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- How colour-coded Vikan cleaning tools cut cross-contamination in NZ food sites. Zoning, storage, the full range and trade pricing.
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Colour-Coded Cleaning Tools in NZ
A cleaning tool can spread contamination as easily as it removes it. The same brush that scrubs a floor drain should never touch a food contact surface. Colour coding is the simplest way to make sure it doesn't, and the Vikan hygiene system is the one most food sites around the world use.
This guide explains how colour-coded cleaning works, what the Vikan system includes, and how to build one in a New Zealand food manufacturing site, kitchen or retail store. Each section links to a deeper guide.
What is the Vikan hygiene system?
Vikan is a Danish manufacturer of colour-coded cleaning tools built for food safety and hygiene-critical environments. Its head office is in Skive, Denmark, and its international site says it has a distributor network in more than 90 countries. Vikan describes colour coding as something it invented, now an industry standard in most of the world.
In Australia and New Zealand, R.D. Wells presents itself as the exclusive importer of the Vikan hygiene range. Hygiene Direct stocks the full range for NZ trade customers in our Vikan Pro Hygiene Cleaning Tools category.
How colour coding works
Every cleaning tool is given a colour for a particular area or task. Staff only use that tool in its zone. If a tool turns up in the wrong place, the colour makes it obvious straight away. Vikan says this reduces the risk of cross-contamination from microbes, food residues, allergens, chemicals and foreign bodies.
Vikan's range comes in up to 12 colours. Its own examples are red for high-risk areas, yellow for low-risk areas, blue for food contact surfaces and green for floors. Your site can choose different colours, as long as the scheme is written down and everyone follows it. Our guide to what colour-coded cleaning is covers the basics, and how to build a hygienic zoning plan walks through the steps.
Why it matters at audit time
Colour coding supports HACCP programmes. Vikan says its range supports food safety standards including FSSC 22000, BRCGS, IFS and SQF. On hygienic design, Vikan quotes BRCGS clause 4.11.6: cleaning equipment must be hygienically designed and fit for purpose.
Vikan also states that its food-contact plastic tools are documented as compliant with EU and US food-grade regulations, and that it supplies a Declaration of Compliance for each tool. See Vikan's compliance page. Always check the Declaration of Compliance for the exact products you buy.
What's in the range
The range covers every common cleaning task in a food site. Browse by product type:
- Tube & Pipe Brushes: for pipes, tubes and valves. See how to clean pipes, tubes and valves.
- Dish Brushes and Hand & Utility Brushes: for washing, scrubbing and detail work. Our brush stiffness guide helps you choose.
- Squeegees: for clearing water off floors, walls and tables. See choosing a food-safe squeegee.
- Scrapers: for dried-on residue. See hand scrapers explained.
- Shovels and Scoops: for moving ingredients and waste. See shovels and scoops for food handling.
- Dustpan Sets & Accessories: for dry cleaning and spills.
- Handles for Mops, Brushes and Brooms and Accessories & Couplings: one handle system across the whole range. See Vikan handles explained.
- Wall Brackets & Storage: a home for every tool. See cleaning tool storage and 5S.
Storage is half the system
A colour-coded tool that lives on the floor defeats the purpose. Wall-mounted storage keeps tools off the floor, in their own zone, and easy to check at the end of a shift. It also fits neatly with 5S lean programmes, which Vikan's colour coding is designed to support.
Who it's for
- Food and beverage manufacturers. Plants face constant pressure to prevent contamination while keeping production moving. See Vikan's page on food and beverage processing.
- Food retail. Supermarkets and stores mix public floors with back-of-house prep. See food retail.
- Kitchens and food service. The same colour logic works on a smaller scale. Start with our commercial kitchen cleaning tool checklist.
Getting started
If you're starting from scratch, a site survey is the quickest way to see what you need. Vikan runs site surveys that end in a customised hygiene action plan, and R.D. Wells lists site surveys among its services in ANZ. Ask which service is available for your site.
When you're ready to buy, open a trade account with Hygiene Direct for bulk pricing across the full Vikan colour range.
FAQ
What are colour-coded cleaning tools? Cleaning tools made in different colours so each colour is used only in a set area or for a set task, reducing cross-contamination.
How many colours does Vikan make? Up to 12 colours across the range. Not every product comes in every colour.
Does colour coding help with food safety audits? Vikan says its range supports HACCP and standards including BRCGS, FSSC 22000, IFS and SQF. Auditors will still expect a written scheme and evidence that staff follow it.
Where can I buy Vikan tools in NZ? Hygiene Direct stocks the Vikan range for trade customers. Browse the Vikan category or call 0800 828 4426.