Mock Outbreak Trial Cross Examination - When You're in the Hot Seat

At the Food Safety Consortium and Food Quality Symposium this past month, we shared some time with Shawn Stevens of Food Industry Counsel. Food Industry Counsel is the only law firm in the world that exclusively represents the food industry. Through our discussions, Shawn and the ClorDiSys team conceived a fun and unique session to include at our upcoming Food Safety and Microbiology Conference.

Taking up a scenario where a company has to defend the food safety decisions it has made post-foodborne illness outbreak, Shawn Stevens will perform a mock cross examination. This session will illustrate how important your everyday decisions can be by taking a look at the consequences that can arise in the event of a foodborne outbreak.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER
As a food industry consultant and lawyer, Shawn Stevens works throughout the U.S. and abroad with food industry clients (including the world’s largest growers, processors, restaurant chains, distributors and grocers) helping them protect their brand by reducing food safety risk, complying with FDA and USDA food safety regulations, managing recalls, and defending high-profile foodborne illness claims.

5 Reasons You CANNOT Miss the 2018 Food Safety & Microbiology Conference

 

REASON #1: LEARN FROM FOOD SAFETY EXPERTS & INDUSTRY LEADERS

You'll be able to meet, listen to, and learn from world class speakers including:

Shawn K. Stevens, Food Industry Counsel

Dave Blomquist, DFB Consulting, LLC

Gary Acuff, Ph.D, Texas A&M

Diane Walker, Center for Biofilm Engineering

Mickey Parish, Ph.D, FDA

All speakers will be available outside of their presentation times for introductions and additional questions.

REASON #2: WORLD CLASS CONTENT
The agenda uniquely blends a mix of regulatory information, microbiological tips and tricks, as well as solutions straight from industry.  Presentations will deliver a well-rounded set of information to guide you and your company through the changes coming from FSMA as well as technological advances.  Upon leaving, you'll have clear takeaways which will help improve your environmental monitoring programs and limit your risk of contamination and recall.

VIEW THE COMPLETE PROGRAM HERE.

REASON #3: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Discover why they say everything is bigger, and better, in Texas! The conference will take place at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas. Just 30 minutes outside Dallas, you will never find yourself looking for something to do with beautiful Lake Grapevine, 4.5 acres of lush indoor gardens and Riverwalk, an elegant spa, and your choice of 10 restaurants, bars, and cafes.

REASON #4: A ONE-OF-A-KIND EXPERIENCE

We’re excited to announce the addition of a very unique session to our program.  Taking up a scenario where a company has to defend the food safety decisions it has made post-foodborne illness outbreak, Shawn Stevens of Food Industry Counsel will perform a mock deposition.  The mock deposition will illustrate how important your everyday decisions and regulatory compliance can be, by taking a look at the consequences that can arise in the event of a foodborne illness outbreak.

REASON #5: HAVE FUN WITH YOUR FOOD INDUSTRY PEERS

This annual conference is a lot of learning packed into a short amount of time, but you'll also have opportunities to relax and get to know your peers. Our speakers and attendees are highly skilled and experienced professionals. During breakfast, lunch, and evening cocktail receptions, you have an opportunity to collaborate, hear new ideas, and validate or change your perspectives.

PPM-Hrs: Chlorine Dioxide Gas Treatment by Dosage

Previously, accurate measurement of other decontaminating agents was not consistent or reliable.  During large facility decontamination, it is not uncommon that the target concentration cannot be reached.  This may be due to loss, consumption, absorption or reaction with organic load. Since chlorine dioxide gas has a visible color, it is easily and accurately measured. This allows us to monitor the overall dosage accumulated during the decontamination and only complete the process once the correct dosage has been met.

To test this, ClorDiSys performed tests at different concentrations (0.3, 0.5, 1, 5, 10 & 20 mg/L) all with the same dosage. Dosage is described as an exposure at a concentration (parts per million) multiplied by an amount of time, typically hours (Hrs). For CD, this is referred to as PPM-Hrs. To determine the PPM-Hrs, the concentration in PPM is accumulated every minute. This accumulation then accrues PPM-Hrs. 6-log biological indicators were used to test the efficacy of chlorine dioxide gas when the overall dosage is held constant, but the concentration and contact times are varied. All of the varied chlorine dioxide gas concentrations (0.3, 0.5, 1, 5, 10 & 20 mg/L) with BI’s exposed to various exposure times with each cycle having a fixed target dosage of 720PPM-Hrs exhibited complete decontamination. The 20 mg/L run had the shortest gas time (14 minutes), and 0.3mg/L had the longest gas time (355 minutes). 

