Beaver Street Fisheries Employs New Sanitation System

Beaver Street Fisheries, Inc. (BSF) has installed the Ozone International sanitation system. Ozone is now BSF’s primary sanitizer solution for food contact surfaces in its meat room, as well as its Sea Best facilities and its Tropic Seafood lobster operations in the Bahamas. According to company officials, ozone provides great advantages, including reduction of bacteria, extended shelf life of products and reduced odor. BSF is utilizing Ozone International’s aqueous sanitation solution. This system pulls in air and produces chemical reactions that strip the air down to pure oxygen atoms. These atoms recombine into O3, or ozone, which is one of nature’s most powerful oxidizers. Once injected into the water stream and applied as a sanitizer, the ozone compounds combine with and destroy viruses, bacteria, molds, mildew and other contaminants. “The implementation of the Ozone International sanitation solution is another step in Beaver Street Fisheries’ longstanding and ongoing commitment to providing superior product to our customers from environmentally sound facilities,” says Casey Marion, BSF director of sustainability initiatives and quality management systems. “Ozone is a safer cleaning solution for our employees, our seafood products and our customers.” As a result of its composition of pure oxygen, ozone provides a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional food processing industry cleaners like chlorine and ammonia. Ozone water is less likely to have dangerous reactions with other compounds, and leaves no harmful residue on the skin, in treated foods or the processing water. Other benefits of ozone as a sanitation solution are that it destroys microorganisms at a much faster rate than other chemical cleaners, there is no harmful residue that needs to be removed from wastewater after treatment, and there is no organism regrowth, unlike with chlorine and other cleaners. “With chemicals, if you use too little it's not effective but if you use too much it adulterates the product,” says Marion. “Ozone is available on demand and works exceptionally well, leaving no residue.” Ozone has been used for sanitation purposes since as early as 1893, and for the past 12 years Ozone International has provided this proven process to establish quality and safety within the food industry. In 2001, ozone received USDA and FDA approval as a food contact surface disinfectant and for direct contact food surface disinfection. Beaver Street Fisheries, Inc. is a leading importer, manufacturer and distributor of quality frozen seafood products from the USA and around the world. For more than 65 years, the Jacksonville-based company has provided premium products to the food-service industry and retail market. The company’s flagship brand, Sea Best, is sold in retailers nationwide. The company’s range of frozen seafood products includes tuna, swordfish, mahi-mahi, salmon and cod, among other species, and include steaks, loins, fillets or portions, as well as in a variety of ready meals.