Poultry giant Faccenda Foods is set to trial new technology that it claims can reduce the development of campylobacter in chickens.
SonoSteam technology kills campylobacter and other micro-organisms on the skin and internal cavity of chickens through the simultaneous application of steam and ultrasound, according to the supplier.
The time required to kill bacteria was only 1.5 seconds, said Faccenda Foods technical director David Keeble, adding the business had pledged to spend £1m in implementing the new process if the trials at the processor’s Brackley factory were successful.
“We look forward to working with SonoSteam, the FSA and our customers in the coming weeks as we install, run and validate this unique technology,” he said.
Faccenda MD Andy Dawkins called the SonoSteam technology “revolutionary in the fight against the risk of food infection”.
“We believe SonoSteam can deliver a significant reduction in the number of cases of campylobacter food-borne infection attributed to chicken and will lead the way in setting industry standards,” he said.
FSA CEO Catherine Brown said the initiative was “another step in finding an effective intervention for the reduction of campylobacter levels in poultry meat”.
“The FSA is supporting the trials at Faccenda and will provide an independent evaluation of the SonoSteam performance,” she added.
The trial follows Faccenda’s roll out of Roast in the Bag technology, which enables consumers to put the product straight in the oven without having to remove the packaging. Faccenda extended the range earlier this month with three new variants.
No comments yet