An estimated 28,000 teens in fast food jobs are rushed to emergency rooms each year after suffering nasty falls, hot grease burns, and other injuries.

Filta is always helping to reduce accidents in kitchens by taking away the risks to staff around the fryers.  This is an article from Caremark showing some of the many issues.

By Ann Pappert
CONSUMER HEALTH INTERACTIVE

As a young employee at McDonald’s, Tom Smith learned early that he would have to be careful with more than just flipping burgers. Although the restaurant enforced strict safety rules, one night while routinely cleaning the grill, Smith didn’t put on the insulated, fireproof gloves provided by the restaurant. When his arm slipped onto the grill, he sustained a nasty burn. “I thought I knew everything about cleaning, that I knew what I was doing, and I didn’t need to wear the gloves,” he recalls.

That was some ten years ago, but Smith, now an area supervisor for McDonald’s in Brooklyn, New York, still shares what he learned from that experience with his employees. “There’s a lot of repetition in these jobs, and it’s easy to become overconfident and take shortcuts that can lead to accidents,” he says. “I tell my workers that safety must be number one.” Smith, who is in his late twenties, has worked at McDonald’s since he was 16. As he talks, he glances over from time to time to the counter where his workers are filling orders industriously.

When things get busy, Smith, whose easy-going but no-nonsense manner fits right in with the rest of his crew, excuses himself to jump up and help his crew take drink orders or work the cash register.

Cathy Rivas, a college student working for Smith, says that her McDonald’s shift is great for students because the hours are flexible and Smith is happy to give her time off to study for exams. On any given day Rivas, who was working the counter during this reporter’s visit, may clear tables, sweep and mop the floor, scrub the bathroom, cook burgers and fries, and fill orders for soda and coffee. Because she’s performing multiple tasks, Rivas — like other fast-food workers — is exposed to numerous potential hazards. During an 8-hour day, she runs the risk of burning herself on a sizzling grill or fry basket, slipping and falling on a wet floor, or being exposed to harmful chemicals such as cleaning solvents. “They really emphasize safety here,” she says.

Safety is important in any job, but particularly so in the fast-food industry, where young and inexperienced workers abound. In fact, according to the National Restaurant Association, the fast-food industry is one of the largest employers of teens in the country, and many go on to senior positions. More than half of McDonald’s middle and senior managers started as fry cooks or other entry-level positions, and more than 50 percent of store owners began as crew members in a franchise. The fast-food industry also has one of the best records of promoting minorities.

But the industry has a troubling safety record. Of the 2.5 million teens working in the restaurant industry, the majority injured on the job are most likely to be working in fast-food outlets, according to a 1999 study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Collecting data from a sample of hospitals across the country over a two-year period, NIOSH estimated that emergency rooms treated about 44,800 injuries suffered by teenage restaurant workers. Of those injuries, an estimated 28,000 — a whopping 63 percent — took place in hamburger, pizza, or other fast-food establishments. Interestingly, most of the injuries occurred in hamburger restaurants (52.6 percent), as compared to pizza places (12.6 percent) and chicken or fish restaurants (11.7 percent).

The NIOSH study also determined that nearly half of the injuries involved hot grease and that more than half of the injuries from falls were caused by wet or greasy floors. Researchers further found that the type of injury varied according to gender. Of teens working in fast-food restaurants, males were more likely to have burns, lacerations, and other injuries related to cooking, while females were more likely to suffer sprains, strains, and contusions associated with cashiering and clearing tables.

Researchers have also found that teens working in fast-food restaurants are six times more likely to be burned than teens working in any other industry. According to the Burn Foundation, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit, teens working as fry cooks in fast-food restaurants are at special risk for burn injuries.

Not every worker who accidentally burns himself is as lucky as Tom Smith, whose lesions were relatively minor. Investigating burns among restaurant workers in Colorado and Minnesota, researchers found that of the 71 teenagers in Minnesota who had had work-related burns, 31 suffered permanent scarring. (Of these injuries, 28 occurred in fast-food restaurants, and 14 of those accidents involved hot grease.) One 16-year-old crew cook in a Minnesota fast-food outlet was burned over much of his body as he was pushing a container of hot grease outside to filter it. As he reached the door, the container slipped and the lid popped off, spilling the scalding grease all over him.

According to the Burn Foundation, burns are likely to occur when workers ignore safety rules, are pressed for time and take shortcuts, or when they become too familiar with their jobs and take unnecessary risks. Tom Smith agrees. “Most accidents happen from overconfidence and cutting corners,” he says. “Preventing burns is mostly a question of using common sense.” At the McDonald’s he manages, new employees receive on-the-job training alongside more experienced workers and practice with training cards.

