LA MIRADA, CA, April 30, 2010 -- A significant advancement in the last quarter-century in food and water safety is the Isan system, a patented automated water disinfection system that reduces fungal growth, spoilage, organisms and pathogens in water and food, preventing illnesses and death.
Until now, the life-saving system has been used only in Australia and New Zealand through federal approval.
But now the Isan system is being launched in the U.S. by BioLargo Inc. which entered into a series of agreements to commercialize the leading water disinfection system for food safety and agricultural uses in the U.S., the company announced today.
"Food safety is a heavily debated and controversial issue -- and it has been a cause of great concern in the U.S. for decades," says Dennis Calvert, CEO and President of BioLargo Inc. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that food borne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year."
Additionally, annual health related costs associated with food-borne illnesses in the U.S. are $152 billion, according to a recent study by the Produce Safety Project at Georgetown University.
"The Isan system will make a huge impact in significantly reducing the number of deaths and illnesses due to E. coli, mad cow disease, food poisoning and other health-related risks pertaining to food," Calvert says. "The Isan system is a big part of the solution to help solve food-safety issues, as well as to begin replacing dangerous pesticides and chlorine-based products that so often are harmful to people and our environment."
According to Dr. Joseph Montecalvo of California State Polytechnic University, a noted expert in organic post harvest handling and processing and related international standards, HACCP and EPA-FDA-USDA regulatory compliance, and food plant sanitation, "The Isan system is one of the most important advances in food and plant safety in the past 20 years."
The Isan system utilizes iodine and substantially reduces the incidence of fungal growth, spoilage organisms and pathogens in water and on food. Capable of treating high volumes of water flow, the Isan system is a combination of electrodes for measuring iodine levels in the target water stream, a control unit which automatically controls the dosage levels, iodine canisters to deliver the iodine, and resin canisters to collect by-products after disinfection has been completed.
Iodine, a broad spectrum disinfectant with no known acquired resistance capabilities, is used extensively in the hospital and animal health markets due to its high level of efficacy combined with its low reactivity to human, plant and animal cells.
The Isan system is registered with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) and Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) in Australia and New Zealand, where it has approximately 150 customer installations currently operating, primarily for use in horticulture, post-harvest sanitation of fruits and vegetables, dairy use, and poultry drinking water.
In April 2009, the creator of the Isan system, Ioteq IP Pty. Ltd. of Australia, was chosen as one of the top 50 water companies in an international competition by The Artemis Project£.
"The Isan system solves many of the safety and environmental issues surrounding food processing and water treatment for a whole host of industry applications, while at the same time providing a turn-key 'set-it-and-forget-it' cost-effective solution that the marketplace so desperately needs," says Bert Fenenga, founder of Isan USA Inc.
Under the series of agreements, BioLargo secured the exclusive rights to commercialize the Isan system for all fields of use, in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
"The Isan system holds many competitive advantages to existing chlorine-based systems, and it includes a major advancement in the recycling and conservation of water in post harvest food processing," says Jared Franks, President of Ioteq. "The Isan System will increase shelf life, reduce product rejection and loss, and reduce the incidence of food borne illness outbreaks. This has an economic effect on consumers, as well as growers, wholesalers, retailers and the health system.
"BioLargo, with its suite of complementary iodine technologies, has been instrumental in helping us develop a go-to-market path and bringing this relationship to a successful start with Isan USA. Our disruptive green technology can make a big difference in protecting people, plants, and our earth."
About BioLargo
BioLargo's business strategy is to harness and deliver Nature's Best Solution£ -- free-iodine -- in a safe, efficient, environmentally sensitive and cost-effective manner. BioLargo's proprietary technology works by combining micro-nutrient salts with liquid from any source to deliver free-iodine on demand, in controlled dosages, in order to balance efficacy of performance with concerns about toxicity. BioLargo's technology has potential commercial applications within global industries, including but not limited to agriculture, animal health, beach and soil environmental uses, consumer products, food processing, medical, and water. BioLargo's strategic licensing partner Ioteq IP Pty Ltd. was named a "Top 50 Water Company for the 21st Century" by The Artemis Project£. The company's website is www.BioLargo.com, and its products are sold under the brand name Odor-No-More£ by BioLargo's wholly-owned subsidiary, Odor-No-More Inc. (www.OdorNoMore.com). BioLargo now archives investor and shareholder communications at www.biolargoshares.blogspot.com.
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