Data shows that the concentration of chlorine dioxide gas used does not affect the overall efficacy of the sterilization cycle as long as the overall exposure dosage of 720 ppm-hr has been met. Therefore, when the target concentration cannot be reached due to loss, consumption, or absorption, the cycle can still be successful. This confirms that the overall goal of an exposure is to achieve a certain dosage (720ppm-hrs) regardless of the concentration or exposure time.

Decontaminating Dry Processing Environments

Our proprietary chlorine dioxide gas is well suited for the decontamination of dry processing environments as it is a dry gas fumigation method.  As a true gas, it is able to completely fill the space it is introduced into evenly and completely, leaving no surfaces uncontacted.  Our pure chlorine dioxide gas does not leave behind a residue either, making it extremely safe for use within the processing environment.  It is also registered as a sterilant, proven to eliminate all bacteria, viruses, fungi and spores.

Sporicidal reduction is aided by the addition of moisture, with an optimal range of 65% RH and above.  This elevated humidity causes the hard-shelled spore to swell and crack open, allowing chlorine dioxide gas to enter into the spore and kill it. Even though this runs contrary to the theory of dry processing environments, raising the humidity level can be considered acceptable.  Following the introduction of moisture, a reliable and highly effective sterilant capable of eliminating all microbial life is introduced.  This sterilant, chlorine dioxide gas, would kill any microbes within the space wherever they may exist.  This includes cracks and crevices that are harder for traditional sanitation methods to reach and have efficacy within.

For those who still don't agree with the idea of raising humidity within a dry processing environment, studies show that humidity is not as necessary for the decontamination of salmonella and other non-spore forming bacteria.  Our chlorine dioxide gas has shown a 6-log reduction of salmonella typhimurium at 25% RH while using the standard concentration and dosage.

In either scenario, chlorine dioxide gas is a useful method of decontaminating dry processing environments.  It offers the most effective method of decontamination available across a number of different applications and environment types.  To learn about other applications within the food industry, please click here.

Visit us this week at the Food Safety Consortium in Chicago, where we'll be speaking during the Listeria Workshop taking place tomorrow from 9-12 CST, and exhibiting at table #124.

You can also visit us next week at the Food Quality Symposium in Palm Springs, CA.

Spiral Freezer Decon

Dr. Jeff Kornacki of Kornacki Microbiology Solutions, Inc says, "Spiral Freezers were designed by the devil to contaminate food with listeria."  While we've never seen a devil horn logo on any Spiral Freezers we've come across, the sentiment is there. They are a real pain for food manufacturing sites.

Spiral Freezers are a perfect storm for listeria growth.  They are constructed to minimize the inside chamber in order to reduce cooling costs, making them hard to clean using traditional sanitation methods.  There's an unhealthy amount of condensation and moisture within the freezer, which helps promote microbial growth by providing water to any organisms which find their way in.

Chlorine dioxide gas is uniquely situated to overcome the challenges of decontaminating Spiral Freezers.  Chlorine dioxide is a true gas at room temperature, meaning that it fills the space its contained within evenly and completely.  It also has a molecule size smaller than the smallest virus, allowing it to reach deeper into cracks and crevices than pathogens can hide.  Combining this with our Decontamination Service Team's experience in overcoming complex challenges and applications allows us to decontaminate Spiral Freezers quickly and effectively.  Earlier this year, our team was able to finally eradicate a listeria problem from a Spiral Freezer which had been shut down for 8 months.  The facility had employed the use of a number of different sanitation strategies: Ozone, Peracetic Acid, Heat, Enzymes, and even a different chlorine dioxide gas provider without being able to fully eliminate the problem.  After working with our team, the facility was able to get the Spiral Freezer listeria free and back into production.

Contact us for more information on how we approach Spiral Freezers and how we might be able to help out.