Fast-food employees also need to be aware of the ever-present potential for robberies or random violence in their establishments. Five employees of a Wendy’s in Queens, New York, for example, were shot to death in early 2000. Tom Smith took the tragedy to heart.

“I used it as an occasion to remind the employees to always follow our set procedures for robberies,” he says, adding that the rules include barring any ex-employees from going behind the counter. In addition, he cautioned workers not to panic or try to play the hero — in other words, to simply hand over the money. To deter hold-ups, managers also skim large bills from the registers during the day, and prominently display a sign stating the employees don’t have access codes to open the safe.

Here are some other safety tips from NIOSH and industry experts:

• Prevent burn injuries by providing employees with appropriate gloves and scrapers and other cleaning tools with handles.
• Allow hot grease to cool before you move it.
• Wherever possible, use slip-resistant flooring to prevent falls and keep floors dry and well maintained.
• Wear nonskid shoes to prevent slipping.
• Extinguish hot oil or grease fires by sliding a lid over the container.
• Avoid reaching over or across hot surfaces and burners.
• Don’t plug in electrical equipment while touching a wet or damp surface.

To guard against accidental electrocution, NIOSH also recommends that employers buy plugs and receptacles that don’t energize before insertion is complete; construct receptacle boxes out of non-conductive materials; label all fuse boxes and circuit breakers; and train workers in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

 – Ann Pappert has coproduced stories on health for Dateline NBC, worked as an associate producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.’s “Fifth Estate,” and served as a consultant on in vitro fertilization to the World Health Organization and Ontario Ministry of Health. A freelance journalist in New York, she has also written for the Toronto Star, the Toronto Globe and Mail, and Canadian Doctor.

Earth Day is coming soon, so we thought it would be worth taking a look at how Filta helps kitchens reduce their carbon footprints.  Well, with three “green” services, Filta helps in many ways including:

• Reducing the amount of cooking oil being used
• Reducing the energy consumption of fryers
• Taking the waste oil and sending it through to BiodDiesel
• Reducing food wastage
• Reducing cooler energy consumption and costs
• Prolonging the life of the coolers thereby putting back the day a new one needs to be manufactured

I found some great information that I thought I would share with current or potential customers.

Did you know that the NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a division of the CDC) conducted an 18 month study and found that over 5,200 adolescent (young workers) sought emergency-room treatment for work related burns associated with cooking in a place where food was prepared? Of the hazards where burns occurred, servicing cooking equipment (i.e. adding, filtering, removing hot grease from fryers, and cleaning) ranked toward the top. It’s not a matter of if someone will get burned, but when.

We all have a responsibility to educate food service workers on proper safety when it comes to working with and around deep fryers.

Filta just launched its FiltaBio service. Once the cooking oil has come to the end of its life, Filta can collect the oil and immediately remove it safely from the site… in most cases with no waste oil drums or containers continually attracting rats and other unwanted issues.

From there, the oil is purified and the majority sent to be made into biodiesel, the safe and environmentally friendly alternative to petrochemical based diesel.

According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the United States spends about $475,000 a minute on foreign oil – a staggering number when you stop to think about it. The annual total spent on crude oil imports is approximately $250 billion. The U.S. uses approximately 20 million barrels of oil a day (that’s about 3 gallons a day for every person in the country), more than half of which is imported. By 2025, demand is expected to rise to 26 million barrels a day – about 60 percent of which will be imported.

Consider this: In addition, China’s rising oil demand and imports have made it a significant factor in world oil markets. China is second only to the U.S. in consumption, surpassing Japan for the first time in 2003. Transportation sector ranks first in consumption. Roughly 67 percent of all U.S. oil consumption is in the transportation sector.

About 37 billion gallons of on-road diesel are used each year in the U.S. According to the EIA, reducing demand for oil in the transportation sector will have to be the central component in any serious effort to reduce the overall demand for oil.

The Chef of a Sam Sneads restaurant gives his thoughts on the FiltaFry service.

Doubltree Head Chef gives his thoughts on the FiltaFry service.

Hear from Friday’s Front Row Manager about his experience with FiltaFry.

Another satisfied Filta customer using the FiltaFry service.

You may have thought that waste oil was done with its usefulness when you disposed of it, but recently, many people have been finding an interesting and very beneficial use to used vegetable oil that is becoming a growing trend in fuel. Environmentally friendly, better smelling and completely renewable, it is very little wonder why bio diesel is beginning to take the world by storm as a viable option over traditional petroleum fuels.

