Creating Safer Air Inside Restaurants

Creating a safer dining environment will continue to be one of the most important foodservice objectives throughout 2021. Even though some regions of the country are facing indoor dining restrictions, dining rooms will eventually reopen. Making them safe will be critical for customer confidence -- even as vaccines begin to take hold -- and it's important to understand why.

It's widely believed and documented the coronavirus is airborne, which is one of the three most prevalent ways it spreads. This means if airborne contaminants are controlled and mitigated, so, too, is the spread of COVID-19.

So how can you create an improved hygiene protocol without major construction or expensive HVAC modifications?

Bluezone by Middleby Viral Kill Units: Restore customer confidence by cleaning restaurant air.

Bluezone® by Middleby Viral Kill Units allow restaurants and other foodservice operations to remove potentially infectious airborne elements from the air without the need for a filter. Instead, Bluezone units actively pull indoor air into a reaction chamber and potentially contaminated air is scrubbed by a patented ultraviolet germicidal light process that destroys the RNA of the of the COVID-19 virus. RNA is a genetic blueprint that allows the virus to reproduce, so when it's destroyed, so is the ability for reproduction.

The successful results were confirmed in a study conducted in compliance with the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Good Laboratory Practices. In order to accurately assess how good Bluezone is in combatting COVID-19, loads of aerosolized MS2 bacteriophage were studied, which is a historical surrogate for influenza and is now considered as a surrogate for coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2 because of genetic similarities.

Measurements were taken with both the Bluezone unit turned off and then fully operating over different periods of time (at 15, 30, and 60 minutes). The results showed the Bluezone units are effective in killing and delivering a rapid reduction in viable MS2. This innovative technology destroys 99.9995% of viruses and other indoor contaminants. The Bluezone food preservation technology won a U.S. Army Achievement Award and was successfully installed in U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. Bluezone air purification technology is tried and true.

The Importance of Bluezone Technology

The FDA along with the Department of Homeland Security and the Center for Disease Control have recommended the use of UV technology to help limit the potential transmission of COVID-19 via airborne contamination. As part of a comprehensive solution, Middleby is eager to launch Bluezone as we look to become part of the recommended hygiene protocol for creating safer indoor dining environments. 

Even after we reach critical mass with vaccinations and other processes, it will continue to be important to create consumer confidence with important virus mitigation efforts, and Bluezone is expected be part of that hygiene solution.

Bluezone units are now available for pre-order. They will go fast, so reserve your unit today.