SureBeam, the US company which created electron beam technology to remove bacteria and environmental pests from food, has signed an agreement with Son Son Company, a Vietnamese food processing company, which will see the American firm's technology installed in a new cold storage facility in An Loc, near Ho Chi Minh City.
The new facility will allow Son Son's current fresh and frozen food clients to benefit from SureBeam's technology as a means of controlling pathogens, eliminating environmental pests and extending shelf-life, the company said.
"We see the introduction of SureBeam's innovative technology as a key step in increasing Vietnam's level of competence in food processing, as well as being of great value to our customer base," said Tram Be, Son Son's owner.
"This latest agreement underscores the continued strong international interest we've been seeing for SureBeam technology," said Larry Oberkfell, SureBeam president and CEO. "We believe that SureBeam is the most versatile and best business solution available for addressing the international market's food safety and bio-security needs."
The SureBeam system uses electricity as an energy source to irradiate food, destroying harmful bacteria without compromising the taste, texture or nutritional value of the food, the company claimed. It can also be used to rid fresh fruit and vegetables of harmful environmental pests after harvesting.
SureBeam said that processed ground beef and fruit products which have been irradiated using its technology are sold across the US in thousands of supermarkets, as well as by home delivery, direct mail and through food service.