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Did you know that each year - in the United Kingdom alone - there are:
- An estimated 9 million cases of gastro-enteritis
- 1 in 10 people suffering from food-borne illnesses (5.5 million people)
- Over 1000 cases of E-coli every year (under reported)
The main causes of such infections are cross-contamination e.g bacteria being passed from surface to surface, dirty environments, for example unclean work surfaces and poor hand hygiene i.e 39% of employees in the catering industry do not wash their hands after visiting the lavatory.
Food poisoning outbreaks never fail to reach the media’s attention, making business eager to find ways to reduce the risk of cross-contamination and consequential illnesses.
BioCote® antibacterial protection solutions is ideal for application on appliances, machinery, equipment and surroundings where food is produced, packaged and prepared, to help improve the sanitary and hygienic conditions of the environment.
BioCote® antibacterial protection solutions is effective against E.coli, Salmonella, Staph. aureus and Campylobacter, all of which can cause problems in the food and catering industry. With the Food Standards Agency’s targets to reduce the number of food-borne illnesses by 20%, BioCote® can help improve hygiene standards to meet these goals.
For businesses that use a HACCP food management protocol or maintain a due diligence defence, BioCote® antibacterial protection can be part of the evidence of compliance, required to highlight preventative measures taken to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
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In 2007 BioCote Ltd carried out an environmental trial at a facility owned by KJ Cooked Meats Ltd, in the West Midlands, UK.
KJ Cooked Meats is a fully BRC accredited company specialising in portion-controlled cooked meats and cheese. The plant was equipped with a number of BioCote® treated products, including soap dispensers and lockers. These were swabbed and bacterial counts were monitored over a four-week period. The counts were then compared to those of untreated products in the same environment.
Tests found there was an 80.6% reduction in bacteria on BioCote® treated soap dispensers compared to untreated products. There was also a 95.4% reduction in bacterial counts on the surface of treated doors, compared to untreated doors. When the average totals of all treated products were compared to those of all untreated products, there was an average of 96% fewer microbes present on their surfaces.
The trial shows that the surfaces of BioCote® protected products harbour fewer bacteria than standard surfaces, leading to cleaner, more hygienic products. This reduction in bacterial growth helps lower the risks of cross-contamination, therefore complementing food hygiene practices and HACCP compliance in environments such as production plants, catering kitchens and washrooms.
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