By David Litwak
Equipment is key to supermarket food safety, and proper maintenance is key to the equipment’s effectiveness.
Retailers, manufacturers and consumers share a common concern about the food sold in the nation’s supermarkets: Is it safe and free from bacteria that will cause illness? Retailers and suppliers want to make sure that products start out wholesome and then remain pure, while consumers are rightfully concerned about what they feed their families.
So, is it safe? The answer depends on whom you ask and at what point in a product’s lifecycle you ask the question. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is estimated that 76 million illnesses result each year from foodborne pathogens, of which 325,000 require hospitalizations and 5,000 end in death. Foodborne illnesses cost an amount estimated to be at least $10 billion and possibly as high as $83 billion each year.
If something does go wrong, the consumer will invariably blame the supermarket for any illnesses suffered as a result of eating something bought in the store. It doesn’t matter that most such problems can be traced to the manufacturer; in the consumer’s mind, the supermarket is the ultimate caretaker of any fresh, perishable foods.
Within the supermarket, food safety is very much an equipment and maintenance issue. Mention the topic and refrigeration systems automatically pop into most people’s minds, but refrigeration is by no means the only system or equipment that directly impacts food safety. There are also the HVAC system; the humidity-control system; food-prep appliances such as cooking equipment, chillers and holding cabinets; heated and chilled merchandisers; air curtains on the dock doors; pest-eradication equipment; produce misters; drainage systems; packaging systems; hand sanitizers and many other elements. One of the most important pieces is the everyday broom.
“Food safety equipment has two functions,” says Dwayne Johnson, principal of Boston-based Sanitation Engineering Associates. “The aim of the equipment that is used in supermarkets is to retard the growth of any harmful pathogens and to prolong shelf life of the product. So, retailers are trying to use their equipment to keep the products safe, and by doing that they will get longer shelf life to sell a better-looking and tasting product. Because the pathogens don’t just harm whoever eventually eats the product, they also diminish the chances of that product being sold in the first place.”
Johnson points out that while shoppers generally can’t see the bacteria on a fresh product, given enough time they will always see the effects of the bacteria. “Fresh foods are very much product time bombs,” he says. “These products begin to degrade immediately and the rate of degradation is directly related to the amount of pathogens on the product and the rate at which they are multiplying.”
ATTACKING PATHOGENS
When most people in the industry speak about food safety equipment, they are talking about apparatus that will slow or halt the multiplication of pathogens. Common types include refrigeration equipment, which to varying degrees, depending on temperature range, will either slow the rate of pathogen multiplication or stop it altogether. Medium-temperature coolers (40- to 32-degrees F) will greatly slow pathogen propagation, while low-temperature refrigeration (below 32 degrees F) will stop the increase. There is a common belief that freezing will kill all pathogens; however, some can survive below-freezing temperatures, although they will not be able to multiply. The goal of most food holding equipment is to minimize the growth of new pathogens.
“The second approach to safeguarding the safety of fresh foods is to kill the pathogens present in the food,” Johnson says. “This is often done by causing a change in the product itself. For instance, all cooking equipment, if used properly, will kill pathogens, but it also alters the product’s state. However, once that cooked food cools down below 165 degrees F, bacteria can begin to survive on the product and once under 140 degrees F, bacteria can begin to multiply again.”
Not all equipment used to kill pathogens modifies the product. Supermarkets are employing equipment and materials that sterilize product-contact surfaces or the products themselves. Simpler versions include cleaning solutions, antibacterial soaps and many other maintenance products. Steam cleaning systems, such as those used to clean and disinfect meat rooms and other prep areas, display cases, walk-in systems and warewashing systems are also used to kill bacteria on surfaces.
CROSS-CONTAMINATION
“One of the biggest issues in fresh produce is cross-contamination, which is the area in which we primarily deal,” says Tom Daniel, vice president and general manager of Radnor, Pa.-based Sterilox Food Safety, a division of PuriCore. “While retailers must rely on the supplier to bring them quality, wholesome product, there still is a lot of opportunity to contaminate produce in the chain of custody whether it occurs in the field, the distribution center or the back room of a retail store. What our system does is focus on killing bacteria—especially spoilage microorganisms that impact the shelf life of the product. We believe our systems provide a significant impact on the solution in the end of the supply chain if something has been contaminated somewhere along the way. We are probably the last line of defense.”
Sterilox is a solution that acts as a sanitizing aid that is used during the produce crisping process, and is often hooked directly into the department’s misting system. During the crisping process the solution is used instead of plain water. It helps to open up the produce, re-hydrate it and keep it fresher longer. It will kill any organisms on the produce. According to Daniel, the solution is made by mixing salt with water in Sterilox’s own apparatus, which can be installed under a sink or table. The solution, which is produced in the store and on demand, is a hypochlorous acid with a neutral pH. Hypochlorous acid has long been a sanitizing agent in food processing and is used by bagged salad manufacturers to improve shelf life.
“In the misting systems we are able to smoke the lines and remove any bio-film or bacteria that’s built up,” Daniel says. “After the lines have been initially cleaned, we then deliver a maintenance dose that goes into the system every time the mister calls for water. This process will keep the misting heads free from black slime and mold. Misting with solution also helps to further prolong the shelf life of the misted product and reduces the frequency of cleaning the display cases.”
Johnson emphasizes the importance of maintenance. “Even the most sophisticated piece of food safety-related equipment will begin to lose its effectiveness unless it is maintained properly,” he says. “Poorly maintained equipment will degrade just as product does.”
