With all the emphasis on food safety, why do problems keep happening?
A recent outbreak at Boar’s Head linked to Listeria contamination resulted in 10 deaths and 59 hospitalizations across 19 states. This led to a recall of over 7 million pounds of deli meats. And more than 100 McDonald’s customers were hospitalized due to a Cyclospora outbreak linked to their salads, leading to recalls across multiple states.
These aren’t rare occurrences. According to an October, 2024 article in Vox, cases of food-borne illnesses have been on the upswing, with frequent outbreaks involving Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli, linked to food products such as deli meats, salads, and dairy.
What’s going on?
One reason for the problem is that the modern food processing chain is so complex, and involves so many different entities, that safety is inherently hard to ensure. Every stage of food production poses the risk of contamination, and there are a lot of stages. Even industry giants with extensive safety protocols are not immune.
“Our supply system has become so complicated that there are more and more blind spots that are allowed to exist and allowed to be ignored throughout the system,” according Darin Detwiler, a food processing expert at Northeastern University.
The truth is, there is no single answer to the food safety problem. Every part of the food processing chain must be made as safe and contaminant-free as possible.
Where are the “weak links”?
Two areas of food processing that can definitely be improved are conveyors and packaging. These represent weak links because they introduce new opportunities for pathogens to contaminate the food product.
To keep equipment and packaging sanitized, food producers are still using the same methods that were in use a century ago—chemicals and heat. Chemicals are difficult to work with near food products and create other hazards, while heat doesn’t work well with many materials including plastics.
XENON Pulsed Light can improve results in both of these cases. It uses broad-spectrum, high-intensity UV light pulses to effectively reduce bacteria and pathogens while preserving the quality of food packaging materials. Studies have shown that Pulsed Light can achieve reductions of up to 6 logs in mere seconds, depending on the specific pathogen and treatment conditions. Importantly, it’s approved by the FDA for use in food processing.
In packaging applications, Pulsed Light has demonstrated high efficacy in treating surfaces, making it particularly valuable for items like yogurt cups, which can be challenging to sanitize thoroughly with chemicals or heat.
XENON pulsed UV lamp housings are installed in-line for continuous yogurt cup and lid decontamination.
XENON’s Pulsed Light is also highly effective for sanitizing conveyors and other surfaces within food processing lines. It can significantly reduce contamination risks without introducing chemical residues or compromising temperature-sensitive components. And it reduces the need for frequent wash-downs of conveyor lines.
See for yourself at Pack Expo 2024
There’s no single solution to food safety, but Pulsed Light can improve some of the weakest links in the food production chain. And, the technology can be installed in both new and existing production lines.
We invite you to see for yourself. XENON will be exhibiting at Pack Expo in Chicago from November 3-5, 2024. Stop by our booth to learn more. Or contact us today to learn how XENON Pulsed Light solutions can increase the safety of your food processing operations.