Harmful pathogens can be found nearly everywhere. They are in the air, soil, water, plants and, in some cases, in or on food processing equipment, or buried deep within one or more walls of food processing facilities. The threat is exacerbated by the existence of ample food and moisture which is often present in most food processing environments.

To combat this threat, the food industry has been waging a long-running and expensive war against foodborne pathogens in the manufacturing environment. And, by most indications, the food industry is doing a good job. Nevertheless, the occurrence of foodborne illness remains a significant challenge for large and small companies alike.

When foodborne illness outbreaks do occur, many consumers likely wonder why the companies involved struggled to simply rid their food processing environments of all pathogens. After all, astronauts were hitting golf balls off the surface of the moon 50 years ago. Today, we send robots on 156-million-mile trips across the solar system to cruise around faraway planets like Mars. Surely, all companies ought to be able to quickly and efficiently sterilize their food processing plants — shouldn’t they?

The answer, for now (and maybe always), is no. Primarily, this is because pathogens are hard to kill. They are incredibly diverse, and have evolved remarkable strategies to ensure their continued survival. In food facilities, pathogens can even evade, and build resistance to, certain sanitizers.

Pathogens also build biofilms which are further resistant to cleaners and chemicals. When harmful pathogens enter the food supply and infect humans, they are not bothered by the acids in the human stomach. Instead, they can grow and wreak havoc on the insides of our bodies. Sporulating pathogens, e.g., Clostridium perfringens, actually live for danger. When they encounter hostile environments, they spontaneously deploy protective armored shells. When conditions conducive to growth return, they emerge from their shell and begin a period of prolific reproduction.

Pathogens are also really, really small. In the case of bacteria, hundreds of thousands of cells can typically fit on the head of a pin. This makes them incredibly difficult to find and destroy. They can easily find their way deep into food processing equipment and machinery, infecting internal components. If they find a niche that is beyond the reach of cleaning and sanitization, they can, in a vicious cycle, continue to find their way back out (and onto food contact surfaces) every time the equipment is subsequently used.

In an ironic twist of fate, harmful pathogens are also sometimes isolated from the utensils and equipment used to clean and sanitize food facilities. Thus, in some cases, companies attempting to clean and sanitize the environment are actually spreading the bacteria further.

Finally, in addition to finding new homes in which to live and replicate, pathogens also love to travel. Pathogens love travel so much they will often hitch a ride on any mode of conveyance. Whether it is the your supplier’s ingredients, your shoes, a pallet jack, moisture in the air, or a couple of small insects buzzing overhead, you can be assured that, even as you read this, millions of pathogens are likely and unknowing moving throughout many processing environments, searchiing for their next home.

So, can we eliminate all pathogens from all facilities? Perhaps, not. But what we can and should to is, with continued persistence in proper cleaning and sanitation, make it far less desirable for pathogens to eat, travel, stay in and go out.

Loves food, travel, staying in, going out

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