Global Food Technologies

A safe food supply is vital to human health and economy. Often food products carry disease causing bacteria before harvest. If improperly processed or packaged, or insufficiently handled, the bacteria in the product can rapidly multiply to dangerous levels. According to a report published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), seafood is the leading known cause of foodborne illness outbreaks. The next largest contributors are eggs, fruits and vegetables, beef and poultry.

2.What causes food poisoning?

Food poisoning is an acute, often severe gastrointestinal disorder caused by eating food contaminated with bacteria or the toxins they produce. For some consumers, foodborne illness results in temporary discomfort or lost time from work or other daily activity. For others, especially older adults, children, and those with impaired immune systems, a foodborne illness may have serious or long-term consequences, and may be life-threatening. The risk of foodborne illness is of increasing concern due to changes resulting from globalization, aging of our population, changes in consumer eating habits, changes in food production practices, and increasing numbers of immunocompromised individuals.

3.What are pathogens?

An agent that causes infection or disease, especially a microorganism, such as a bacterium or protozoan, or a virus. E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria are the leading cause of over five thousands of deaths each year in the U.S. alone, and lead to product recall and loss to the economy.

4.What are food contaminants?

Contaminants are adulterants that alter the purity of the food.

5.What is iPura?

iPura is a premium seal that is defined by scientific innovation, proprietary organic methods and service guarantees that gives consumers control over the risks associated with consuming contaminated food. The seal is a guarantee that the product meets “The Highest Standard in Food Safety”.
The iPura® seal is a symbol of excellence anchored by a daily food safety and quality program with science-based controls to mitigate foodborne pathogens to ensure that your food products are clean and safe without affecting the natural taste, texture or color while safeguarding nutritional value and health benefits.

iPura adds value to the distribution chain by satisfying consumer demand for natural, healthy, clean, safe and sustainable food. Processors, importers, distributors, food service and grocers can reduce spoilage and liabilities, increase sales and profit margins while protecting their brand image and safeguarding public health.

Only licensed products carry the premium iPura seal, a mark of excellence supported by extraordinary safety controls and precautionary measures which establish iPura as “The Highest Standard in Food Safety”. Currently licensing seafood processors, iPura will expand into poultry, meats and produce.

Safety controls prior to packaging

• Patented “organic clean step”
• Turn-key industrial hardware
• On-site food safety and quality assurance team
• Multiple interventions to combat foodborne hazards
• On-site microbiologist for continual testing against foodborne hazards
• Packaging within a cleanroom environment
• Independent certification
• Chlorine free

Safety controls through the distribution chain

• Temperature monitoring
• Protection against cross contamination
• Traceability with a point of origin marker
• Security authentication against counterfeiting
• Insurance against regulatory intervention and product recall

6.How does iPura represent “The Highest Standard in Food Safety?”

iPura represents The Highest Standard in Food Safety based on its comprehensive daily on-site food safety and quality services imbedded in the iPura Food Safety and Quality Service and Licensing Program. This program executes proprietary science-based controls to mitigate foodborne pathogens, and to identify and prevent contaminants and banned substances from entering your food supply.

7.What is the “organic clean step“?

An organic non-thermal microbial kill step performed by Global Food Technologies prior to packaging, using our proprietary turn-key hardware and trained personnel. The microbial intervention is a patented hurdle technology representing a combination of scientific interventions to achieve superior efficacy. This technology capitalizes on our expertise in cellular biology and engineering by combining pressure, temperature, vacuum, UV disinfected water and an organic antimicrobial solution to mitigate disease causing pathogens and other spoilage organisms in food products. Our organic technologies are focused on the elimination of food poisoning due to the ingestion of E.coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, Vibrio and other deadly pathogens which frequently contaminate food products during the farming, processing and packaging stages.

8.What is controlled packaging within a “cleanroom”?

