In past posts we have discussed the topic of Food Irradiation and how AEB's low energy electron Beam technology relates.  We have always been cognizant of the competing forces of Food Safety and Consumer Acceptance and how they battled each other to shape whether or not this decades old technology will be accepted as a mainstream food processing technique.  The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has long been a proponent of food irradiation and recently issued a comprehensive summary on the topic.  Broad-based acceptance from brand owners and retailers has been slow, primarily due to fears that consumers would react poorly to the FDA-mandate that products must be labeled as having been "Treated by Irradiation."

With the spate of highly visible, embarrassing, expensive, and deadly food contamination outbreaks over the past few years, the tone is changing.  In a recent article in New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Dennis Maki urges the industry and the public to "stop reliving history" and take a serious look at adopting new food processing technologies, such as food irradiation.  Perhaps even more indicative that consumer attitudes are creeping toward acceptance of this technique is the softening of the tone taken by mainstream health media, such as in a recent University of California, Berkely Wellness Letter article.

AEB's low energy electron beam technology would provide a novel solution for high speed, surface decontamination of foods.  Low energy electron beams concentrate sterilizing energy on the surface of the treated product, which is where contamination is greatest.  Since the energy from the electrons does not not penetrate more than a few microns, the bulk of the food is unaffected.  Interestingly, the USDA may be moving toward considering low penetration electron beam treatment as a processing aid, which would therefore exempt the product from labeling requirements.

The opportunities to use compact, cost effective electron beams for in-line food treatment has enormous potential to improve the safety and extend the shelf life of fresh foods.  We are looking forward to working with forward thinking food producers and food packagers on defining solutions that increase the competitiveness of their products, deliver healthier foods, and improve the safety of our global food supply.