Promolux International responds to NBC Dateline investigative report on supermarket sources of food borne illness

(PRLEAP.COM) Promolux Lighting International, a pioneer in the field of lamp production technology, took note when NBC News Correspondent Lea Thompson alerted consumers to food safety violations in How Safe is your Supermarket?
” It’s tough to know how many people get sick from supermarket food,” said Thompson, “often it’s not very serious, perhaps a case of what seems like the flu. People often don’t report food poisoning and if they do, it can still be hard to trace its source. But we do know food poisoning in general is a big problem in this country. The government’s Centers for Disease control estimates 5,000 people die and more than 70 million people get sick each year.”
NBC’s Dateline program sent cameras into stores where inspection records indicated a history of food safety violations. In 11 of the 18 stores visited, Dateline uncovered critical violations that were capable of causing harm to a person in the form of food borne illness. Thompson reported finding critical violations like dirt and bugs around food, as well as potential sources of food poisoning from improper temperature control. “Dateline thermometers found food being kept either not cold enough or not hot enough. Food like fresh fish on sale in Texas was at least five degrees too warm.”
Dateline explained out that “bacteria can grow just as easily in a refrigerated unit if it’s not kept at the right temperature.” Jeffrey Nelken, food safety expert consulted by Dateline, said “The danger zone is the range of temperature from 41 to 135. And once you get in the middle of that, that’s where bacteria rages and reproduce.” Nelken advised supermarket employees: “This is part of your job description, keeping foods safe. Keeping hot food hot, keeping cold food cold, and keeping the place clean. It’s a very simple direction.”
Promolux International couldn’t agree more, and advises that light bulbs alone can increase surface temperature of foods on display by up to 8 degrees F, especially when placed too near the product. Ultraviolet radiation from general-purpose lamps encourages bacterial growth, enzymes, dehydration and oxidation which degrade food products quality.
The Promolux solution is a line of specialty lamps designed for use in supermarkets and other locations where perishable foods are on display. Safe Spectrum Lamps play an important role in regulating surface temperatures of fresh foods and preventing food borne illness originating in foods kept at improper temperatures. For full details, visit www.promolux.com.Promolux Safe Spectrum lamps reduce the rate of heat and radiation damage to meats, milk, dairy and other products where bacteria can multiply rapidly and are approved in writing by health officials for meat display and other applications. Promolux Lighting products for quality commercial displays are available in all standard sizes and wattages.
Promolux Lighting International is the first manufacturer to develop a light source that combines superior color rendering with reduction of harmful radiation. Promolux lamps apply Balanced Spectrum technology, a proprietary phosphor-coating process that produces a natural, balanced light and filters out damaging ultraviolet, infrared and visible spectrum wavelengths. Market Group Ventures, Inc., the parent corporation for Promolux, is a world leader in providing retail technology solutions for merchandisers.