Falcarragh, Co. Donegal, 29 April 2024 – Kelsius, a leading manufacturer and global provider of wireless temperature monitoring and digital Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems, has announced a €5 million plan to expand its manufacturing and R&D facility. This is in response to a significant increase in global demand for Kelsius solutions which has driven significant employment growth in the company and has now resulted in a workforce that has outgrown the current facility.

Kelsius processes over 80 terabytes of data each year to support the growing demands of customers who require a secure and reliable digital temperature monitoring system. It manages billions of customer records, providing customers with a safe and secure environment for their data which they can easily access for reports and audits.

The expansion plan will allow the company to continue to serve current customers with the highest levels of support and to welcome new customers who are looking for a cost-effective digital solution that provides the most advanced technology and excellent customer service.

Kelsius’ growth plans include:

• Facility expansion: As Kelsius’ customer base grows and new functionality is delivered to existing customers, this expansion will accommodate increased production requirements.
• Next-generation product development: The project will enable a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. With software development and manufacturing co-located, the new facility will allow for a more streamlined, efficient and collaborative environment.
• Global Expansion: As the demand for Kelsius’ wireless temperature monitoring and digital HACCP systems continues to grow worldwide, the expansion positions Kelsius to meet the needs of an ever-growing customer base.
• Sustainability: Kelsius has been rated amongst the top 25% of companies assessed by EcoVadis, a global and trusted provider of business sustainability ratings. The expanded facility will be built to a B2 building energy rating (BER) standard which allows Kelsius to maximise energy efficiencies and reduce its carbon emissions.

Increasing demand for temperature monitoring and HACCP solutions

Commenting on the expansion, Kelsius CEO Karl Simmons said, “Because the Kelsius system is so easy to install and use, we’re experiencing an ever-increasing demand for our advanced temperature monitoring and HACCP solutions. This is a testament to the quality and innovation that Kelsius brings to the food and life sciences sectors. From single-site to larger multisite operations, clients use our system as a time-saving and cost-effective way to protect food, medicines and laboratory stocks. Our expansion plans will allow us to build on this demand as we continue to provide our excellent service to existing customers and to welcome new clients globally.

“We continue to work closely with Údarás na Gaeltachta who have been extremely supportive to Kelsius over the years and again now in helping us to make this expansion project happen. I want to thank them for their continued assistance in driving our growth plans.”

Today Kelsius exports its products and services to 47 countries. It monitors temperatures for customers on every continent, enabled by tens of thousands of devices distributed at customer sites, including wireless sensors and probes and centralised network controllers. This is done on a 24/7 basis for businesses in the food and healthcare sectors, protecting food products and protecting medicines in hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories and blood science facilities.

About Kelsius: Kelsius is a leading manufacturer of wireless temperature monitoring systems and digital HACCP solutions. The company has a commitment to innovation and driving safety in the food and pharmaceutical sectors. Kelsius empowers businesses across the globe to ensure the integrity and safety of their operations as it delivers on its mission to make the world a safer place for consumers of food and medicine. Kelsius currently employs 92 people. Current Kelsius customers include Tesco, Sodexo, Aramark, NHS, Roche Diagnostics, Abbott, Baxter, Musgrave and BWG. Kelsius is backed by the Quinn family (ex Superquinn) and WDC Western Development Commission. For more information visit www.kelsius.com.

Kelsius Fact Sheet:

• Kelsius processes and safely stores over 80 terabytes of data each year to support its customers and the data they rely on for their temperature monitoring and HACCP processes.
• In the past 10 years alone, Kelsius has managed over 70 billion customer records.
• The company processes over 100 billion database queries each year.
• Kelsius has 77,800 monitoring devices deployed around the world, recording business-critical data that protects sensitive pharmaceutical, medical and blood products, as well as food products and ingredients. Reliable data management is essential for companies operating in the food and life sciences sectors, which are highly regulated and audited frequently.
• The type of records that are safely and securely stored by Kelsius on behalf of its customers include temperature recordings, humidity recordings, user profiles and activity, live and historical data, alerts, and product data such as delivery information and batch codes.
• Kelsius processes and stores data in the EU and is GDPR compliant. Data is retained for 30+ years and strict access controls include multi-factor authentication, roles and permissions.
• Kelsius not only provides customers with the most reliable and robust systems that will protect their data to the highest standards, but it also makes data user-friendly and easy to access. This allows for ease of reporting for management whether on-site or remotely, and for quick and easy access during audits and inspections where data is required based on locations, products, dates, or other selected filters.

