Hypochlorous acid offers myriad advantages for food safety

Francine Shaw, a food safety specialist, founder of Savvy Food Safety, and author of “Who Watches the Kitchen?” sat down with Morten Larsen, CTO of EcoloxTech, to discuss the importance of food safety and sanitation for food businesses.

Francine Shaw: Why are food safety and sanitation so essential for food businesses?

Morten Larsen: Food businesses must prioritize food safety, as 48 million people get sick and 3,000 die from preventable foodborne illnesses every year in the U.S. Let’s work proactively to prevent them!

FS: Why is it important to build and maintain a food safety culture? 

ML: The benefits of a strong food safety culture include boosting awareness, responsibility and accountability among employees. A strong culture empowers employees to follow proper protocols, take ownership of food safety efforts, etc. It can also improve your business performance, elevating operational efficiency, optimizing processes and increasing productivity. And it can help reduce the financial, legal and reputational damage of food safety breaches. Additionally, a strong food safety culture can help you meet key stakeholders’ demands for meticulously clean environments.

FS: How can food businesses prevent foodborne illness outbreaks?

ML: Human error contributes to many foodborne illness outbreaks. If an employee cross-contaminates, prepping raw poultry on a cutting board and then prepping a salad on that same cutting board, they can transfer harmful bacteria from the raw proteins to the ready-to-eat foods. Employees may also take “shortcuts,” such as not washing their hands or completing inspection checklists properly.

Explain the importance of food safety protocols. Make hand-washing non-negotiable, as this is one of the most important things people can do to keep food safe. Don’t cross-contaminate. 

Avoid time-temperature abuse. Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. Allowing foods to fall into the “danger zone” significantly increases the risk of bacteria. Check temperatures of foods upon delivery and refuse any within that “danger zone.” If food arrives at your facility in unsafe conditions, there’s nothing you can do to make it safe later.

FS: Why is ongoing food safety training so critical?

ML: Food safety training should be an ongoing effort for all employees, whether they’ve been with your organization for two hours or two decades. Provide continuous refresher courses to keep proper food safety protocols top-of-mind. Only training employees when they first come on board — and then never training them again — is a huge mistake.

It’s not enough just to tell employees what to do; it’s also essential to explain why the rules are in place. Instead of telling staff to store raw proteins on the bottom shelf of walk ins, explain that if these items are stored on higher shelves and their juices drip down, they could contaminate ready-to-eat foods. Once employees understand the reasons behind the rules, they’ll be more likely to comply.

FS: Are certain foods more prone to food safety breaches than others?

ML: Fresh produce causes more foodborne illnesses than any other food, so pre-wash produce with a food-safe sanitizer like hypochlorous acid (HOCL) to eliminate dirt, feces and other contaminants. Of course, other foods can also cause food safety breaches, and HOCL can also help eliminate bacteria and pathogens on the surfaces of meat, poultry and seafood.

FS: What are your best tips for keeping food companies’ spaces clean and sanitized?

ML: Clean and sanitize spaces properly to prevent the spread of foodborne illness. Cleaning is an important first step to remove food residue, oils, grease and dirt from surfaces. After properly cleaning surfaces and equipment, sanitize these areas to reduce and eliminate harmful bacteria and pathogens. Surfaces and equipment are not properly and thoroughly clean until they have been cleaned and sanitized.

Clean and sanitize everything that comes into contact with food or people, including counters, table tops, floors, restrooms, doorknobs, dishes, utensils, coolers, freezers, deli slicers, etc.

Not all sanitizers are created equally, so choose a product that’s effective, safe and sustainable. For instance, HOCL is popular in the food industry because it’s food-safe, yet 99.9% effective against harmful pathogens, including E. coli, salmonella, listeria, influenza, COVID and norovirus.

HOCL offers significant benefits for food and beverage businesses. It’s cost-effective, improves products’ shelf life, decreases labor costs, mitigates risks, lowers expenses and boosts profitability. And since it’s rinse-free, it saves time, effort and water, offering a significant advantage in food and beverage processing environments, where speed and efficiency are crucial.

HOCL is an incredibly versatile sanitizer, suitable for use as a fog, spray mist or soak application. Utilizing either a cold fogger or an electrostatic sprayer, HOCL can efficiently disinfect a variety of surfaces and environments. Its safety on skin and nontoxic nature make it ideal for direct use in areas where people are present and actively working. This flexibility and safety make HOCL one of the most practical and effective sanitizers available in the industry today.

FS: Where can people go for more information about food safety tips, advice, resources and best practices?

ML: There are a variety of reliable sources for this type of information, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and FoodSafety.gov.