Our processing cleanroom is created by unilaminar airflow, positive air pressure, and HEPA filtration to mitigate cross-contamination. In addition, the ambient temperature of the processing room is tightly controlled to suppress microbial proliferation on the product and food contact surfaces.

9.Does iPura alter the food?

No. Our organic microbial interventions addresses foodborne hazards without affecting the natural taste, texture or color while safeguarding nutritional value and health benefits.

10.How is iPura “natural”?

The iPura Food Safety Service and Licensing Program utilizes only environmentally friendly and organic antimicrobial agents, clean water, pressure, vacuum, and non-thermal temperatures to perform multiple microbial interventions.

11.Why does GFT employ an on-site microbiologist at each licensed food processing facility?

As part of the comprehensive food safety and quality service program, we conduct daily efficacy testing of product as well as environmental monitoring of the processing facility. In addition to independent laboratory analysis which tests for banned substances and chemicals, the on-site laboratory tests daily for pathogens with PCR, ELISA, and other rapid testing methods.

12.Why does iPura monitor temperature throughout the distribution chain?

iPura products are handled with strict adherence to the optimal storage temperature to maintain safety, freshness and quality.

13.What is a point-of-origin marker?

Each master carton is tagged with an iPura identification marker that allows immediate identification to source, date and batch.

14.How is iPura insured? (More info)

All products that carry the iPura seal are insured against regulatory intervention and product recall at all stages in the distribution chain. This unique insurance coverage is attached to the product and indemnifies each stakeholder in the chain of possession, a new paradigm in perishable food product insurance

15.How does iPura protect against piracy? (More info)

Anti-counterfeit measures are implemented with authentication labeling and Intaglio technology on all iPura products. This maximum security measure is taken to assure the highest level of safety and security to customers around the world.

16.What is independent certification? (More info)

The iPura Food Safety and Quality Service Program requires an independent certification of its food safety and quality plan for each of its licensees. The iPura Program currently recognizes the BAP Certification by the Aquaculture Certification Council, and the Safe Quality Food Certification (SQF level 3) by the Food Marketing Institute as qualified requisite programs.

17.Is iPura FDA approved?

iPura food safety controls meet and exceed U.S. HACCP regulations and Good Manufacturing Practices. The organic antimicrobial agents are allowed under the Code of Federal Regulations 21 CFR part 173. The use of the organic antimicrobial agent for seafood is allowed under FDA Food Contact Notification number 699.

18.How does iPura support existing food brands?

Maintaining brand integrity requires use of the best available technologies and practices to address the concerns of consumers, industry and governments in all major markets. When contaminated products reach the market, company brand and market share is at stake. Distributing defective food can irreparably harm a company’s bottom line. Sourcing and providing “The Highest Standard in Food Safety” is in the best interest of all food industry stake-holders.

19.How does iPura benefit processors?

Processors who have an iPura Food Safety Service and Licensing Contract with Global Food Technologies affix the iPura seal on their products. The iPura food safety seal is a symbol of excellence. With iPura processors can:

• Exceed food safety regulatory mandates.
• Add integrity and value to their company and products.
• Be a leader in Food Safety.
• Profit by meeting consumer demand for safety and quality.
• Pass on costs to consumers who are demanding safer food.
• Benefit from iPura marketing support.
• Gain a competitive edge over competitors by offering iPura products to buyers.

“An important consequence of national efforts to control imports of food that fail to comply with statutory minimum sensory and safety quality standards has been the rejection and sometimes destruction of significant quantities of product. This causes serious interruptions of international trade and results in large product and financial losses.” - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): 2004 Conference on Food Trade, Consequences of Quality Defects for the International Food Trade.

20.How does iPura benefit the entire food supply chain?

Food safety is a growing concern throughout the world. Consumers are growing more knowledgeable and sophisticated in their understanding of their food supply and how it is processed and distributed. Grocers and food service providers respond to consumer demand for increased food safety by sourcing premium products. Promoting food safety is smart business.

