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RKE Technical Bulletin – January 2023

Introduction to Environmental Contaminants in Food Arsenic, Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Perchlorate and Radionuclides. Words that are not very common in everyday discussions but are real threats to food safety and can be present due to the environment. Environmental contaminants can be present in foods because they are in the soil, water, or air where foods […]

RKE Technical Bulletin – October 2023

Food Waste to Animal Feed According to “Feeding America”, each year, 119 billion pounds of food is wasted in the United States. While a notable portion comes from homes, food service, and retail, much of the waste is generated at the manufacturing level. It is also estimated that more than 55% of the food waste […]

RKE Technical Bulletin – September 2023

The Camelback Cricket Order: Orthoptera Family: Rhaphidophoridae Scientific Name: Ceuthophilus The Camelback Cricket gets its’ common name from its’ humpbacked appearance, which is similar to that of a camel.  They’re also commonly referred to as cave crickets or spider crickets.  This species can be found in caves as well as damp and cool areas underneath […]

RKE Technical Bulletin – August 2023

Introduction to Salmonella When one hears the name “salmonella,” most think of eggs and poultry and “food poisoning.” Salmonella is not only know for making people sick through poultry and eggs, but a wide variety of foods. This bacterium is widespread and very common. Salmonella is a complicated genus of rod-shaped gram-negative bacteria of the […]

RKE Technical Bulletin – July 2023

Rats in the Facility A client of RK Environmental Services (RKE) had existing rat activity. Through a quick survey, the rat species was identified as the black rat (Rattus Rattus), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat. The RKE team immediately began mitigation strategies through the use of glue trays. The […]

RKE Technical Bulletin – June 2023

Vap-X for Maintenance Cardinal Vap-X has become a useful tool in the arsenal used to combat stored product pests, roaches, flies, and other occasional invaders. In recent years, RKE Environmental Services (RKE) clients choosing Vap-X for the purpose of maintaining low to 0 pressure from insects inside their food handling facilities. These clients have seen […]

RKE Technical Bulletin – May 2023

Introduction to Phosphine as a Fumigant Phosphine is a colorless, flammable, highly toxic compound most often used in fumigation. Phosphine fumigants are sold in solid form, either as aluminum phosphide or magnesium phosphide. When these solid fumigants are exposed to water vapor in the air, a chemical reaction occurs releasing phosphine gas (hydrogen phosphide) and […]

RKE Technical Bulletin – April 2023

The Cigarette Beetle Order: Coleoptera Family: Anobiidae Genus: Lasioderma Species: serrricorne The Cigarette Beetle (CB) is a Stored Product Pest, which gets it’s name from attacking tobacco wherever it is stored. It is distributed throughout tropical regions but can be found worldwide. Especially, wherever dried tobacco in the form of leaves, cigars, cigarettes, or chewing […]

RKE Technical Bulletin – March 2023

Introduction to Systemic Pesticides The term pesticide is an “umbrella” term used to describe “a substance used for destroying insects or other organisms harmful to cultivated plants or to animals.” Pesticides have different formulations, modes of action and target organisms. Many pesticides used in agriculture and horticulture are considered systemic, meaning these pesticides (typically herbicides […]

RKE Technical Bulletin – February 2023

Environmental Monitoring Every year there are hundreds of food recalls in the United States. While many are made in an abundance of caution, even more are initiated through confirmed lapses in food safety or due to biological contamination from pathogens. The pathogens of concern are Salmonella, Listeria Monocytogenes, and E. Coli. To reduce the risk […]