Patent ID: 8216510
Filing Date: 2012-07-10
Classification: A22C,A23B,A23L,B26D,B65B,E04H,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method for reducing contamination by an undesirable micro-organism within a food processing facility that processes a food product, comprising: receiving a pre-cooked food product into the facility and holding the product in a designated semi-secure storage area of the food processing facility; transporting selected portions of food product from the designated semi-secure storage area to an at least semi-secure treatment area and applying a post-reception lethality treatment directly to the food product; transporting the treated portions of food product from the treatment area to a secure food product delivery area; transporting the treated portions of the food product from the delivery area into selected ones of a plurality of secure area food processing rooms through positive pressure gradient openings therein, each food processing room comprising a single food processing line of series-associated food processing elements comprising at least one food processing device and at least one food packaging device, each food processing room maintained at a first substantially sterile level of cleanliness which substantially prevents the presence and growth of pathogenic microorganisms including processing the food product portions in those selected isolated food processing rooms; packaging the processed food product into closed packages in those selected isolated food processing rooms such that any micro-organisms outside of the packages will be unable to migrate into the interior of the packages as long as the packages remain closed; and transporting the closed packages out of those selected food processing rooms to a semi-secure packaged food receiving area through negative pressure gradient openings.