• Suppliers who offer premium iPura products gain a competitive edge.
• Supplies can meet demand and expand their markets with the Highest Standard in Food Safety.
• Suppliers can benefit from the iPura wide-reaching marketing campaign.
• Suppliers can reduce their spoilage and losses with complete sell through.
• Suppliers will reduce exposure to cross-contamination.

21.When will iPura Food Safety be available?

Products with the iPura seal will first be available for seafood in the second quarter of 2008 followed by poultry and meat products.

22.How much does iPura cost?

At the grocery store, the cost to the consumer amounts to just pennies per meal. According to the U.S. Economic Research Service the cost of food poisoning to the U.S. economy exceeds nine billion dollars a year. The cost of food poisoning to a loved one can be immeasurable.

23.How does iPura help the environment?

iPura helps the environment by reducing the amount of rejection, recall, waste and spoilage of processed products due to microbial contamination. Sensible management of our seafood resources is vital to feeding the world’s growing populations while at the same time safeguarding our natural resources.
Today, our planet is supporting a growing population of over 6 billion human beings. But no matter how diverse populations have become, people everywhere all share the same need to breathe clean air, drink fresh water and eat uncontaminated food. The sheer numbers of earth’s inhabitants are straining its resources as they try to keep pace with the growth of the human population. The constriction of potential food sources now requires virtually all food to be processed and, as a result, a worldwide distribution system has developed.

“An important consequence of national efforts to control imports of food that fail to comply with statutory minimum sensory and safety quality standards has been the rejection and sometimes destruction of significant quantities of product. This causes serious interruptions of international trade and results in large product and financial losses”. - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): 2004 Conference on Food Trade, Consequences of Quality Defects for the International Food Trade.

24.What is the iPura Food Safety Pledge?

The iPura Food Safety Pledge signifies quality far exceeding the ordinary.

The iPura pledge is a promise that Global Food Technologies has conducted a clean step on the product as part of a food safety and quality service contract with food manufacturers. This additional clean step and specially formulated packaging mitigates disease causing bacteria in food products, creating safer food and extended shelf life without altering the food’s natural taste, texture, color while safeguarding nutritional value and health benefits.

The iPura Pledge is a promise from your grocer, food service provider and their distributors that they adhere to iPura approved food handling practices.

iPura Value Points

Patented “organic clean step” (Return to iPura Value Points)

Our patented organic non-thermal microbial kill step performed by Global Food Technologies prior to packaging, using our proprietary turn-key hardware and trained personnel. The microbial intervention is a patented hurdle technology representing a combination of scientific interventions to achieve superior efficacy. This technology capitalizes on our expertise in cellular biology and engineering by combining pressure, temperature, vacuum, UV disinfected water and an organic antimicrobial solution to mitigate disease causing pathogens and other spoilage organisms in food products. Our organic technologies are focused on the elimination of food poisoning due to the ingestion of E.coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, Vibrio and other deadly pathogens which frequently contaminate food products during the farming, processing and packaging stages.

Turn-key industrial hardware (Return to iPura Value Points)

The iPura Food Safety and Quality Service Contract provides proprietary hardware and controls for the microbial intervention and “organic clean step” performed at the processing point prior to packaging. Our custom hardware is designed to perform the scientific interventions to achieve superior efficacy by combining pressure, temperature, vacuum, UV disinfected water and an environmentally friendly organic antimicrobial solution targeted at the elimination of disease causing pathogens and other spoilage organisms in food products.

On-site food safety and quality assurance team (Return to iPura Value Points)

The iPura Food Safety and Quality Service Contract provides the services of a dedicated team of system operators, technicians, microbiologist, and food safety experts who daily execute the microbial intervention and validation of the program efficacy on a continuous basis.

