Australia – One Harvest, Australia’s leading leafy greens and fresh-cut produce supplier has taken its sanitation a notch higher by installing SmartWash Solutions’ comprehensive food safety program throughout their Australian operations, becoming the company’s largest customer outside the United States.
SmartWash Solutions is an industry leader in food safety technology, helping processing plants around the world maximize food safety, achieve Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) compliance, control wash water chemistry, track wash line efficiency thus preventing food-borne outbreaks and saving money.
This program includes utilization of process control systems, application of the SmartWash Organic food wash enhancer, and implementation of the highest degree of calibration available in the industry.
“One Harvest has been at the forefront of produce industry innovation for over 90 years. The SmartWash Solutions process control system is enhancing our ability to ensure security and food safety as we grow, process, and supply our products all year round. By investing in this technology, we are supporting our customers in supplying high quality, delicious, and safe Australian produce to their consumers,” said Anina Immelman, Head of Technical at One Harvest Australia.
SmartWash Solutions provides an integrated package of process control equipment, organic and conventional food wash enhancers, data management, precise calibration with known solutions, and a customer service partnership that together mitigate cross contamination, improve wash line efficiency, and save time and money.
After developing a validation protocol and conducting extensive testing at One Harvest’s Perth produce processing facility, the solutions proved to be a superior alternative to peracetic acid (PAA) in producing high-quality, fresh-cut products that exceed all food safety standards.
“Overall, we found many strong reasons to convert from PAA to SmartWash coupled with chlorine, which set up a win-win scenario for us, our customers and the consumers,” Immelman said.
She informed that the program provided significant enhancements in the quality of the company’s finished product, including the potential to significantly extend shelf life. She revealed that their validation protocol exhibited the anticipated microbial diminution results.
SmartWash Solutions overcame travel and shipping restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent supply chain delays, and ensure a seamless installation, training and operation of the SmartWash system.
Exceptional customer service is the essence of SmartWash, and we have had many chances to prove this during the past year and a half. At one point, we sent our products to Australia via air freight, and instead of travelling to the site, we deployed a 24-7 remote training and operations team,” said Steven Swarts, Director of Business Development at SmartWash Solutions.
The technology provider has been able to maintain constant communications and operational integrity of One Harvest through video conferencing and their access to the company’s real-time data feed.
The General Manager of Engineering & Technology at One Harvest, Stuart Mayhew, commented that conclusive test results and the potential to increase operational efficiencies simplified their decision to replace all of their PAA lines with SmartWash.
The company expects to finalize installation of SmartWash systems at the remaining facilities by the end of August.
The Food Safety Technology giant continues to break ground across the globe as growers and processors perceive the pros of SmartWash in food safety efficacy, process control improvement and heightened product quality.