Organized through Cornell's Dry Sanitation Research Advisory Council and hosted by Kerry, the Cornell Advancing Dry Sanitation forum combined research presentations, industry experience, and interactive discussions across six themes: moisture management, emerging technologies, allergen control, hygienic design, sanitation validation, and priorities for future collaboration.
Choosing between dry and wet sanitation in low-moisture food processing environments requires balancing cleaning effectiveness against the microbial risks introduced by water. A risk-based approach can help facilities determine when controlled wet cleaning is justified and how to minimize associated food safety risks.
Respondents generally reported sanitation practices intended to minimize water introduction, but opportunities remained to improve relative humidity management, standardize understanding of sanitation breaks, and better characterize the relationship between moisture management and microbial contamination risks.
The qualitative, risk-based framework is designed to help manufacturers, foodservice operators, suppliers, and buyers evaluate microbiological hazards associated with dried fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices, and appropriate pathogen mitigation measures.
This article discusses the limits of "dry" sanitizers in low-moisture environments in terms of performance, cost, employee safety, and the hidden risks of moisture in hard-to-clean niches.
Intended for professional sanitarians, food safety leaders, hygienic design specialists, and managers working in low-moisture food manufacturing, the event will take place October 26–27, 2026 in Beloit, Wisconsin.
In low-moisture food manufacturing, keeping your facility dry is key environmental control, yet many facilities treat water in their environment with a level of complacency that does not match its impact. What is needed is a more disciplined mindset—one that treats water with the same seriousness applied to other high-risk materials, such as glass.
IAFNS-supported researchers have developed a low-moisture cleaning solution that is not only effective and less of a hazard for workers and plants, but also has the potential to save cleaning time.
Researchers have developed and validated a rapidly vaporizing antimicrobial liquid designed for dry sanitization, which, after further optimization and regulatory approvals, could offer a potential alternative to highly flammable alcohol-based solutions.
Applying wet sanitation in dry environments often increases risk. Food processors need a balanced understanding of these risks and their desired cleaning outcomes; specifically, the impact of different sanitation practices and how those impacts are driven by hygienic design challenges in their facilities.