Food & Drink

Any place of business that uses large quantities of water on a regular basis is at risk for having a Legionella bacteria issue. The bacteria tend to thrive in warm water and on and around some pipe fittings and water pipe fixtures. The food and beverage industry is not immune.

Regular testing of the water supply and thorough disinfectant techniques are recommended by the Association of Water Technologies to prevent the bacteria from colonizing, and businesses that serve food and drink are held under stricter accountability from health inspectors than most businesses.

Legionella is the name of the bacterium that causes Legionnaires’ disease. It is a very serious disease that can be fatal if proper and timely treatment is not given to the patient. The rate of death varies between 5%- 30% of all reported cases.

Because the food and drink industries use water in every step of the production process, it is imperative that they are consider disinfectant procedures.

One of the most recent examples of what can happen if a business in the hospitality industry neglects its water supply occurred in September 2005. One of the biggest food industries of Scotland, Prawn Food and Drink, was ordered to close its doors because two employees of the company were taken to the intensive care unit at Aberdeen Royal Academy, after being exposed to legionella.

After initial inspection by the health and safety executive, it was determined that Prawn was using recycled water, and the source of Legionella bacteria that caused Legionnaire’s disease in the two workers was found to be in the cooling tower.