Gateway America is a Primus Labs certified food safety facility that will be processing Bonamar’s crab meat under US FDA supervision.
The US seafood company said it was the first nationally marketed line of ES (Extended Safety) crab meat products.
FDA approved irradiation of shellfish to kill pathogens in 2014 based on a petition from the National Fisheries Institute.
It applies to raw, frozen, cooked, partially cooked, shelled or dried crustaceans and covers cooked or ready-to-cook crustaceans processed with spices or small amounts of other ingredients.
The cold process of irradiating food involves exposing the packaged product to radiation up to the permitted dose of 6 kiloGray (kGy).
Bonamar said ionizing radiation will reduce, but not entirely eliminate, the number of pathogenic microorganisms – including Listeria, Vibrio and E. coli – in or on crustaceans.
Irradiation has been used in the spice fruits, vegetable, meat, poultry and seafood industries, including oysters and scallops.
Argenis Contreras, president/CEO of Bonamar, said the firm is constantly evolving.
“Bonamar is committed to continuous innovation and safety, through technology and strategic partnerships around the globe," he said.
“2017 will be a groundbreaking year for our company as we launch into new product categories and improve safety through new technologies, all by utilizing key partnerships.”