Bio Diesel and other recycled vegetable oils, when used in place of petroleum diesel bring a great many different environmental, fuel security, health and economic benefits. When burned as fuel, vegetable oil doesn’t emit any SO2, which is the main compound in diesel that causes acid rain. Also, recycled vegetable oil fuel produces less carbon dioxide- up to seventy eight percent less, in fact and forty eight percent less carbon monoxide, as well as less asthma causing particulate, and up to eighty percent less polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons when compared to petroleum diesel.

Apart from great reductions in pollutants, vegetable oil fuel also could give a greater amount of fuel security in the United States. Some have said this would enable the US to then curb the reliance on imported oil- which currently stands at about sixty percent of all the fuel that the US needs. This leaves our nation susceptible to higher oil prices, higher defense costs, and all of the political implications of having to secure that imported oil.

Produced in the US domestically, vegetable oil is grown by farmers, and in a recent US Department of Agriculture study, it was found that if demand were increased for vegetable oil by only 200 million gallons, this could increase the average farm income by roughly 300 million dollars per year.
Fryer waste oil from the food industry, animal fats, and fresh pressed vegetable oils can be used as fuel. Displacing the need for fossil fuels and reducing air pollutants are just two of the benefits.

There are two different ways that most people use vegetable oil as fuel. The first is just using straight vegetable oil- that is, taking fryer waste oil or just fresh oil and using an extra fuel tank and a specialized system to heat and filter the oil first. Once it reaches the engine, the oil has to be heated and filtered because vegetable oil is too thick on its own to run through an engine. The other way, however, is converting it to bio diesel and this can generally be used in engines with no modifications whatsoever.

How efficient this fuel is depends on quite a few things. Sometimes the quality of the vegetable oil used, or the type can make a difference, or the different ways that people will filter and heat it. Often, maintenance and care as well as proper use of the systems also play a role. However, with a bit of education and know how, bio diesel is widely accepted as being a good alternative to traditional petroleum diesel.

For more on filtafry visit filta.com.

See what this TGI Manager says about the FiltaFry service (which is provided to many TGI stores).

As anyone who has ever worked in the food service industry can tell you, one of the least favorite task of any kitchen staff member is the changing out of fryer oil.  Not only is it an arduous and unpleasant task, but it can actually be dangerous.  Burns from fryers and hot cooking oil account for a large percentage of the workplace injuries reported by commercial kitchens.  FiltaFry can help you greatly reduce the chance of burn injuries in your kitchen.

Fryer maintenance is a crucial part of any commercial kitchen’s operational routine.  Unfortunately, all too often this task is left to inexperienced younger staff members who don’t understand the importance of proper fryer care and maintenance.  This lack of motivation results in fryers that are not adequately cleaned.  Employees that don’t care about the task at hand are also more likely to be careless and put themselves in harm’s way.  Why leave the task to an inadequately motivated employee when you can actually save money by putting your fryers into FiltaFry’s hands?

What Does FiltaFry Offer?

FiltaFry is not your typical waste oil removal service.  They will remove your used cooking oil, certainly, but that is just the start of the FiltaFry service.  What FiltaFry offers your kitchen is a total fryer and cooking oil managements service that will help your business reduce waste, increase safety and efficiency, improve the quality of your fried foods and save you money.  FiltaFry purifies and disposes of your oil and maintains your fryers in optimal condition for peak performance.

How Does it Work?

FiltaFry uses a revolutionary micro-filtration system to filter and purify the oil directly from your business’s fryers.  The FiltaFry filtration process is able to remove particles and contaminates over 100 times smaller than the factory installed filter on your fryer.  As a result of FiltaFry filtration your oil tastes better and fresher and lasts longer.  In fact, your oils life will be extended by so much that your business could see oil consumption drop by as much as half.
FiltaFry doesn’t stop at just purifying your oil and disposing of waste oil.  While you FiltaFry technician is purifying your oil he or she will also thoroughly clean your fryers.  Your technician will also check to ensure that your fryer is working optimally.

Helping You Save

Most customers claim that the money they save on cooking oil alone more than pays for the FiltaFry service.  FiltaFry helps customers save even more by keeping fryers running at their peak energy efficiency.   FiltaFry also helps you save money through increased safety.

When put your fryers in the capable hands of your local FiltaFry representative, you remove the risk of employee injuries related to fryer maintenance.  Restaurants that report low incidents of injury in the workplace can save up to 25% on insurance.  The average reduction in yearly insurance cost is around $1,400 annually.

