Food safetyDeveloping a car wash to protect the food supply
Whether it is a bacon cheeseburger that comes through a drive-thru window or a steak dinner at a five-star restaurant, food safety is universally important, and it starts long before a meal is on the table. This is a prime concern for the agricultural industry as they transport cattle, swine, and other livestock across the country in the hundreds of millions each year. One of the key elements to decreasing the effects of an outbreak is to decontaminate areas where animals have been located. This is no small feat, however.
Whether it is a bacon cheeseburger that comes through a drive-thru window or a steak dinner at a five-star restaurant, food safety is universally important, and it starts long before a meal is on the table. This is a prime concern for the agricultural industry as they transport cattle, swine, and other livestock across the country in the hundreds of millions each year.
To address these concerns, agencies like the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) play a critical role in preparing for specific threats to the food supply, such as animal-borne disease outbreaks, to ensure they do not affect consumers. One of the key elements to decreasing the effects of an outbreak is to decontaminate areas where animals have been located. This is no small feat, however.
“The challenge, in the event of an outbreak, is the need to swiftly decontaminate many large trucks and tractor-trailers that have carried infected animals or contacted infected premises, sometimes to or from areas where freezing temperatures make decontamination difficult,” said Lori Miller, an environmental engineer with USDA, APHIS. “What’s more is the grueling process for first responders. Research from our Canadian partners shows the difficulty of effectively decontaminating a vehicle with what is currently a hand washing method.”
Research from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency found that a hand washing method in cold temperatures took four hours to disinfect a single vehicle. Responders had to don cumbersome equipment, including respirators, because of the harsh disinfectant chemicals and potential exposure to disease.
“We knew there had to be a better way,” noted Miller.
DHS Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) says that Miller, who was embedded with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), worked within the Directorate’s Chemical and Biological Division to help find a solution. The DHS Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and Canadian agency partners were also key players in tackling this challenge. In a combined effort, the partners devised a solution — a portable wash decontamination tunnel that can operate in cold weather conditions, or more simply put, a portable cold-weather car wash of sorts.
