ST. PAUL, Minn., Jun 10, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Ecolab Inc. has been named a 2009 recipient of the "IFT Food Expo
Innovation Award" for the development of the first and presently only
peroxyacetic acid-based commercial sterilant system registered with U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use against the highly
resistant pathogen, Bacillus cereus. The program is part of
Ecolab's ongoing commitment to partnering with its customers to help
them deliver food safely to consumers.
Presented to Ecolab by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) at its
Annual Meeting & Food Expo on Sunday, June 7, the award is designed to
honor outstanding innovation in products, ingredients, applications,
instruments, equipment, technology and services.
"We are extremely proud to have been recognized by IFT for this industry
innovation," said Timothy P. Mulhere, Senior Vice President and General
Manager of the Food & Beverage North America business at Ecolab. "This
program demonstrates again our commitment to food safety, and reflects
our continuing work to develop new and innovative ways to drive food
safety solutions throughout the entire food processing industry."
Ecolab's patented program of Enviro San(R) and ES-1000(TM) products allows
for effective antimicrobial sterilization with lower concentrations of
peroxyacetic acid. The dual product system is designed for use in
aseptic packaging of low acid beverages in plastic packaging materials,
such as Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and High Density Polyethylene
(HDPE) bottling applications. In the U.S., it is commercially used on
high speed, rotary fillers for low acid, aseptically packed beverages in
recyclable containers.
"The aseptic package is the package of the future," said Dr. Katherine
M. Swanson, Vice President of Food Safety at Ecolab. "The packaging is
shelf-stable, food safe, energy efficient and recyclable, which makes
the package attractive and desirable to retailers and consumers. Using
this method in combination with our EPA-registered product that is
effective against highly resistant pathogens, food processors can
achieve the longest possible shelf life without the use of preservatives
or refrigeration. Moving from refrigerated to shelf-stable products
opens new opportunities for processors by allowing them to consolidate
operations and extend their distribution chain. It's a win-win for
everyone involved."
Judges from industry, academia and government with expertise in
ingredients, product development, processing and packaging technology,
microbiology, and food safety reviewed all IFT award entries. Judging
criteria included: degree of innovation; solves a problem relevant to
food science and technology; technical advancement; benefits to food
manufacturers; benefit to consumers; and scientific merit.
One judge wrote on Ecolab's winning product submission:
"In these days of ever-growing need to improve safety and absolutely
ensure consumer protection, this technology should provide a very
valuable and important added safety."
For more information on Enviro San and ES-1000, look for the company's
previous press release on the product at www.ecolab.com.
About Ecolab
With sales of $6 billion and more than 26,000 associates, Ecolab Inc.
(NYSE: ECL) is the global leader in cleaning, sanitizing, food safety
and infection prevention products and services. Ecolab delivers
comprehensive programs and services to foodservice, food and beverage
processing, healthcare, and hospitality markets in more than 160
countries. More news and information is available at www.ecolab.com.
About Institute of Food Technologists
Founded in 1939, the Institute of Food Technologists is a nonprofit
scientific society with more than 20,000 individual members working in
food science, food technology, and related professions in industry,
academia and government. IFT serves as a conduit for multidisciplinary
science thought leadership, championing the use of sound science through
knowledge sharing, education and advocacy. For more information on IFT,
visit www.ift.org.
(ECL-C)
SOURCE: Ecolab Inc.
Ecolab Inc.
Jennifer Kirscher, 651-293-2846
Copyright Business Wire 2009