When you use FiltaFry you can expect to see improved efficiency, decreased waste, greater safety in your kitchen and big savings.  Don’t ask, “Can I afford to use FiltaFry in my kitchen?”  Ask, “Can I afford not to?”

If you are a restaurant owner or if you manage any type of commercial kitchen, chances are you have run across, or at least heard of, FiltaFry.  You have probably heard claims of how FiltaFry reduces waste and saves businesses a substantial amount of money in their operations.  Just how true are these claims and how does FiltaFry save its customers money?
Oil Savings

FiltaFry is primarily known for its amazing ability to drastically reduce the amount of oil used in fryer operation.  In fact, the average FiltaFry customer sees their oil consumption drop to half of its previous level.  When you consider that the average restaurant uses approximately 10,000 pounds of cooking oil each year, that’s a huge difference.

FiltaFry is able to reduce oil waste by half thanks to its unique micro-filtration process.  This filtration process eliminates 99 percent of contaminants that break down cooking oil, thereby doubling the longevity of the oil.

A Look at the Numbers

A kitchen that uses three 50 pound fryers in their kitchen would use, on average, 9 boxes of oil each week.  That could be $315 a week in oil cost alone.  If you figure in labor costs at $10 an hour for two hours of employee time the cost of running the three fryers for one week comes out to $335.

If that business used FiltaFry just once a week at $67.50 per service call, they could see their oil use dropped in half, down to $157.50 per week.  Their fryers would be maintained by a competent professional with no need to use their own employee labor.  That comes out to a total of $225 each week.  That’s a savings of $110 on just oil alone, with the added benefit of having the fryers professionally maintained.

Further Savings

The savings with FiltaFry doesn’t stop at just a few less boxes of oil each week.  When your fryers are professionally maintained by FiltaFry, your employees are not put at risk by doing the hazardous job of oil and fryer maintenance.  Because FiltaFry representatives are trained to establish optimal usage protocols for your fryers the chances of boil outs and other dangerous occurrences are greatly reduces as well.  This means an overall decrease in the amount of work related injuries in your kitchen, which can lead to savings of up to 25% on your insurance.  The average savings for restaurants that report low numbers of injuries is around $1,400 per year.

You will also save money on your energy usage.  FiltaFry maintained fryers run more efficiently and use less energy.  FiltaFry will also work with your staff on establishing better fryer practices that will help your staff run your fryers better while reducing energy waste.

The Filta Difference

FiltaFry is committed to helping your business run more efficiently and cost effectively.  The FiltaFry service is also 100% environmentally friendly.  There’s never been a better way to “go green”.  Waste less and save more with FiltaFry.

Most of us could never hope to afford starting up a large, big name franchise like a McDonalds or a Super 8 motel.  These business ventures require a substantial amount of capital to start-up and a lot of know-how and experience to run successfully.  Those of us with limited access to financing and perhaps not a lot of management experience are not without option, though.  Small franchises, such as Filta, offer affordable, easy to run business that can be profitable and rewarding.

Start-Up

Part of what makes starting a small franchise, like a mobile Filta franchise, a realistic option for people with limited financial means is the fact that the start-up cost is so much less than with many other large-name franchises.  A big name fast-food chain can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to establish.  If you look into motels, that figure can easily jump into the several millions.

Small franchises can be purchased and set up for just a fraction of those costs.  In fact, a single unit Filta franchise can be purchase for less than $80,000.  In many cases, as with Filta, the franchisor can even assist with financing.  This makes business ownership accessible to a much broader range of people.  Small franchises, such as Filta, offer a solid return on investment for less money.

Total Control

Another great aspect of small franchising is that it puts the owner in complete control of the business.  Many Filta franchises are completely owner operated, in fact.  This means that the owner is also the sole employee providing all of the Filta services within his or her territory.  The owner doesn’t have to worry about paying employees or insuring them, nor does he or she have to worry about his or her standards of quality being met.  The owner has absolute say over every aspect of how the business is run and performed.

Home Office Benefits

Many small franchise can even be run right out of the home.  Some, like Filta franchises, are entirely mobile and can easily be administrated from a home office.  There are several benefits to running a business from home.  Obviously, it significantly lowers the overhead of the business.  The owner needn’t worry about paying rent for a business location, extra insurance, bills, etc.  On the contrary, running a business from home can actually save the owner money on taxes.  When a business, like a Filta franchise, is run from home a percentage of rent, utilities and other expenses become eligible to be claimed as deductions on the owner’s taxes.  This can be a substantial boon to the small business owner, increasing profits by lowering overhead.

