Risk & Business Magazine JGS Insurance Magazine Fall 2017 | Page 26

FOOD SAFETY
BY: KEVIN LORCHEIM,
CLORDISYS SOLUTIONS, INC.
T
The Food Safety
Modernization Act
he Food Safety
Modernization Act has
arrived, and food processors
have entered a new age in
terms of product liability
and consumer responsibility. New tools
and technologies, such as whole-genome
sequencing, are available to help trace
pathogens found in humans back to a
specific food processing location. This
has resulted in a dramatic increase in
pathogen-related product recalls in recent
years. The cost of those recalls has risen
in this age of instant communication,
where news of a food item being recalled
spreads quickly and has a greater impact
on the brand and its sales.
In addition to the monetary cost,
the Department of Justice is raising
the stakes by getting involved with
foodborne illness investigations in order
to determine whether any criminal
liability exists within the processor’s
management team. If so, criminal
charges and potential jail time are
possible for those who “knowingly put
consumers at risk.” With increased
scrutiny and liability, more food
processors have been re-evaluating their
entire food safety programs to close any
gaps that exist. Many are starting with
their environmental monitoring and
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sanitation programs.
With scientific advances allowing for
enhanced environmental monitoring,
food processors are learning more about
their production environments and how
successful their sanitation programs
really are. Similar to the way DNA is
used by law enforcement, whole-genome
sequencing (WGS) and, to a lesser extent,
pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE)
are able to identify various samples as
matches. If a sample found within a
facility matches a previous sample, it
illustrates that the program in place
is not sufficiently controlling the
environment. This means that greater
measures need to be taken in order to
eliminate these persistent pathogens.
One weapon being used by more food
processors to accomplish this goal is
chlorine dioxide gas. Used for years
within the pharmaceutical industry as a
residue-free method to keep clean rooms
and production areas sterile, chlorine
dioxide gas is a leading contamination
control method for critical environments.
It’s a proven sterilant capable of
eliminating all viruses, bacteria,
fungi, biofilm and spores. It enhances
sanitation programs through its ability
to penetrate the niches and crevices that
were previously too hard to reach. By
eliminating the ability for pathogens to
“hide,” chlorine dioxide gas leaves food
processing environments cleaner and
safer than ever before.
As environmental monitoring
technologies evolve to be able to detect
smaller quantities of organisms and
identify them to such a high degree
of certainty, the more important it is
for a sanitation program to evolve as
well. Prevent persistent pathogens by
arming your sanitation teams with
the best tools available to eliminate
harborage locations. Avoid the more
expansive recalls, higher fines, criminal
investigations and overall greater
liabilities that persistent pathogens lead
to by recognizing that the best defense
really is a good offense. +
Kevin Lorcheim is a Sr. Manager at
ClorDiSys Solutions, Inc. Kevin has helped
introduce the use of Chlorine Dioxide Gas
to the food industry through research
studies and industrial application. He
has performed over 300 decontamination
service projects across a multitude of
different industry types and applications,
allowing creative insight towards solving
various contamination control challenges.