Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 11th April 2024 Issue no. 1109
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Clean Works announces new way to clean food products without using water
Clean Works, based in the Niagara Region of Southern Ontario, has developed an innovative technology that cleans food without using water. The process represents a paradigm shift in the way food products are cleaned.
"Our process, with our strict operating procedures, gets rid of almost all contaminants, bacteria and pathogens on food," says Paul Moyer, co-owner of Clean Works "It reduces health risks by making fruits and vegetables safer to consume, increases their shelf life, and saves significantly on water."
Clean Works breakthrough technology revelation comes at a time when the world is focused on our need to conserve water, with World Water Day falling this month (March 22nd). World Water Day is coordinated by UN-Water - the United Nations inter-agency for all freshwater-related issues. The organisation's Sustainable Development Goals include having available and sustainable water management for all by the year 2030. That means water that is readily accessible and free from contamination.
"This aligns perfectly with what we are doing at Clean Works," says Mark VanderVeen, president of Clean Works. "Our waterless process helps clean fruits and vegetables to much higher levels of sanitation than traditional systems. It's all about making the world a better place. We understand the effect our process can have on the agri-food industry. It is game changing, here in North America and for the developing world."
Paul Moyer is a 9th-generation farmer in the Niagara Region whose family has been working the land since 1799. He co-founded Moyers Apple Products which won recognition as an innovator when it received the 2017 Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence from the Government of Ontario, and in 2018 it won an Ontario Centre of Excellence award.
The process developed by Clean Works - called Clean Verification - kills harmful pathogens and mould, and helps prevent contaminants from entering the water system. While water alone is only around 50% effective, this process is up to 99.9% effective under the specific conditions. It has been validated by the Food Science Department at the University of Guelph, Canada's leading agri-food institution.
The method is organic and waterless, and can take less than 30 seconds. Using ultraviolet light and vaporised hydrogen peroxide to kill up to 99.9% of pathogens like Listeria, based on Clean Works' controlled operating procedures, it also allows for compliance with regulations. It kills pathogens which create health risks. With the process, Moyers Apple Products has seen the shelf life of its products increase by up to 25%.
Dr Keith Warriner, a University of Guelph food scientist who is considered one of Canada's top authorities in the field, said this takes cleaning to the 'microbiological level'. Benefits accrue for the entire agri-food industry - growers, packers, processors, wholesalers, and retailers.
Clean Works is attracting attention as its innovation moves from lab to market as farmers, processors and retailers learn of the remarkable sanitiser. Interest has come from industry leaders across North America. This includes installations in Ontario, and citrus growers and grape producers in California. The new process has already helped Moyers Apple Products increase sales to more than 4,000 grocery stores across North America.
Says Dr Warriner: "Finally, there's a scientifically validated alternative to washing. I think of Clean Verification as a firewall between the field and the dinner plate."
28th March 2019