The Food Manufacturing Brainstorm features industry experts sharing their perspectives on issues critical to the overall food industry marketplace.
In this four-part series, we ask: Which innovations in sanitation should food manufacturers be aware of and how do they aid in regulatory compliance, as well as boosting consumer confidence?
In an industry where sanitization is measured by the health of our customers, there’s no such thing as being too safe. Even after taking all the standard precautions, food and beverage manufacturers continue to explore innovative and sustainable methods for maintaining a pathogen-free environment.
One solution that food safety professionals have turned to for over 100 years is ozone. While there’s nothing new about ozone-based sanitation — it’s helped disinfect drinking water since 1893 — recent innovations that distribute ozone as a vapor using automated controls have made it far more reliable than in the past, particularly for whole-room sanitization. Prior ozone delivery techniques faced difficulties such as inconsistent application in certain environments, whereas automated advanced oxidation ozone technology for whole-room sanitization delivers consistent results, even in the most challenging environments.
Advanced oxidation whole room ozone sanitization penetrates a space completely — infiltrating even difficult-to-reach areas such as drains, fabrics and hidden spaces in equipment.
Conventional sanitization methods, though effective against contamination in most facilities, can encounter challenges in certain manufacturing sites that may not have been designed according to the latest “best practices” in hygiene standards. In these situations, whole-room ozone sanitization provides additional control of harmful pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli and Salmonella.
Contaminates in any part of a food manufacturing facility put customers’ health in jeopardy and can lead to a product recall, a costly endeavor that hinders brand trust and bears serious financial consequences. To comply with current industry regulations and standards, food processors must demonstrate a comprehensive safety plan that accounts for all of the risk and variables at play.
When used in conjunction with traditional cleaning and sanitization methods, whole-room ozone sanitization answers this need, providing food manufactures with an extra layer of defense against contamination.
Though pathogen control will always remain a concern, safety innovations such as advanced oxidation whole-room ozone sanitization help food manufacturing professionals provide food that is safe and of the highest quality.
Tony Reed, Business Development Manager for Food Safety, Dow Microbial Control