The Big Picture

The fact is, small business can be as profitable as the owner is willing to make them.  Since most, like Filta franchises, are owner-operated it is up to the owner to put in the hours providing and promoting the service.  If the owner is willing to do the work then it can be quite lucrative.  For the individual who is used to putting in long hours for someone else’s profit, small franchise ownership can provide away to truly benefit from their own strong work ethic.

For over a decade, Filta has been the leader in environmentally friendly and cost reducing kitchen solutions with its revolutionary approach to waste oil and fryer management. Always looking to improve the quality and scope of Filta services, the Filta Group unveiled its FiltaCool cooler management service in 2008. This exciting service brings to commercial refrigeration all of the increased sustainability and cost effectiveness that has made FiltaFry such a marked success. With the installation of Filta’s compact and inexpensive filters you can revolutionize the way that your business handles its perishable food items.

Combat Gases and Bacteria

As produce and other food items natural degrade they begin to give of Ethylene, Pectin and other gases.  Though naturally occurring, in an enclosed area like your cooler these gases build to a concentration that actually accelerates the decomposition of your foodstuffs.  FiltaCool filters trap these gases, preventing the early onset of decay that destroys your valuable products.  These filters have also been shown to dramatically inhibit the growth and spread of bacteria, as well as reducing oxidation in your coolers.

Regulating Humidity

Humidity is another real concern in commercial coolers.  Too little and  your fruits and vegetables become dry and shrunken, too much and your produce begins to rot more quickly.  Furthermore, excess moisture freezes on cooling coils, causing them to work less effectively.  Moisture pooling on the floor creates hazardous conditions for your staff and gives bacteria a place to breed rampantly.  FiltaCool can help regulate the humidity in your walk in coolers, providing just the right amount of moisture in the air to keep your produce crisp, fresh and ready for use.

Stabilizing Temperatures

If your coolers aren’t running efficiently, they may not be doing an adequate job in keeping temperatures stabile.  The optimal temperature for most perishable goods is between 35 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit.  Temperatures above that range allow bacteria to breed freely.  Temperatures below can result in freezing and damage to your produce.  FiltaCool has been shown to reduce overall temperatures by 2 to 5 degrees and improve the performance of your coolers so that they can maintain the optimal temperature range more easily.

Eliminating Odors

Unpleasant odors can easily build in an enclosed space like your walk-in cooler.  Even worse, many vegetables can actually absorb odors, making them less palatable.  Excessive odor can also create an unpleasant work experience for your staff and suppliers.  FiltaCool filters reduce odors, leaving your coolers smelling fresh.

Lowering Costs
When your equipment’s wear, tear and energy use is lessened and the inhospitable climate in your coolers has been eliminated you can expect another drastic reduction:  a reduction in spending.  FiltaCool filters will help to eliminate 10% of the energy usage of your coolers and keep your cooling systems operational 33%-44% beyond their expected lifetime.  You will see at least a 2% deduction in the amount of spoiled produce you have to discard.  In many cases that percentage is significantly higher.  All this adds up to big savings for your business when you choose to use FiltaCool.

Current market trends in the latest environmentally friendly products and services soar as more and more businesses are seeking to not only cut costs, but promote a more Green way of doing things. Being able to boost your business with the reputation for your environmentally conscious way of doing things and cut your bills? It’s more likely than you may think and if you’re running a restaurant, or any place that serves and sells fried foods, look no further than the oil you use to cook with.

“The price of cooking oil, as a commodity, has sky-rocketed in the last year and the need for efficient operations has never been greater,” says Victor Clewes, CEO of The Filta Group, an international eco-friendly services company which specializes in cooking oil filtration and recycling. “Filtering and re-using cooking oil reduces oil purchases. Reduced oil purchases result in cost and waste savings. Then, when the oil can no longer be used for cooking, it becomes bio-fuel. Nothing is wasted. It’s used in the food we eat, then in the cars we drive. It becomes a net positive for the environment as well as a restaurant’s bottom line.” Wow. Those are pretty impressive words, but is there some truth to this?

You bet there is. Looking at the way that some businesses have made the change, you can definitely see that leaning towards a more sustainable business is the way to go, for any food service professional. But cutting the cooking oil cost is just one thing- what if your business was known, and really known for putting safety first? That’s a big plus, but also, that, too impacts your bottom line. Reporting low to average injuries, restaurants save at least 25 percent in insurance costs the Department of Labor and industries reports, but also, the Restaurant Insurance Cooperation shows that restaurants paid out on average, a total of nearly six thousand dollars a year on slip and fall injuries.

