6 FAQs About Biosecurity

Finally, when you say sterilization you really want it to mean, “I have eliminated 99.99 percent of every piece of dirt or dust that could be a contamination threat.” Sterilization achieved by gas provides a higher level of sanitation and decontamination than other methods. BioWALL proved that by decontaminating the Senate Office Building, NBC, the National Enquirer, and various post offices infected with Anthrax in 2001. There was absolutely zero margin for error in that environment—any residual contamination would likely have resulted in death for those reinhabiting those buildings.

Q: What specific preventive measures should quality assurance and food safety managers and food plant managers undertake to manage risks in their own facilities?

A: Continuously step up sampling methods and look at airborne samples to detect what’s being spread around. Even though you did not have a recall, it does not mean that there are no latent threats that could potentially develop into a much bigger issue.

Use a gas-based approach during the required weekly or monthly high-level sanitations and use the liquid-based approach during the daily one. Facilities are required to conduct weekly or monthly high-level sanitations. Those would be the best times to use a gas-based approach to eliminate all the pathogens that could be working and not give them a chance to build up.

Go into critical control mode during routine testing. If areas have been identified as known problem areas, you should constantly test those areas to preserve a contamination-free space. Do not just “administratively pass tests” by sampling for physical contaminants. Challenge those routines by adding known very-resistant pathogen surrogates and make sure that they are killed.

Q. Why does preventive biosecurity planning matter?

A: Look at the cost of a potential risk and ask yourself how much is your brand worth to you, what are you doing to protect it, and what is the degree of “surety” you want that there isn’t any contamination in the plant?

Barriers are needed all along the way. It is the segmentation of those barriers that provides the protection needed to safeguard the quality of your product, your reputation, the overall costs of recalls or production downtime, and public health.

The industry needs to move toward protection and prevention, and away from response.

Q. What will food processing biosecurity look like in the next two or three years?

A: Experts within the food industry are currently being tasked with solving the questions posed here. As a result, the industry will continue to advance its efforts and safeguards to protect brands and consumers. Additionally, the increased regulatory presence will help drive adaptation of technologies. There are solutions to these issues—it is about providing the industry with comprehensive tools to address them.

Mason is chief science officer at BioWall, LLC and Sabre Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC. Regarded as a leading authority on chlorine dioxide, Mason has been the lead technical advisor to governmental agencies and commercial businesses on numerous events, ranging from U.S. Capitol anthrax attack, to large agribusiness viral contaminations, to biosecurity protocols and onsite evaluation of former Soviet Union weapons facilities. Reach him at 212-925-6900.