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Food-Grade Shovels and Scoops for Food Handling NZ

Date: 08-10-2026
General Cleaning Blogs

Food-Grade Shovels and Scoops: Ergonomics, Hygiene and Colour Coding

Moving ingredients and waste is hard on both hygiene and the people doing it. A shovel with joins and crevices holds bacteria, and a poorly designed one strains backs and wrists. This guide covers the Vikan shovels and scoops built for food handling, and how to choose between them.

It's part of our complete guide to colour-coded cleaning tools.

What makes a shovel or scoop hygienic?

  • One-piece construction. No joins mean no places for bacteria to gather, and a smooth surface wipes clean easily. Vikan's one-piece shovels and scoops are designed this way.
  • Smooth, bevelled edges. A bevelled blade scrapes dried-on material and picks up fine, loose debris.
  • Ergonomic design. Comfortable tools get used properly. Vikan's shovels have a D grip so the worker can press down on the top of the shovel to move heavy loads.
  • Colour coding. Use a colour for each zone. Waste scoops don't belong in ingredient zones. See what colour-coded cleaning is.

Ergonomic Shovels (1280 mm and 1310 mm)

The Vikan Ergonomic Shovel is designed around the user's working position. Its curved handle improves posture and keeps the blade in good contact with the floor, and its long handle makes shovelling from the floor easier. Key features include:

  • D grip for applying downward pressure
  • Smaller, flat pan, which suits heavier materials and tighter spaces
  • An isolated grip that stays comfortable in cold environments
  • A one-piece design with fewer harbourage points
  • Suitability for left- and right-handed users

They are made in Denmark from polypropylene and anodised aluminium. Choose an ergonomic shovel for working at floor level and for shovelling from container to container.

Hygienic Shovel with D Grip (1035 mm)

The 1035 mm hygienic shovel has a straight handle that is familiar to most users and easy to manoeuvre. It has a large, flat pan for bulk materials, ingredients and waste, plus a bevelled blade. It is made in one piece from polypropylene. Choose it where you need to move larger volumes and prefer a classic straight handle.

Hand Scoops (0.5, 1 and 2 litres)

Vikan's hand scoops are lightweight and made in one piece. They suit moving food ingredients and large quantities of food waste, and they handle fine powders, grains, wet ingredients and even ice. Features include:

  • Flat sides and bottom for scraping the inside of storage bins
  • A handle notch that rests on the side of a Vikan bucket
  • A drop-shaped hanging hole that stops liquid pooling and makes storage easy

The 2 litre size moves bulk quickly. The 1 litre is a good all-rounder, and the 0.5 litre suits smaller containers and portion work. Vikan also makes round bowl scoops in 1 and 2 litre sizes.

Quick guide

Job

Suggested tool

Shovelling from the floor or container to container

Ergonomic Shovel

Bulk ingredients or waste, straight handle preferred

Hygienic Shovel with D Grip

Scooping powders, grains and wet ingredients from bins

Hand Scoop

Small containers and portions

0.5 litre Hand Scoop

Storing shovels and scoops

Long-handled shovels are awkward to store on the floor. Hang them on wall brackets in their zone, and use the hanging hole on scoops. See cleaning tool storage and 5S.

Shop Vikan shovels and scoops

Browse Shovels and Scoops, or open a trade account with Hygiene Direct for bulk pricing across the full Vikan colour range.

Related reading: Cleaning tool storage and 5S and The commercial kitchen cleaning tool checklist.