3M reiterates importance of cleanliness in food quality and safety during Gulfoods conference

The session, led by Professor Chris Griffith, the Head of the Food Research and Consultancy Unit at the University of Wales, UK, focused on the; 'Microbiological and Rapid Methods in the Management of Cleaning' at a gathering of regional stakeholders concerned with microbiology, including microbiologists, food inspectors, quality managers and infection control managers; alongside representatives from Nestle, Del Monte, SGS (Labs), Dubai Municipality, Al Ain Food Authority and Emirates Flight Catering Services.

"Fundamentally, food safety is not an accident; and for those in the catering or other food services industry, it is something that needs to be worked at and perfected, especially given the fact that contamination can happen in any number of ways. One recent study even suggested that if an organism is found in the environment, there is a 70% chance of it getting into the food," explained Professor Griffith.

"As such, food safety is critical and how that is achieved is by ensuring the utmost cleanliness of surfaces. 3M's excellent line-up of ATP technology for testing surface cleanliness provides peace of mind to those that deal with food, while providing the most effective and reliable methods for ensuring cleanliness and food safety in the market today," Griffith continued.

Among the range of 3M's leading food safety products that Professor Griffith highlighted during the event, were the ATP-based milk sterility tests together with a range of laboratory products which are designed to improve efficiency and compliance with stringent food safety standards - like those defined in the region.

Also showcased was the 3M Clean-Trace Surface ATP. This is a user-friendly surface hygiene test, which sets the standard when it comes to rapid surface hygiene detection. The self-contained, simple device contains all the necessary reagents to determine whether surfaces and equipment are sufficiently clean. Clean-Trace surface ATP is simple, fast, safe and reliable, allowing industry professionals to use one swab at a time with no waste.

The final product showcased was the 3M Clean-Trace Water ATP. The Clean-Trace Water ATP is designed to rapidly assess the contamination level in a water sample by detecting the presence of biological contamination with the ease of 'dip, click and read' technology. The test is ideal for measuring the residual contamination in Clean In Place (CIP) rinse water.

"Exercising proper cleaning and therefore food safety can not only save lives or prevent the development of many types of pathogen-related illnesses, but it can prevent the often severe knock on effects that are caused to businesses following contamination - after all, consumers will not want to ever return to the restaurant- or buy products from the company that gave them food poisoning," Griffith concluded.

Professor Griffith is an expert in food safety having spent almost 40 years devoted to the field of microbiology. He has taught food safety at undergraduate and post graduate level for more than 30 years, and has been widely published in a vast number of industry, consumer and academic publications. He has additionally received eight international research awards, including the IAFP International Food Safety Leadership Award in 2006, the New Zealand Food Safety ESR International Research Award in1999 and the National Assembly NSW (Australia) Award in 2002.