Downloads:

• Karl Simmons, CEO Kelsius: Download
• Eamonn Quinn, Chairman Kelsius: Download
• Architectural drawings of new Kelsius building in Falcarragh, Co Donegal including expanded manufacturing facility: Download

 

For people living with severe allergies, specific foods and drinks can be a potential threat that they live with every day. Around a quarter of the global population have a food allergy, food-intolerance, or a relate illness. In the world of allergies and food intolerances, we have much more knowledge than ever before, and the foodservice industry has become more proactive when it comes to catering for specific allergies and dietary requirements.

 

Evidence suggests that the number of food allergy related incidents is increasing worldwide. In New Zealand, the annual food-induced anaphylaxis hospital presentation rate increased almost three-fold between 2006 and 2015. In the US, the incidents of food-related anaphylaxis in children and adults increased by 177% between 2004 and 2016. And in the UK the prevalence of all types of allergies including food allergies appeared to be increasing in children between 2006 and 2020, based on a sevenfold increase in new allergy appointment capacity to meet the growing demand.

With increases in the rate of food allergies worldwide – some potentially fatal – improved testing to detect allergens, and the prevalence of legislation for food allergens, it is critically important that food businesses ensure that customers are aware of food allergens. Customers need to be able to make informed and safe choices and they can only do this when food labelling and the information provided is accurate and up-to-date.

Five steps to food allergen compliance.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland outlines the five steps that help food businesses to be compliant with allergens legislation.

1. By law, food businesses must declare the use of the 14 food allergens in writing. These allergens are:

• celery
• cereals containing gluten (found in barley and oats)
• crustaceans (such as shrimps, crabs, and lobsters)
• eggs
• fish
• lupin
• milk
• molluscs
• mustard
• peanuts
• sesame
• soybeans
• sulphur dioxide and sulphites (if at a concentration of more than ten parts per million (ppm))
• tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios, and macadamia nuts)

2. Ensure the allergen information is legible and clear: The allergen must be indicated in the list of ingredients with clear reference to the name of the allergen and highlighted in a way that makes it stand out from the other ingredients. For example, this could be through font, style or background colour.
3. Ensure the allergen information is easily accessible to customers: This information can be provided by labelling the allergens contained in individual dishes, or by displaying a sign directing customers to ask staff for allergen information. This information must be visible, clearly legible, and easily accessible to the customer.
4. Ensure the allergen information is up to date: Allergen ingredients information should be included on ingredients labels and all allergens information should be recorded and up to date. This can, for example, be recorded digitally.
5. Monitor your suppliers’ allergen information: Suppliers should disclose, for instance, all allergenic products manufactured in the same facility as the business’s own ingredients. In addition, food businesses should be up to date on suppliers’ allergen testing procedures and preventive measures against cross-contamination.

The importance of food allergen labelling and compliance.

In the UK, the food industry is required to label common allergens in their products under the UK’s Food Information (Amendment) Regulations 2019, commonly known as ‘Natasha’s Law’. The introduction of the legislation has heightened awareness of food labelling compliance which is essential for food businesses to launch successful products that are safe for consumers to eat.

Food businesses must declare the presence of food allergens used as ingredients in their foods. High profile cases of issues with allergen packaging shows how important it is for food retailers to ensure that foods are labelled correctly, that allergen information is easily accessible, and that ingredients can be traced necessary.

As well as highlighting which foods contain allergens, labelling also serves to highlight allergen-free alternatives, ensuring that customers with allergies still have safe options to choose from.

While the growing awareness and prevalence of allergies increases the importance of compliance for food businesses and their obligations, digital solutions can help food business owners to implement safe allergens management.

• Digitalising allergen folders improves efficiencies as customers can find the information they need quickly and easily.
• This also reduces the need for paper stocks from the business, saves time spent printing, and removes the associated costs.
• Most importantly, with the ability to update digital folders more quickly and from any location remotely, it reduces the risk of human error where paper folders might not be updated by staff, sheets are overlooked, or folders in multiple locations are not updated in a timely manner or are updated at different times.

To learn about solutions for food businesses that make food allergen management safer, easier and more efficient, contact Kelsius. Our aim is to make the world safer for consumers food, through automated and digital processes that help save time and save costs.

We have solutions for allergens information management that we can tailor for your food business.