It sure would be nice if there was an alternative to all of those costs, some way to make sure that you were not only an Eco conscious business, but safer and saving money at the same time, wouldn’t it? There is. A Filtafry technician may just be your key to making going green your best investment towards going gold. The franchise itself has been a known leader in environmentally conscious services since the nineties, and hiring a technician to take care of your fryers and waste oil disposal needs is definitely one smart way to make sure that you, too work towards sustainability, safety and a better budget. Better yet, when you’re looking into Filtafry, ask also about FiltaCool, their latest offering which can save you up to 2,496 dollars a year over your current cooling and refrigeration bills. It’s amazing how just a few small changes to the way that you deal with your vegetable oil and your humidity control can make such a big impact on the way you balance your budget, so all in all, Filtafry is a definite winner.

In 1996 Filta began changing the way that the food service industry does business through the introduction of its revolutionary approach to waste oil management via the FiltaFry services.  Prior to this it was common practice for a dinning establishment to simply run its fryers until the oil began to degrade, then dispose of the oil and start anew.  While changing out cooking oil is definitely a necessary part of fryer operation, a great deal of this discarded oil was not spoiled, it was merely saturated with carbon and other particulates accrued during use.  Almost half of the oil being discarded was done so unnecessarily!

FiltaFry realized this issue of vast waste in kitchen management and sought to change things.  Filta saw that there was a better way, a means of running fryers more efficiently and reducing the amount of oil used.  Beyond just managing and removing waste oil, Filta sought to change the way that the food service operated on a fundamental level that would not only save businesses money, but also reduce their impact on the environment.

The FiltaFry Solution

Far beyond a traditional waste oil removal service, FiltaFry actually seeks to reduce the amount of waste oil generated by a business.  This is done by means of a full-service fryer and cooking oil maintenance program.  Firstly, FiltaFry technician filter oils directly from a business’s fryers through an advanced micro-filtration system.  Filta’s special filtration equipment filters particles down to 2-3 microns, almost 100 times finer than the capacities of most factory installed fryer filtration systems.   This process is so thorough that it removes 99% of carbon and other contaminants from oil.  The end product is clearer, cleaner oil that can be used almost twice as long as the oils that are only filtered by the preinstalled filtration systems.  This means that FiltaFry users can expect to use half as much cooking oil in their businesses.
FiltaFry doesn’t stop there, though.  This comprehensive service reduces energy waste as well, by ensuring that fryers are thoroughly cleaned and running optimally.  Filta technicians work with management and owners to customize an energy saving plan specifically tailored to the needs of the particular establishment.  FiltaFry offers a comprehensive solution to increasing sustainability and reducing costs in frying.

FiltaCool Savings

In 2008 Filta extended their reach to the cooler.  Now all of the great benefits of Filta can be seen in a business’s refrigeration units as well.  FiltaCool utilizes unique filters specifically designed for the needs of commercial coolers.  These unobtrusive units regulate humidity, gases and temperature to keep produce fresh and crisp and to allow coolers to run more efficiently.  FiltaCool users create less waste, see a decrease in profit losses due to spoilage and on average see a 10% decrease in the amount of energy needed to run their coolers.
As Filta continues to expand its offerings, businesses can expect to see exciting new ways of increasing sustainability in their kitchens.  Filta remains dedicated to finding eco-friendly solutions for the food service industry and to saving their clients money.

Franchising has become a mainstay of industrialization.  It offers business owners a significant leg up when staring a new venture by providing an established brand name and service, backed by a strong network of support.  It’s no wonder that more and more investors seek out reputable franchisors when looking into establishing their own businesses.  Finding a reliable franchisor like the Filta Group, which shows a strong trend toward development and offers  franchisees the opportunity to offer a valuable service in a growing market can start you out on the path to success.
What Does Filta Offer?

Owning your own Filta franchise can provide some unique rewards when compared to going into business independently.  These benefits can easily tilt the scales in your favor, providing you with a much greater chance of financial success.  The Filta Group offers its franchisees a strong support network that is second to none and geared toward giving owners every resource to make their mobile Filta franchise a winner.

Filta wants its franchisees to do well.  On the surface, what is good for the franchise is good for the franchisor, but beyond that Filta views its franchisees as an ever expanding family and wants to see that family flourish.  To that end, Filta provides its new franchisees with all the tools necessary to excel in the field of environmental kitchen management service.

