March 2021 – Technologies for a New-Normal in Food & Drink

TECHNOLOGIES FOR A NEW-NORMAL IN HOSPITALITY, FOOD & DRINK MANUFACTURING

The global COVID Pandemic has rocked society and forced all of us into making major changes to our lifestyle, whether at home or work. While we are slowly getting on top of the virus and containing its spread the general consensus is that COVID 19 will be with us, in one form or another, for some time to come.

One thing the last 12 months has reminded us of is that we humans are relentlessly adaptable to crises. 6 million years of human evolution tells us that ‘Survive and Thrive’ is what we do best. Our amazing food, drink and hospitality industry will be no exception. In the early days of the pandemic, when our restaurants and bars were still accessible, business owners and industry leaders were quickly able to make the operational adaptations necessary to give staff and customers the reassurance that working within and enjoying the products and services of Scottish hospitality could be made safe.

18 months ago, none of us would have imagined that the availability of alcoholic hand gel and sheets of Perspex would become key differentiators of competitive advantage as consumers decided which hotels, restaurants and bars to frequent. This will be common-place in the months and years ahead. However, as we prepare to reopen and look forward, if not to the ringing of cash registers, but the sound of contactless payment authorisations, technology will play an increasingly important role in driving consumer purchasing habits and determining the direction of footfall when guests and diners make their choice of hospitality venue.

It is in this critically important area that ECO LIGHTING SYSTEMS, Scotland’s premier solutions provider to the food and drink sector, are making their mark. While maintaining an important focus on delivering world-class energy efficient lighting solutions to distillers and food manufacturers, they have been using the last 12 months to ready the hospitality industry for the ‘new normal’. Their aim is simple; to introduce technologies that will provide manufacturers and hospitality operators with tools to safeguard employee health and wellbeing while give consumers all the right reasons to choose their venues over their competitors.

12 months on and ECO LIGHTING SYSTEMS is ready to future-proof your business with cutting-edge technology that combines UVC light with air filtration to eradicated 99.9% of Corona virus, Flu Virus and Nova virus, to name but a few. Their products come in the form of solutions for the entire food and drink supply chain, from producer to retailer/distributor through to end-user operator and in essence involve four technologies;

1. [Static] UVC light units fixed to ceilings and existing air conditioning systems.
2. [Dynamic] super-flexible mobile UVC light units that can be moved to various locations throughout the operational day (ideal for restaurants, bars, conference and function rooms as well as all office and reception space).
3. Hand-Held UVC light sterilisation equipment.
4. Airocide fixed air filtration system.

The science is tried and tested with much of it derived from space industry innovations first used by NASA and solutions with US Food and Drug Administration approval to medical class 11.
Static units use UVC light to sterilise surfaces or objects and range in size from the SeCUBE (about the size of a toaster-oven) for sterilising small objects such as salt and pepper sellers to condiment bottles, menu cards and even hand-held EPOS systems and mobile phones. The larger sizes go up to the SeCUBE-SHOPPING, (about the size of a large garden shed, designed for the mass sterilisation of retail shopping trolleys but equally suitable for sterilising any larger pieces of furniture including tables, chairs and beds). SPAR in Germany has been trialling the SeCUBE-SHOPPING solution with great results and are now installing several across their estate.
Dynamic units (about the size of a small office paper-shredder) combines air filtration with UVC light, drawing air in to the unit and through Hepa 13 filters and across a self-contained UV light source to eradicate 99.9% of virus. Each unit is suitable for room sizes up to 120 square meters (1290 sq. feet).
While the continued use of chemical sprays for counter tops, tables and chairs will remain common place in our industry, ECO LIGHTING SYSTEMS introduces hand-held UVC light sterilisation equipment for use front and back of house during clean-down operations. Ideal for food production facilities and all after-hours public area cleaning, their SafeAirFlow units can disinfect a counter top, sink or wall space in 2 seconds.
The Airocide fixed air filtration system, technology utilised by NASA and clinically proven to eradicate viruses, bacteria, fungi and mold…..even anthrax!

Examples of solutions are pictured below.

So what of future technological developments? ECO LIGHTING SYSTEMS is working with engineering partners to deliver next-generation lighting solutions which will combine standard light sources with a UVC light source. Ideal for any not-in-use office space or after-hours production space, the standard light source will switch to UVC, cleansing surfaces through the night!
The world has changed and business & industry will need to adapt. Many specialist commercial lighting providers now offer solutions which make the move to a “new -normal“ easier. UV-C LED light systems will give you and your workforce better protection against viruses and bacteria including COVID-19. They will reduce the need for cleaning materials and manpower and will give your customers comfort in the knowledge that your venues are a safer place to dine, to drink and to stay!

For more information please get in touch.
[email protected]
www.ecolightsystems.co.uk

SeCUBE Shopping

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seTUBE Air

seTUBE

ANTO PLUS UV-C LED Spotlights