"There are no other products like the Tru-Pure Ozone products on the market today," he said. "The water industry provides many purification choices to consumers, such as filters, UV systems, and reverse osmosis systems, yet nothing was previously available allowing the consumer to simultaneously kill bacteria in water and on surfaces, or help in the reduction of microbial contamination within the kitchen or food preparation environment."
Tru-Pure Ozone Technologies provides patented water sterilisation and purification systems that use a safe, low-voltage electric current to create natural ozone. This, claims the company, sterilises and purifies tap water without the use of chemicals. After ozone has completed purification, it reverts back to pure, natural oxygen.
The result is water that meets FDA guidelines for 'pure' water. The product also contains natural sanitising properties that kill germs and bacteria, like Salmonella and E. coli, on contact. According to Karney, this is the only water treatment system that provides both sterilisation and purification right from the faucet. And he has high hopes that the technology will take off.
"My background is that I started out as a procurement agent for the department of defence," he tells FoodProductionDaily.com. "I discovered that here in the US, we have safety regulations, but they are often not well enforced. Also, the FDA tends to ban products they think cause foodborne illnesses, while we have been able to develop a process that is capable of removing dangerous pathogens."
Karney therefore identified early on a gap in the market. He founded e-Foodsafety.com in 1996 to provide an alternative to traditional supply point/distribution centre operations in the fresh fruit and produce industry. According to Karney, the focal point of the company has always been to provide unique services to growers, shippers and buyers of fresh produce.
His company later developed a patent pending Food Safe spray designed to minimise disease risks that can be applied to fruits and vegetables and even poultry, meat and seafood. According to the firm, the solution can reduce or eliminate microbial pathogens, such as E. coli, and reduce the amount of chlorine used in decontamination by 30 per cent to 50 per cent.
"The integration of the Tru-Pure Ozone product line with the e-FoodSafety.com process should yield unprecedented and far superior results than previously anticipated," said Karney. "Ozone has been proven to kill bacteria, destroy viruses, and water-borne parasites. Ozone has also been proven to kill germs up to 3,200 times faster than chlorine - with absolutely no chemical residue."
Karney believes that, following the deal with Tru-Pure, e-FoodSafety.com is well placed to consolidate its position in the rapidly expanding food safety industry, and believes the products have global applications. The firm claims to be the only business with a patent pending chemical and inspection process that can boast an entire system dedicated to protecting, certifying, and delivering food safe products that exceed current Federal Drug Administration (FDA) requirements.
And the company continues to innovate. "There are lots of things we can do," said Karney. "Many foodborne sicknesses are caused in the home, for example. After people buy a product from the store, they often have to leave it in a hot car for the journey home, and then leave it on a shelf - here in the south west of America, temperatures can reach 115 degrees. Now we have developed a small ozonisation unit that fits in the home, and I believe that this can help reduce the instances of food-borne disease."