Digitisation and data intelligence are key to ensuring food safety

Dr. Ruth Petran, Ecolab Inc.’s vice president of food safety & public health, has revealed the adoption of new technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) Big Data and Data Science will ensure food safety, improve sustainability and help “bury the food bug”.

Speaking at the 2017 Dubai International Food Safety Conference, organised by Dubai Municipality and held at Dubai World Trade Centre Petran said: “Mitigating food safety risks requires a holistic approach, from considering sustainability or questions surrounding local sourcing, to the inherent logistic complexities of today’s global supply chain. Ecolab has developed solutions that use digitization and data intelligence to construct strong, sustainable food safety programs – these solutions can help us, as an industry, bury the food safety bug once and for all.”

With foodborne illnesses responsible for 420,000 deaths a year worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ecolab Inc. - the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technology services - has partnered with Dubai Municipality for this year’s Conference to explore how new digital technologies are impacting global food safety.

Although foodborne diseases rank amongst the global community’s most preventable illnesses, a recent WHO report reveals that almost one in 10 people contract a food-related illness every year.

Ecolab helps to ensure the quality and safety of more than a quarter (27%) of the world’s processed food at 5,000 food and beverage plants around the world every year. The company also helps support kitchens serving 45 billion restaurant meals and helps clean 31 billion hands per year with its hand hygiene solutions.

“As the Middle East’s food service trends place greater emphasis on new technology adoption, the role of data as a tool to help stakeholders properly address hazards and verify the effectiveness of food safety programs has never been more prevalent,” added Petran. “Ecolab and Dubai Municipality will work closely together to support safety initiatives across the region.”