Preventive Food Safety Program

We are extremely proud to announce a new tool for the food industry to improve their food safety profile, our Preventive Food Safety Program.  This program offers a wide variety of services and solutions to help food facilities identify gaps within their food safety program, improve their Environmental Monitoring and Sanitation programs, and ensure that their liabilities are properly managed.

The Preventive Food Safety Program brings together food safety experts from a number of leading companies to provide the most all-encompassing portfolio of services aimed to prevent contamination and manage liability.  Services include:

• Establishment an Emergency Contamination Response Plan
• Addition of Routine Preventive Decontamination to Supplement Current Sanitation
• Conducting a Comprehensive Food Safety Program Review
• Assessing and Challenging the Existing Environmental Monitoring Program
• Reviewing and/or Establishing a Recall Plan
• Conducting Mock Inspections
• Challenging and Validating Your Current Laboratory
• Reviewing Your Insurance Policies and Coverages
• Reviewing and Addressing Your Legal Liabilities
• Offering On-site and Off-site Training to Increase Your Team’s Knowledge and Capabilities

Organizations Participating in the Preventive Food Safety Program are:

ClorDiSys Solutions, Inc

Covance Food Solutions

Deibel Laboratories

Food Industry Counsel, LLC

JGS Insurance

Kornacki Microbiology Solutions, Inc

Q Laboratories

Savour Food Safety International

Program Benefits:

• You can select only the services you need
• There are no markups for these services, so there is no premium for bundling these services within the Preventive Food Safety Program
• All services are obtained through one purchasing source
• All services performed under NDA or Attorney Client Privilege

To learn more, visit www.clordisys.com/preventiveprogram or contact Kevin Lorcheim at kevinlorcheim@clordisys.com

2nd Annual Food Safety and Microbiology Conference

ClorDiSys Solutions, Inc and Kornacki Microbiology Solutions, Inc are proud to be hosting the 2nd Annual Food Safety and Microbiology Conference being held February 26-28 at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Dallas, TX.  This 2.5 day conference will cover a variety of topics aimed at providing attendees with the knowledge, tools, resources and solutions to manufacture safe food while meeting regulations and maintaining a profitable business.

Program Highlights:

• How to Have No Fear of an FDA or FSIS Inspection
• Biofilms: From Formation to Elimination
• Battle Complacency in Your Food Safety Program
• Hygenic Design: Highly Effective or Hardly Attainable?
• How We Went from Recall to Supplier of the Year

Speakers include:

Gary Acuff - Texas A&M
Anna Jesus - Amy's Kitchen
Mickey Parish - FDA
Michele Sayles - Diamond Pet Food
Shawn Stevens - Food Industry Counsel
Diane Walker - Center for Biofilm Engineering

Click here for the full agenda.

Early bird pricing ends tomorrow, October 31, so sign up today and reserve your spot at the reduced rate.

Ultraviolet Light Disinfection Chambers

Flashbox

Ultraviolet light is well positioned for the disinfection of commonly used items that are carriers of harmful organisms which lead to disease.  UV light provides rapid disinfection without the use of liquid chemicals, allowing you to treat electronics and other moisture and chemical-sensitive items.  UV light can be easily and safely used within small chambers, such as our Flashbox and Flashbox mini UV Disinfection Chambers.

Flashbox-mini

The Flashbox mini is an off-the-shelf model available in one size which provides a simple, quick and effective method of disinfecting small items, especially those commonly shared such as tablets, phones, pens, etc.  The Flashbox is available in custom sizes and can be used to disinfect larger items that do not fit within the Flashbox mini including devices like stethoscopes which have a near 0% cleaning compliance rate, laptops, and more.





Learn more about UV by visiting www.cleanhospital.com. You can also find us at the upcoming California Association of Public Health Laboratory Directors Conference on November 7th in San Luis Obispo, CA where we'll be at Booth #8 or at the NJ Statewide Conference on EMS in Atlantic City, NJ from November 9-11 where we'll be at Booth #204, or the Texas EMS Conference on November 19th-22nd in Fort Worth, Texas at Booth #302.

Welcome to our all new blog.  We look forward to sharing information on a wide variety of contamination control topics and events.

If there are any topics you'd like us to write about, comment to this post below.

Thank you!

ClorDiSys Solutions, Inc