Antimicrobial Applications In Food Services & Control

Food Safety Regulations & Antimicrobial Product Protection

Food recalls have become part of our global reality. Even as regulations continue to expand, hygiene lapses in the industry are an ongoing concern.

The incorporation of built-in antimicrobial technology for food contact surfaces enables food industry professionals to maintain cleaner environments for the storage, delivery, processing, preparation and serving of food consumed by people and animals. Food service products enhanced with Microban technologies have an added layer of protection against the growth of bacteria that is active 24/7, for the life of the product. These technologies result in an up to 99.9% reduction in bacteria on food contact surfaces, providing added defense against the lapses in performance that are known to be part of the food journey.

If you manufacture products and equipment utilized in food service, contact us today to learn how our turnkey approach to antimicrobial incorporation can take your products to the next level.

Food Contact Surfaces: Breeding Grounds for Bacteria

The presence of bacteria in food processing facilities is a catalyst for illness and premature food spoilage. By the nature of the food service environment, food contact surfaces are readily contaminated by bacteria in the environment, from human contact and from food residues. Re-use of items for multiple purposes, moisture and non-adherence to cleaning and sanitizing regimens can make these conditions even worse.

While food safety regulations are in place to control contamination, there are human, material, and equipment lapses that result in food-contact surfaces being visually clean, but harboring harmful bacteria. Integration of antimicrobial technologies can be an important part of a system approach to maintaining cleaner surfaces for foodborne illness prevention.

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Food Contact Approved Antimicrobials & Food Safety Regulations

While the application of built-in antimicrobial technologies in products that come in contact with food is an important innovation for the industry, regulatory restrictions on the use of certain additives for food contact can be a challenge for manufacturers to negotiate. Specific agencies regulate the implementation of antimicrobials in different regions of the world. Manufacturers of products in the food service category must identify partners that utilize antimicrobial actives that are specifically registered for direct food contact. The Microban portfolio of actives includes technologies that are registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the US and comply with the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR) in Europe for direct food contact.

In addition, the expansion of food safety regulations globally have made it even more important that manufacturers are proactive in their efforts to create cleaner food service environments. The use of technology and innovation at each stage along the food journey is being encouraged - but the reliability of these of features is of paramount importance. The regulatory team at Microban is focused on tracking regulations across a wide variety of industries around the world, including food service, to ensure that our solutions are compliant.

Microorganism	Commonly associated foods	Control measures during transport
*Salmonella*	Meats, eggs, fruits, vegetables, dry foods, like spices and raw tree nuts	Salmonella bacterium is hard to wash from food, even with soapy water, so important measures for preventing Salmonella foodborne illnesses include keeping raw foods separated from cooked foods, and keeping foods refrigerated at 40ºF or below
*Campylobacter*	Poultry products, unpasteurized (“raw”) milk and cheeses made from unpasteurized milk, and contaminated water	Typically, each contaminated poultry carcass can carry 100 to 100,000 Campylobacter cells. Avoiding cross contamination of uncooked items from raw meat and poultry products, thorough good hygienic practices
*E. coli*	Raw beef products, raw milk, unpasteurized fruit juices, produce contaminated with fecal matter	Escherichia coli is part of the normal intestinal flora in the human gut so avoid transmission through good hygienic practices; keeping raw foods separated from cooked foods, and keeping foods refrigerated at 40ºF or below
*Listeria*	Raw milk, inadequately pasteurized milk, chocolate milk, cheeses (particularly soft cheeses), ice cream, raw vegetables, raw poultry and meats, fermented raw-meat sausages, hot dogs and deli meats, and raw and smoked fish and other seafood	L. monocytogenes can grow in refrigerated temperatures, making this organism a problem for the food industry. Potential contamination sources include food workers, incoming air, raw materials, food processing environments, and food-contact surfaces. Avoid cross contamination thorough good hygienic practices

What Types of Food Contact Surfaces Benefit from Antimicrobial Protection?

Depending on the type of food service environment you are considering, there are a number of surfaces that can be enhanced by the addition of antimicrobial technology. Microban's portfolio of antimicrobial food contact registered technologies can be specially formulated for integration in a wide range of food service materials, including plastics, ceramics and coatings.

The addition of Microban additives creates a cleaner between cleanings solution for: