010467 SureBeam’s 3rd Electronic Pasteurization CenterApril 29, 2001San Diego, CA - SureBeam Corporation announced that it would be constructing its third new major SureBeam electronic pasteurizing service center near Los Angeles. Scheduled to open by the end of 2001 with an annual processing capacity in excess of 250 million pounds, SureBeam's new West Coast service center will be used to process meat and other fresh and frozen food products and spices. SureBeam recently announced that it is also constructing another regional center near Chicago. The West Coast and Chicago centers will triple the company's national processing capacity, allowing it greater flexibility for servicing its customers. A key innovation within the facility will be the capability to use e-beam and x-ray scanning systems simultaneously, so as to accommodate differences in product size and shape. SureBeam's strategic business plan calls for the building of a nationwide servicing network and to install SureBeam electronic pasteurizing technology in-line within the processing plants of major national food processors. “Installation of the SureBeam service center on the West Coast will provide food processors throughout the West access to a valuable, new tool for increasing food safety and quality,” said Larry Oberkfell, SureBeam's President and CEO. “Southern California is a strategic area -- a national hub in domestic food production and processing.” California is the nation's largest food processing state, producing more than $26 billion worth of food products per year. It is also the leading agricultural export state and the sixth largest exporter in the world. Similar to a microwave oven, the SureBeam electronic pasteurization system uses electricity as its energy source to pasteurize food after it has been processed and packaged. SureBeam's technology generates a beam of accelerated electrons which -- when scanned across a food product -- instantly help to eliminate the threat of harmful food-borne bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7, Listeria, Campylobacter and Salmonella without compromising a food product's quality. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food-borne diseases strike 76 million Americans annually, leading to more than 5,000 deaths -- predominately among children, elderly, and the unborn. Approved by the FDA and USDA, SureBeam technology has won the support of many of the nation's most prestigious food processors -- including IBP, Cargill, Emmpak Foods, Huisken Meats, Tyson Foods, Del Monte Foods, American Foodservice, Rochester Meats, United Food Group, WW Johnson Meat Company, Omaha Steaks and others. Reflecting a growing consumer demand, SureBeam electronically pasteurized products are sold across the nation in over 2,000 supermarkets, as well as by home delivery and through food service. Commercial facilities using the SureBeam system are in operation in Sioux City, Iowa, and Hilo, Hawaii. Sioux City was the nation's first electronic food pasteurization facility, while the Hilo, Hawaii, plant was the nation's first facility dedicated to treating tropical fruit. This unique post-harvest Hawaiian facility uses SureBeam X-ray technology to disinfest millions of pounds of tropical fruit annually. SureBeam Corporation was created, built, and launched by The Titan Corporation in an initial public offering on March 16. Headquartered in San Diego, California, SureBeam is a leading provider of electronic pasteurization systems and services for the food industry. SureBeam's technology improves food safety, prolongs shelf life, and provides disinfestation. The SureBeam patented electronic pasteurization process is based on proven, environmentally friendly electron beam technology.
E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com |
