Bio-tech Firm Beats Bacteria

After three years of pursuing a governmental green-light, Safe Foods Corp. has put most of its eggs in a Cecure basket.

Headquartered in North Little Rock, Safe Foods has invested more than $2 million in a patented biotechnology discovery called Cecure. The product disinfects food of pathogens such as E. coli, salmonella, campylobacter and Listera.

In early March, President and CEO Curtis Coleman plans to open a 10,000-SF Safe Foods research and development office in Northwest Arkansas. Amy Waldroup will lead the R&D team as director. Kelly Beers will direct laboratory services, and Gary Nolen will pilot technical services.

As many as 15 employees will work in the Rogers office. Coleman said negotiations are pending on the undisclosed property, but he expects to spend $1 million to renovate and equip the location’s existing building.

Coleman said it’s almost time to count the company’s chickens. By the second quarter of this year, he said, Cecure should be approved for direct poultry applications by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. By the fourth quarter, Safe Foods should be profitable.

Discovered by researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Cecure is currently considered safe by the FDA for external packaging applications, but Coleman said directly misting or dipping the food will be most effective. The potential market for a proficient treatment such as Cecure is so vast, it’s difficult to calculate.

When asked for an estimate, Coleman chuckled and said, “Well, there are 8 billion chickens processed per year in this country. Cecure will stand alone in the market.”

Once the government approves a chicken application, Safe Foods will seek similar approval for beef, pork and seafood uses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that every year in the United States 76 million people get sick, more than 300,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 die from food-borne illness.

If Cecure becomes widely used, Coleman said, a processor such as Tyson Foods Inc. or George’s Inc. of Springdale will be able to treat a chicken for less than a penny. A cow could be treated for 30 cents.

Early studies also indicate poultry egg-application of Cecure can increase hatch rates by up to 12.5 percent, because when chicks hatch, they often ingest contaminates on the shell. Coleman said commercial application for the eggs will be available within a few weeks.

Although the United States offers Safe Foods its largest single market, the company receives at least two overseas inquiries per week.

Poultry reps from South Korea and Taiwan spoke with Coleman last week.

Safe Foods operates as a family business. Curtis Coleman and his wife Kathryn Coleman run the business along with her father Carl Rosenbaum. Together, the family owns more than half of Safe Foods’ stock. As chairman of the board, Rosenbaum owns the greatest single share of the stock.

UAMS owns 19 percent. Because research teams from the school discovered Cecure, royalties from sales will return to UAMS. Should Cecure reach a steady market, Coleman said, UAMS could reap $1 million each month from royalties.

Although Cecure is Safe Foods’ priority project, other accounts have paid the bills while Cecure waits for approval.

FreshLight, a disinfectant system for clear and opaque liquids, uses ultraviolet light to replace traditional heat pasteurization processes for beverages, brines, marinades and food process juices.

The Northwest Arkansas R&D team will be responsible for perfecting direct food applications and exploring further uses for products such as FreshLight. Coleman said the company researched the possibility of enrolling in the UA Genesis Technology Incubator. However, the necessary R&D equipment would’ve been too large for the space available at Genesis.