Alternatieve methoden van desinfectie toegepast in diertransportmiddelen en in de vleesverwerkende industrie

In the Netherlands, many animals are kept for the production of, for example, milk, eggs and meat. When keeping animals, but also during transport, slaughter and further processing, hygiene is of great importance to prevent the spread of diseases. Hygienic working in the production of food is therefore subject to strict rules. The standard procedure for hygienic working consists of two parts: (1) cleaning and (2) disinfection. First, during cleaning, dirt particles are removed with a soapy solution. Then, after rinsing with water, during disinfection, pathogens are rendered harmless, with an agent such as chlorine, for example. Inspectors from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) are increasingly seeing that other, alternative methods are being used, both in disinfecting means of transport for livestock and in the meat processing industry. Methods in which a standard agent such as chlorine is not used, or in which a product is used in a way other than with a mop. There is no good overview at the NVWA, it is not clear exactly what alternative means and methods there may be. This report shows the results of an inventory of possible alternative disinfection methods in livestock transport and in the meat processing industry. The inventory is based on existing literature and on information obtained from interviews with, among others, construction engineers of livestock transport equipment, suppliers of disinfectants and professionals working in the meat processing industry. Relevant alternative methods for the disinfection of animal transport vehicles and the meat processing industry include, amongst others, nebulization of chemical agents or disinfection with enzymes, UV-licht or ozone. For a few alternative methods, the mechanism of action, the possible presence of residues and other possible chemical substances and the degree of killing of bacteria and viruses have been studied in more detail. Alternative methods have in common that no harmful residues are left behind. However, the use of some of these alternative methods can create new harmful by-products. So on the basis of literature data, it is not always possible to determine whether an alternative method is at least as safe. It is also not always clear whether an alternative method is as effective in killing bacteria and viruses as the current standard method.