Devon Zagory, Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Food Safety & Quality Programs for NSF Davis Fresh<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Chlorine has been a long-standing industry wash standard, but chlorine can be a poor sanitizer in the presence of organic matter and dirty water, and it's not really doing what people believe it’s doing. The first step is to come up with ways that allow us to better measure, monitor, and understand the capabilities and pitfalls of current wash systems in use. If we can do this, many operators will come to the conclusion that their current wash system is not doing as well as they thought.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Jim Brennan, SmartWash Solutions President <hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Cross contamination is probably the single biggest fear that processors face, and these second-generation wash systems address questions of how to prevent the spread of pathogens. It’s useful to think of pathogens and food safety as having three components: Source, Spread, and Survival. If processors guard against the three S’s, they can significantly enhance food safety and minimize the chances of an outbreak.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Trevor Suslow, Extension Research Specialist, UC Davis<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The various improvements that have happened over the past decade in terms of food safety are that researchers have refined our understanding of the minimum doses required to prevent cross contamination and to achieve reduction of food surface pathogens. Researchers have also combined antimicrobial chemistries with the mechanical action of process water to improve the stability of disinfectants added to the water. Many different components are coming together as industry leaders continue to evolve and improve process management.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
