Foodservice operations are always looking for ways to reduce overhead expenses, and one of the best ways is to reduce food waste. Because as much as 40 percent of our food supply is wasted, for wasteful restaurants and foodservice establishments, this is like throwing away two $20 dollar bills out of every 100.

One way food suppliers try to combat food waste is by using chemical preservatives to help foods last longer. This isn’t always appealing to consumers though, as there are often customers looking for ingredients without the use of chemicals. Fortunately, there are ways of preserving food while avoiding chemicals that foodservice businesses can use.

Major Foodborne Illnesses and Causes

Spoiled foods can do more than just contribute to food waste. Illness can be a much worse result of consuming foods that aren’t properly preserved. If a foodborne illness can be traced back to a commercial food operation, it could lead to various problems, so it’s important to understand where major foodborne illnesses come from. They can be caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or even chemical substances infiltrating food. Then, when contaminated food is served to a variety of people, many individuals and families can get sick quickly.

Keeping people safe is an important public health issue. There are common examples of foodborne illnesses. For example, contaminated rice can cause people to be infected with bacillus cereus. Meat can be contaminated by campylobacter jejuni. Salmonella poisoning is another common example of a foodborne illness. E. Coli can also contaminate a variety of food items. Because foodborne illnesses are common, operators should be familiar with critical food safety issues. 

Non-Chemical Alternative for Food Preservation

In an effort to prevent people from getting sick, a lot of food is wasted because of its short shelf-life. In particular, restaurants throw away a lot of fruit and vegetables every day under the impression the food has already spoiled. Because restaurants are trying to avoid chemicals, food spoilage rates could increase.

Fortunately, there are non-chemical food preservation options available. One example is UVC technology. This refers to technology that uses ultraviolet rays to kill bacteria before they can replicate and cause food to spoil. Many restaurant owners do not realize that food is susceptible to odor absorption. What this means is that food may spoil more quickly if it is exposed to the odors of other foods. For example, a case study on the shelf life of strawberries stored for ten days found that using the Bluezone Food Preservation System helped cause less ripening, less mold, and fewer unpleasant odors when compared to another pallet of strawberries stored under the same conditions without the Bluezone unit. This shows that UVC technology may extend the shelf life of certain foods and prevent premature spoilage. 

How Bluezone Works

Now, commercial kitchens and restaurant owners have access to UV food preservation systems from Bluezone. Instead of relying on chemicals to preserve food, this innovative system uses ultraviolet rays to kill bacteria, viruses, and mold before they can replicate and expand. By preventing the proliferation of pathogens, restaurants can extend the shelf-life of their food without having to rely on chemicals that customers and patrons may not find attractive. Helping save money, cut back on food waste, and maintain the appearance of ingredients.