Industries / 行业: Food Manufacturing

From product findings to environmental investigation

A food processing facility identified Bacillus contamination in its products and engaged VanTsteri to investigate and address it. Sampling in the associated environment also detected the same microbial species, identified in the original project record as Bacillus cereus. The investigation therefore extended from product testing to contamination assessment across the production environment.

Planning treatment across a large production space

The challenge involved both spore contamination and the size of the production environment. Multiple areas and HVAC-related locations needed to be included in the treatment scope. VanTsteri focused on planning equipment deployment around the site conditions and the areas requiring treatment.

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Coordinating multiple VHP units

The team used its own portable vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP) equipment to treat production areas and HVAC-related locations. The project record describes deployment of 15 units, a four-hour treatment period, and a subsequent two-hour HVAC circulation period before testing.

Coordinated deployment was a defining feature of this project: equipment was organized around the site’s space and treatment scope. Completion of a single unit’s operating cycle alone was not used to judge the treatment outcome across the production environment.

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Evaluating the outcome over seven days

Both parties collected samples for testing after treatment. During seven consecutive days of subsequent monitoring, settle-plate, airborne microbial and surface microbial sampling did not detect the target Bacillus previously under investigation. These findings relate to this project’s sampling scope and monitoring period.

According to VanTsteri’s project representative, the customer was satisfied with the treatment outcome.

The value VanTsteri provided

VanTsteri’s service connected the initial product contamination findings with an environmental investigation to define the treatment scope, coordinated deployment of multiple VHP units, and follow-up monitoring to evaluate the outcome. For food facilities with large spaces and multiple production areas, connecting investigation, equipment deployment and testing helps customers understand both the basis for treatment and its results.

If your food facility is facing spore contamination, discuss contamination investigation, VHP equipment deployment and environmental monitoring with VanTsteri.

Case information: This anonymized case is based on VanTsteri’s project record and supplementary information from its project representative. The customer’s identity is withheld.

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A large site with complex production systems

A large pet food manufacturer identified Salmonella contamination and engaged VanTsteri to investigate and address it. The plant operated four production lines, including lines with daily capacities of 10 tonnes or 8 tonnes. The project involved an actual treatment area of 50,000 m², as confirmed by VanTsteri’s project representative. Its scale and the complexity of the production systems created challenges for the on-site work.

Tracing findings across the production environment

The project investigation detected Salmonella in environmental samples, pipelines, products and the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system. These findings guided the treatment priorities across the production process; they do not establish that the organisms detected shared the same strain or source.

The response extended beyond an individual room or piece of equipment. The team used the production flow to identify the areas, systems and locations that needed attention.

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Coordinating seven days of on-site work

VanTsteri organized seven days of integrated on-site treatment, covering production equipment, material-transfer pipelines, the production environment and HVAC-related areas. This was the period of on-site work, rather than a single treatment cycle or continuous application of disinfectant.

The work focused on locations that were easy to overlook or difficult to clean, alongside raw-material management and equipment hygiene measures.

Project highlight: managing complexity across four lines

This project involved a large treatment scope and multiple stages of production. VanTsteri combined investigation findings with on-site organization to coordinate work across four production lines and associated systems, helping reduce the risk of overlooking parts of the production environment.

Evaluating the outcome through the customer’s testing

Within one month after treatment, the customer tested environmental and product samples. Salmonella was not detected in either sample category. These results apply to the actual samples tested and the period covered by this project; they do not represent daily testing, testing of every production batch or independent certification.

The value VanTsteri provided

The project connected contamination findings from multiple stages of production with coordinated treatment across the areas associated with four production lines, followed by the customer’s testing to evaluate the outcome. It illustrates VanTsteri’s ability to organize and carry out work in a large, complex production environment.

If your pet food manufacturing facility is experiencing Salmonella contamination, discuss contamination investigation, treatment of production systems and the environment, and follow-up assessment with VanTsteri.

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Case information

This anonymized case is based on VanTsteri’s project materials and information confirmed by its project representative. Customer and supplier identities are withheld.