March/April 2020 - 6

FOOD SAFETY WATER TREATMENT
Purified
water
H2O TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY
ENHANCES FOOD SAFETY,
REDUCES WATER USE
By Melanie Epp
Contributing Writer
THE CENTERS FOR Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) reports one in six Americans gets sick from eating
contaminated food each year. Pressure on producers,
processors and food retailers to reduce foodborne illnesses
and outbreaks has increased as a result.
While processors often look to end-of-line solutions
to improve wash water hygiene, according to Dutch
company VAM WaterTech many of today's water hygiene
challenges can be addressed at the pre-wash stage. The
benefits include enhanced food safety, longer shelf life
and significantly reduced water usage. Company director
Hans Blaak explained.
6 MARCH/APR I L 2 02 0
Food contamination can occur anywhere in the supply
chain - particularly in washing, packing and processing
plants. Washing produce with water removes most harmful
bacteria such as salmonella, listeria and E. coli, as well
as pesticide residues, and fungi and mold spores. But
contaminants left on the surface of produce can continue
to multiply if not properly removed from the produce or
the washing water. Contamination can and will spread in
fruits and vegetables that are washed in unclean water,
leading to massive waste due to recalls.
Hygiene isn't the only stressor when it comes to wash water.
Concerns about water scarcity have also put pressure on
processors to reduce or reuse wash water wherever possible.
In Europe, unless processors can prove that water quality will
not impact food safety, legislation states that recycled water
must be of the same standard as drinking water.
At the international level, the FAO stipulates that re-circulated
water intended for reuse should be treated and maintained in
a way that it poses no risk to food safety. According to Blaak,
these demands make the recycling and reuse of processing
water particularly challenging, but not impossible. But replacing
process water with drinkable water every time a new batch
of fruits or vegetables needs to be washed is not only costly,
it's inefficient and environmentally unsound, he said.
VAM WaterTech develops custom-made water purification
solutions for processors, treating water in the first phase

March/April 2020

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