From day one of your new business you will be provided with class room and infield training from experienced Filta professionals and other franchise owners.  A Filta Business Development Manager will work with you to teach you the skills needed to market your business and will help you establish an initial customer base.  Filta also offers long term continued support through its toll-free lines and online with FiltaNet.

Filta and You:  A Winning Combo

As you have undoubtedly discovered, while researching prospective franchisors:  not all franchising organization are created equal.  When deciding if a franchisor is suitable to your needs as a business owner it is very important to consider just what level of support the franchisor gives its franchisees and how much freedom they allow.  Filta offers a balanced blend of autonomy and support is virtually unparalleled.

Filta gives investors the chance to run a mobile based business providing two quality and highly marketable services.  As a Filta technician you will be helping food service organization reach their goals of sustainability and loss prevention by changing the way they approaching frying and refrigeration.  You will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are providing a service that helps reduce the negative impact of the food service industry on the environment.  You will be helping to improve workplace safety and product quality for each and every one of your customers.

With the Filta Group you know you have the backing of a company who is constantly on the lookout for new ways to positively impact the way commercial kitchens do business.  As Filta grows, so will your business.  Together Filta and you can make a difference in your community, in the environment and in your personal business goals.

One of the key ingredients to successful restaurant management is constantly seeking out new ways to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs for the business.  One often overlooked area of waste and mismanagement lies in fryer operation.  This simple area of daily use can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars each year in wasted cooking oil and excessive energy use.  Fortunately, FiltaFry offers commercial kitchens a simple and effective way to minimize waste in frying, saving businesses hundreds of dollars every year and improving the quality of their fried foods.

Taking the Burden Off of Staff

Anyone who has spent any time at all working in the food service industry knows that fryer maintenance, especially the task of cleaning and switching out cooking oil, is one of the least desirable tasks that fall to kitchen staff.  As such, it is the job most likely to be delegated to the inexperienced new staff member (often a teenager working for minimum wage).  These staff members are, more often than not, less than motivated to do an adequate job at the task, nor do they fully realize the importance of proper fryer and oil management.

When you use FiltaFry, the burden of fryer management is taken off of the shoulders of your staff and your fryers are placed in the hands of a competent professionals who’s top concern is making sure you are getting the most out of your fryers.  FiltaFry technicians are highly trained and skilled in the area of fryer maintenance.  They will evaluate your businesses setup to find the optimal usage of your fryers to help reduce energy waste and to help extend the life of your cooking oil.

Unsurpassed Technology

Undoubtedly your fryers have factory installed filtration units.  Unfortunately, these filters offer only minimal filtration capabilities.  Though skimming your oil regularly is an important part of maintaining your oil, it is not enough to get the most from your investment.  Factory installed filters do not filter out the microscopic contaminants that ultimately degrade your oil, making it unusable.

FiltaFry technicians use an advanced micro-filtration system to filter the oil directly from your fryers.  This sophisticated filtration technique eliminates up to 99% of particulates, such as miniscule carbon fibers that break off from foods and burn in the oil.  Over time, this tiny particles (as small as 2-3 microns in size) render your oil unusable long before it’s time.  With FiltaFry filtration, your oil will last twice as long, vastly reducing your oil usage.

What This Means for Your Business
If your establishment uses fryers on a daily basis, then you already know just how expensive keeping them running can be.  Imagine what it would mean to your business to be able to use half as much oil as you do currently.  That’s a tremendous savings.  If you add on savings from less frequent fryer repairs, reduced energy usage and even money you can save on insurance by reducing the number of fryer related injuries you report, the money you can save adds up rapidly.  FiltaFry is your one-stop answer to reducing wastage and saving money in your restaurant’s kitchen.

In the face of rising oil prices and global concern over the availability of fossil fuels, the biodiesel trend is steadily gaining favor amongst the automotive community.  Forward thinking companies that realize this emerging trend and seek to take advantage of the rising value of bio-fuels put themselves at a greater advantage in the developing marketplace.  “The global markets for biodiesel are entering a period of rapid transitional growth, creating both uncertainty and opportunity.  The first generation biodiesel markets in Europe and the US have reached impressive biodiesel production capacity levels, but remain constrained by feedstock availability. In the BRIC nations of Brazil, India and China, key government initiatives are spawning hundreds of new opportunities for feedstock development, biodiesel production, and export,”  assesses Will Thurmond, author of Biodiesel 2020 and Biofuels International columnist.

