An antibacterial wash for salads, fruit and vegetables that its makers claim is more effective than chlorine and no more expensive is now being distributed in the UK foodservice sector by Hygiene Audit Systems.
Fit Fruit and Vegetable Wash is a safe, environment-friendly alternative to traditionally used chlorine, which could spark a sea change in industry approaches to sanitising fresh produce, said Dr Lisa Ackerley, a specialist food safety advisor for the Royal Society of Public Health and managing director of Hygiene Audit Systems.
“Fit Wash is a very effective answer to the challenge of produce contamination,” said Ackerley, who is Professor of Environmental Health at Salford University.
“For too long, chlorine - a potentially very harmful chemical - has been the only choice of produce wash for the food industry and responsible for many complaints and accidents. Fit Wash offers a better, safer, equally priced alternative, which actually cleans where chlorine doesn’t.”
Fit Wash, which was originally developed by Procter and Gamble in the US, who then sold the patent to HealthPro Brands, is a 100 per cent naturally sourced produce wash, made from natural acids, oils and a surfactant. It is this surfactancy that removes contaminants such as agricultural and harvesting soils, insects and other foreign bodies, as well as surface pesticides and waxes.
It can be used on whole, cut, chopped and sliced produce and has proved to be better than chlorine in killing food-borne bacteria, particularly on dirty produce, as its effectiveness is not reduced when the solution becomes over-burdened with dirt.
UK tests on Fit on behalf of one of Ackerley’s clients in the accredited laboratory of an internationally respected microbiologist achieved kill rates of up to 99.9 per cent.
“The lab was extremely careful to replicate the in vivo contamination and handling of a range of produce for E.coli 0157, salmonella and listeria,” said Dr Ackerley. “The results convinced our client and us that this was the way forward.”
Ackerley explained: “Where chlorine just disinfects in a clean environment, Fit is formulated to clean and disinfect in any environment, which means savings in both water consumption and labour time.
“Washing salads, fruits, vegetables and herbs is a critical control point (CCP) in any food-related business, yet it is surprising that there are still businesses out there who are only using water or nothing at all.
“Not only are those businesses failing to control their CCP but they are exposing their customers to the risk of food poisoning. Fit Wash can play a vital part in business’s HACCP and due diligence,” added Ackerley, who currently has two major customers using Fit and one major customer trialling it. “It could soon be replacing chlorine as the new industry standard.”
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