process with up-to-date technology and equipment. We educate our employees on current food safety laws and requirements with our ongoing training program. And we have committed tens of thousands of dollars to developing a food safety program that emphasizes documentation and accountability.”

An employee reworks sweet fermented dough to produce swirl bread products.

Image credit: Bob Gelston

Baker is quick to boast that 5GB has embraced food quality and safety initiatives with enthusiasm. “In doing so, we have created control and consistency,” he says. “Through well-defined processes we have established a resilience to internal and external risks. This allows us to react quickly to change in customer requests and develop new products.”

Numerous financial investments in food quality and safety amenities have significantly impacted 5GB in a positive way.

For starters, the entire facility is equipped with energy efficient LED (light-emitting diode) lighting. “Unlike incandescent bulbs, which release 90 percent of their energy as heat, LEDs use energy far more efficiently with little wasted heat,” Baker points out. “The reduced heat, ease of maintenance, and resistance to breakage provide benefits conducive to food safety while providing a reduction in time needed to maintain or replace bulbs.”

Motion detection lighting has been installed in all areas of the 5GB facility except for the main production area. This includes the offices, training and conference rooms, breakroom, restrooms, and locker rooms.

“Forty-two surveillance cameras have been strategically placed both inside and outside the facility to support our food defense program,” Baker relates. “Our key fob system prohibits access to restricted areas and limits access for production areas to coincide with a team member’s work schedule, reducing the potential of product adulteration and also supporting our food defense system.”

Production Software and Equipment

Dough rollers are used on all-natural ingredients.

Image credit: Bob Gelston

Food safety and quality initiatives are addressed by 5GB’s high-tech production software and equipment, says Denice Beccard, 5GB’s director of human resources and QA officer.

She explains that SG Systems Traceability Matrix, a multifaceted software application, provides 5GB with advanced technology for ingredient control and production traceability. The various modules include: 1) formula control, which eliminates paper traceability, 2) Mobile WMS, which keeps track of ingredients, packaging, and products; and enables order processing and shipping, 3) process control, which ensures each element of the final product is correctly proportioned without waste and unnecessary financial loss, and 4) label printing, which links batches to finished products for traceability.

“A high-performance stainless steel Diosna mixer features floor clearance for optimum hygiene, complementing our HACCP program,” Beccard says. “With this sanitary design, less time is required for sanitation. The speed ratio mixing tool guarantees highly homogeneous mixing and intensive kneading, which provides the best possible result for our specific sweet fermented dough, thus producing a more consistent product.”

5GB’s Rondo Smartline dough band former features a unique adjustable satellite head, making it universal. “This item’s flat angles for firm dough and steep angles for soft dough provide flexibility for development of new products,” Beccard explains.

According to Beccard, 5GB’s four multi-rack Sveba Dahlen I-62 ovens provide increased baking surface, offering alternate rotation of the racks for faster, more even, baking on all sides of the product. “Double fans provide a large airflow distributed evenly in the oven chamber,” she adds. “These features are adjustable through an SD-Touch panel for programmable and effective control of the oven, resulting in a consistent bake for each variety of the product.”