Not long after COVID-19 erupted in New York City, Bobbie Lloyd, the chief operating officer of Magnolia Bakery, spent thousands of dollars to do a deep clean of their 5,000-square-foot production facility in Harlem. Ultimately, she decided she had wasted her money. “One sneeze, one touch. That’s all it takes,” she says, to reintroduce the virus.
Lloyd and her immunocompromised husband began researching other options to add an extra layer of sanitization to the bakeries, in addition to taking employee temperatures upon arrival, requiring face masks and gloves, and cleaning throughout the day. They decided on newly-developed technology by Florida-based company Healthe, which emits continuous, low doses of ultraviolet radiation, called far-UVC, or wavelengths around 220 nanometers.
Soon, their West Village and Upper West Side locations will have UV-emitting ceiling lights and air conditioning units as well as a step-through “Cleanse Portal” that customers walk through to sanitize themselves in far-UVC light upon entry. High doses of UVA or UVB (280-400 nm) can harm human skin or eyes, but far-UVC is a sweet spot—able to kill viruses and bacteria without the threat of causing blindness or skin cancer in humans.
At a fraction of the cost of the deep clean, Lloyd says the far-UVC installations will give customers and staff an extra layer of confidence. “This won’t take the place of proper cleanliness, wearing a mask or gloves,” says Lloyd. “It’s just another level of safety. The way I look at it, if there’s no harm, it can only do good.”
Lloyd isn’t alone in investing in UV technology. A number of food businesses around the country are incorporating it in their sanitization practices. From the Bay Area’s BambooAsia to Cameo Pizza in Sandusky, Ohio, eateries are advertising the use of UVC light treatments to keep patrons and staff safe. And James Marsden, former White House advisor who sits on Chipotle’s Food Safety Advisory Council, recommended its use.
Although President Trump was lambasted for suggesting UV light could be used internally to treat COVID-19 patients, the technology is appealing to restaurants in 43 states that have moved to re-open dine-in service around the country and keep dining rooms safe. But kitchens—which are often small, cramped, and poorly ventilated—pose an equally important set of challenges for restaurant staff.
UV lamps have been used to disinfect hospitals and the New York City subway and have proven helpful, so it is reasonable to assume they would also help in a restaurant environment, says David Welch, a researcher at the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University in New York City. Their efficacy, however, hasn’t yet been thoroughly tested on COVID-19. And Welch and other experts say that while some of the many UV devices swiftly making their way onto the market have potential benefits, they may pose more harm than good if they’re not used correctly.
“We’re still learning more about how COVID-19 is spread, whether it be through surfaces or airborne routes, so it’s really tough to predict the specific effectiveness, but UV is an important tool that can be part of the overall protection plan,” says Welch.
An Extra Level of Cleanliness?
Before reopening Ciena Agaves, a chain of Arizona-based Mexican restaurants, manager Bob Shulken sent a 5-foot-tall robot on wheels in to the restaurant alone to emit UV light in 20-minute bursts in different parts of the building. In addition, an antimicrobial coating called Omni Shield, which is supposed to last between 60 and 90 days, was sprayed onto surfaces.