With increasing concern and a shifting focus toward sustainability, many companies are choosing to revaluate how they conduct business and the operational procedures of their franchises.   This is especially true in the food service industry, where waste has always been a necessary, albeit undesirable, evil.  Since its inception in 1996, Filtafry, an internationally renowned leader in environmentally conscientious kitchen solutions, has been helping the food service industry minimize waste and reduce energy usage.
“The price of cooking oil, as a commodity, has sky-rocketed in the last year and the need for efficient operations has never been greater,” states The Filta Group CEO Victor Clewes.   “Filtering and re-using cooking oil reduces oil purchases. Reduced oil purchases result in cost and waste savings. Then, when the oil can no longer be used for cooking, it becomes bio-fuel. Nothing is wasted. It’s used in the food we eat, then in the cars we drive. It becomes a net positive for the environment as well as a restaurant’s bottom line.”

The Filta Group originated as a waste oil and fryer maintenance service based out of the UK.  From its humble origins it has since grown to become a global leader in not only environmentally conscientious oil management, but has since expanded its eco-friendly efforts into cold storage with its FiltaCool line of products and service.
As more and more large corporate entities begin to embrace green business, many smaller businesses are beginning to follow suit.  Restaurant owners are starting to realize that the waste oil that was once a burden is rapidly becoming a marketable commodity and that getting in now will serve them well in the future.  “From 2008 through 2020, a series of transitions in the bio diesel industry will create winners and losers,” says Thurmond. “Bio diesel producers that are best able to evolve and adapt to transitions in technology, markets, feed stocks and government policies are most likely to succeed over the long term.”

As these trends continue, it becomes imperative for small businesses to pick up the banner of sustainability and green business.  Not only is their public pressure to do so, but as new means of conservation are struck upon, it becomes more and more apparent that availing oneself of them is the economically sensible thing to do.  Keeping current with emerging developments and finding ways to integrate more efficient and sustainable business practices is the only practical means of growth and development into the burgeoning biodiesel market.

In 2008 The Filta Group unveiled its newest line of energy efficient kitchen solutions.  The addition of FiltaCool products and services opens up a whole new way for commercial kitchens to decrease waste, increase energy efficiency and save money.  FiltaCool brings all of the innovation and savings that made FiltaFry an internationally recognized name in fryer and oil management to the arena of cold storage.  Now the same van that brings you valuable savings and benefits for your fryers can help you save big and improve the quality of your cold foods as well.

Regulating Humidity

Humidity is a real problem in coolers.  Too little humidity leaves your perishables dry and shrunken.  High levels of moisture destroy your perishable foodstuffs by breaking down cellular integrity.  When moisture ices on cooling coils, the work less efficiently, resulting in higher temperatures and longer defrosting cycles.  Moisture can also create slippery and unsafe conditions as well as create a breeding ground for bacteria.  All this means more energy usage and more rapid spoiling of your food items.   FiltaCool can help regulate the humidity in your walk in coolers, making them more efficient and increasing the lifetime of your perishable goods.
Temperature

Allowing temperatures to get too high in your cooler accelerates bacterial growth which increases the rate of food spoilage.  Temperatures too low can freeze and damage your products, leaving them unusable and increasing your profit losses.  Maintaining the optimal temperature (between 35-38 degrees Fahrenheit) can be difficult with inefficient coolers.  FiltaCool can help improve cooler function so that your cold storage unit can more easily maintain ideal temperatures.

Odor Control

Odors are easily transmitted between perishables stored together.  No one wants their produce to smell like poultry.  Your customers certainly don’t want it.  Excessive odor can also make coolers unpleasant for employees and suppliers.  With FiltaCool, noisome smells can be reduced, leaving your cooler and perishables smelling cleaner and fresher.
Gases and Bacteria
The natural processes that break down foods can increase when contained to an enclosed space.  Factors such as bacteria, oxidation, Ethylene gases and Pectin gases can accelerate food spoilage.  While these processes are naturally occurring and cannot be entirely eliminated, they can be greatly reduced.  FiltaCool filters can help control the level of gases in your cooler and create a less active breeding ground for bacteria.

Cool Savings

As customers have come to expect of Filta products and services, FiltaCool offers a cost-effective and eco-friendly solution to cooler maintenance and regulation.  Using FiltaCool in your cold storage units will help to regulate moisture, keep temperatures stable, decrease odors, gases and bacteria and keep your units running for effectively and efficiently.  Your business will save money by using less energy.  Many customers report as much as a 10 percent reduction in the energy required to operate their cools when using FiltaCool in their cold storage units.   Businesses also save big by disposing of less spoiled products.  Your perishable foods will last longer and taste better.   FiltaCool brings to your coolers all of the quality service and savings that have made the Filta name great.