Food manufacturer Cargill is planning to introduce SonoSteam technology in its main chicken processing facility in the UK, as part of the farm-to-fork strategy to tackle campylobacter.
SonoSteam is an innovative technology developed by Danish firm Force Technology.
This technology uses a combination of steam and ultrasound to kill microorganisms such as campylobacter, which is found on the skin and internal cavities of chicken.
This new technology is expected to become operational at Cargill's Hereford facility by the end of 2015.
Over a couple of years, Cargill has invested £35m to boost capacities, efficiencies and on technologies apart from developing a 'state-of-the-art' processing facility in Hereford. The company has already installed a £11m chiller to tackle campylobacter.
Cargill Meats Europe fresh chicken director Chris Hall was quoted by Meatinfo.co.uk as saying, "Cargill takes its responsibility for food safety very seriously, and we know that reducing campylobacter levels requires interventions across the whole supply chain.
"We focused initially on our farms and primary processing and, analysing our results in the first half of this year, we have seen an improvement year-on-year of approximately 38%."
Force Technology vice-president Niels Krebs was quoted by Farminguk.com as saying: "This technology has proved itself capable of working day-in and day-out in a production environment and is not only cost-effective but has been proven effective at reducing campylobacter in an environmentally friendly way without chemicals, only water and a modest amount of energy. By installing this technology, Cargill has shown it is at the front edge of innovation."
Image: Cargill installs SonoSteam to tackle campylobacter in poultry. Photo: Courtesy of khunaspix/freedigitalphotos.net.
