How Technology Is Working To Improve Food Safety And Combat Food Insecurity

How Technology Is Working To Improve Food Safety And Combat Food Insecurity Originally Posted on Forbes.com

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 13.5 million American households have low or very low food security. That’s a lot of hungry families. At the same time, the USDA estimates that 30% to 40% of the American food supply is wasted. Spoilage of fresh food is a big contributor to the problem, and if we could extend the shelf life of fresh food, we could make progress toward an overall solution.

Primarily, fresh food spoils from bacteria, viruses and fungi. These essentially eat fresh food from the surface inward, causing furry patches, spots, wilting and other undesirable effects. While food can also dry out over time, it takes far longer for this to occur than spoilage from germs. Food spoilage forces us to discard produce because its quality has dropped to a point where it becomes undesirable.

Another cause of waste is food safety. Food can become infected by E. coli, salmonella, listeria and other bacteria and germs, which can cause sickness and possibly be life-threatening even when infected foods appear fine.

Fighting Food Spoilage

To combat food spoilage, the industry typically uses disinfectants and refrigeration. It uses disinfectants during produce packaging, and then ships fresh produce in refrigerated trucks. For meats, it disinfects processing plants regularly and largely relies on refrigeration or freezing during storage and transport to keep harmful germs at bay. Unfortunately, refrigeration doesn’t kill harmful bacteria and molds—it simply slows the rate at which they degrade food—and in some cases, it doesn’t slow them very much. Fresh blueberries, for example, can start to become moldy within five to 10 days.

Because refrigeration merely slows pathogen growth, the longer it takes to transport fresh food to markets, the more likely it is that some of the food will be spoiled on arrival. This is particularly true in American "food deserts," disadvantaged communities that lack large chain grocery stores and must rely on "mom and pop" stores that receive deliveries less frequently.

Three Types Of Germ-Killing Technologies

To solve these challenges, several different approaches to killing harmful pathogens are being used or developed in the food industry:

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1. Disinfectant sprays: These work very well to kill germs when and where they are applied. Like all disinfectants, however, disinfectants are temporary. New germs often appear on disinfected food within 24 hours, and the sprays are applied only in the field and prior to packaging, not during transit. In addition, sprays only kill pathogens on contact, so hidden areas on leafy vegetables can continue to harbor germs.

2. Ultraviolet (UV-C) lighting: This is another effective germicide solution for food. UV-C light emits a high-frequency, shortwave electromagnetic radiation that effectively kills bacteria, viruses and many harmful microorganisms by altering cellular DNA, rendering them unable to reproduce. With the right dose, UV-C radiation is incredibly effective at neutralizing many kinds of biohazards, including bacteria and viruses. UV-C disinfection works by sufficient light energy falling on a surface, and this is measured in joules. The rate at which energy is pumped out is measured in watts, where 1 watt is the same as 1 joule per second. The higher the dose, the greater the level of disinfection.

As with disinfectant sprays, however, UV-C light only kills pathogens on the surfaces where the light reaches—it doesn’t reach hidden nooks and crannies in lettuce or the undersides of other vegetables, fruits and meats.

3. Ozone gas: The FDA and USDA have approved ozone for use in disinfecting water, produce and meats. One of the upsides to using ozone is that it can permeate the entire space where it is distributed, so it reaches bacteria hidden in food nooks and crannies. As with spray disinfectants and UV-C radiation, ozone kills pathogens, but it is also harmful or even fatal to humans in high concentrations. The challenge in disinfecting food with ozone has always been finding a way to regulate the concentration of ozone in the atmosphere of a room or shipping container. Internet of Things (IoT) networks and sensors, though, have made it possible to deliver ozone in the right atmospheric concentrations to properly disinfect food.

All of the above technologies are now being used to reduce pathogens in the food production chain, but to date, there has been limited use on food in transit. While it's problematic to equip transport trucks or cargo containers with disinfectant spray systems, automated UV-C and ozone dispersion systems are showing real promise in keeping foods pathogen-free until they reach markets.

In order to take modern disinfectant technology to its next level, though, the industry will need to continue working on automation technology and lowering costs. While spray disinfectant systems are fairly inexpensive, UV-C and ozone distribution systems are still relatively expensive. Ideally, every food transport vehicle, production facility and warehouse would be equipped with automated systems that turn on UV-C and ozone systems overnight, when they can eliminate pathogens without impacting workers.

Conclusion

Extending the shelf life of fresh food can significantly reduce food spoilage. Food that lasts longer in (or on its way to) grocery stores and food banks will ultimately reach more people and can help point the way toward addressing the hunger crisis in America.