Multiple interventions to combat foodborne hazards (Return to iPura Value Points)

The iPura Food Safety and Quality Service Program requires an independent certification of its food safety and quality plan for each of its licensees. The iPura Program currently recognizes the BAP Certification by the Aquaculture Certification Council, and the Safe Quality Food Certification, SQF level 3 by the Food Marketing Institute as qualified requisite programs. In addition to meeting regulatory and environmental standards, the iPura program implements a daily regimen which includes the application of antimicrobial ice introduced at critical control points followed by a product wash before the product enters the pressure chambers described in company patents. Additional measures include control of the processing environment by utilizing unilaminar airflow, positive air pressure, and HEPA filtration to reduce cross-contamination. In addition, the ambient temperature of the processing room is controlled to suppress microbial proliferation on the product and food contact surfaces. Packaging, temperature monitoring and traceability provide additional controls throughout the distribution chain.

On-site microbiologist for continual testing against foodborne hazards (Return to iPura Value Points)

The iPura Food Safety and Quality Service Contract provides the services of an on-site microbiologist to conduct daily efficacy testing of product, and to conduct environmental monitoring of the processing facility. In addition to independent laboratory analysis which tests for banned substances and chemicals, the on-site laboratory tests daily for pathogens with PCR, ELISA, and other rapid testing methods.

Independent certification (Return to iPura Value Points)

Packaging within a cleanroom (Return to iPura Value Points)

All iPura packaging takes place in a cleanroom environment. We control the environment utilizing unilaminar airflow, positive air pressure, and HEPA filtration to reduce cross-contamination. In addition, the ambient temperature of the processing room is controlled to suppress microbial proliferation on the product and food contact surfaces.

Chlorine free (Return to iPura Value Points)

Chlorine and/or its toxic derivatives are never used by Global Food Technologies.

Temperature monitoring against temperature abuse (Return to iPura Value Points)

iPura master cartons are tagged with a monitoring device to monitor temperature and prevent abuse. The temperature sensor allows the minute-by-minute monitoring of cold chain logistics.

Protection against cross contamination (Return to iPura Value Points)

Our packaging of individual portions of fresh and frozen seafood assures that the highest standards of safety and quality are maintained. Additional measures include control of the processing environment utilizing unilaminar airflow, positive air pressure, and HEPA filtration to minimize cross-contamination. In addition, the ambient temperature of the processing room is controlled to suppress microbial proliferation on the product and food contact surfaces.

Traceability with a point of origin marker (Return to iPura Value Points)

Each master carton is tagged with an iPura identification marker that allows immediate identification to source, date and batch.

Security authentication against counterfeiting (Return to iPura Value Points)

Anti-counterfeit measures are implemented with authentication labeling and Intaglio technology on all iPura products. This maximum security measure is taken to assure the highest level of safety and security to customers around the world.

Insurance against regulatory intervention and product recall (Return to iPura Value Points)

Value Created Freshness Sealed (Return to Our iPura Value Points)

Our organic clean step reduces the microbiological load which promotes a cleaner, safer, fresher product. Packaging of individual portions of fresh and frozen seafood assures the freshness and quality of the product.

The iPura Food Safety and Quality Service Contract (Return to iPura Value Points)

The iPura contract is a service and licensing agreement between Global Food Technologies, Inc. a U.S. Corporation, and a food processor. For a negotiated fee, the iPura Licensing Contract guarantees that Global Food Technologies executes the iPura Food Safety and Quality Service Program on a daily basis.

As a pre-requisite, The iPura Program requires an independent certification of its food safety and quality plan for each of its licensees. In addition to meeting regulatory and environmental standards, the iPura program implements a daily regimen which includes microbial intervention with the application of antimicrobial ice introduced at critical control points followed by an organic wash before the product enters the pressure chambers described in company patents. Additional measures include control of the processing environment by utilizing unilaminar airflow, positive air pressure, and HEPA filtration to reduce cross-contamination. In addition, the ambient temperature of the processing room is controlled to suppress microbial proliferation on the product and food contact surfaces. Packaging, temperature monitoring and traceability provide additional controls throughout the distribution chain.

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