Quality Assurance Program

The VDC Quality Assurance Laboratory includes knowledgeable staff and state of the art testing equipment to ensure quality products at the lowest prices.

Instron Universal Tester	Rockwell Hardness Tester	Hobart Fat Analyzer	Drying Oven

Used to determine the break strength of paper products, linens (towels, washcloths, sheets, pillowcases) and plastic can liners; tear strength of linens; % elongation (stretch) of can liners before they break/tear.	Used to determine the hardness of metals, specifically stainless steel flatware stocked by VDC.	Used to determine the % fat in ground beef and the meat portion of breaded meats.	Used to determine % solids in certain food items such as mustard and canned puddings; % solids in non-food items such as liquid hand soap and liquid floor wax.
Counter Type Balance	Industrial Kitchen Equipment - Convection Oven	Industrial Kitchen Equipment - Mixer	Sampling Evaluations

Used to determine the net weight of miscellaneous warehouse items weighing less than 24 lbs. Balance is equipped with a Stat-Pac which calculates the average weight when weighing multiple samples of the same item, standard deviation, % of items not within stated weight tolerance, etc. A printer is also attached which provides physical documentation of weight results. (A floor balance is also part of the equipment and is used for items over 24 lbs. It is on rollers and can be moved into the warehouse for on-site weighing.)	The Quality Assurance Program also includes a kitchen complete with industrial equipment such as: convection oven, conventional oven, triple wash sinks, disposal, refrigerator, freezer plus laundry equipment.	VDC Quality Assurance Program Lab Specialist, Alice Gray prepares cake batter in the industrial Hobart mixer.	The Quality Assurance Lab conducts routine, random sampling evaluations on contract items, Qualified Products List items (QPL) , and spot purchases. Here cake mixes are prepared to compare and test bid samples for a recent contract renewal.