Pure Choice Foods: Frequently Asked Questions
What is "Water Activity" (aw) and why is it important?
Water activity (often written as aw) measures the "free" or available water in food that bacteria need to grow. Unlike "moisture content," which is just the total amount of water, aw tells us if the food is safe from spoilage.
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The Science: Pure water has an aw of 1.0. Most dangerous bacteria like Salmonella or Listeria need an aw above 0.90 to survive.
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Our Standard: We dry our products until the aw is 0.30 or lower. At this level, it is scientifically impossible for food-borne pathogens to grow, making the food shelf-stable for years.
How do you calculate or verify these levels?
We use a high-precision Water Activity Meter to verify every batch. The formula we follow to ensure safety is:
aw = P / P0
(Where 'P' is the water vapor pressure of the food, and 'P0' is the vapor pressure of pure water at the same temperature.)
We also convert this to Equilibrium Relative Humidity (ERH) to ensure our packaging environment is correct:
ERH = aw x 100
Example: An aw of 0.30 is equivalent to 30% relative humidity.
What measures are taken when handling pre-cooked meats?
Our meat safety protocols are designed to exceed CFIA standards:
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Certified Sourcing: We only use pre-cooked meats from federally inspected vendors with verified "lethality" (pathogen-kill) certifications.
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The "Cold Chain": Meats are stored at -18°C (0°F) or colder and moved directly into the freeze-dryer while frozen. This prevents the food from ever entering the "Danger Zone" where bacteria could multiply.
How do you prevent allergen cross-contamination?
We operate under a strict "Single-Batch Policy." Only one type of product is processed in the facility at a time. Between different product runs (e.g., switching from eggs to fruit), we perform a full deep-clean:
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Dry Clean: Removal of all visible particles.
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Sanitization: All surfaces are treated with a 100 ppm bleach solution, verified by chemical test strips.
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Separation: Allergenic ingredients are stored in sealed containers in a dedicated section of our warehouse.
How is your food packaged for long-term storage?
Every product is sealed in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. This creates a "hermetic seal" (airtight) that protects the food from light, moisture, and oxygen. Each bag is marked with a Lot Code for 100% traceability.
Food Safety & Allergen Integrity
At Pure Choice Foods, we understand that for many of our customers, food purity isn't just a preference—it’s a medical necessity. We take pride in maintaining a facility that exceeds CFIA standards for sanitation and cross-contamination prevention.
Our Approach to Allergens
While we occasionally produce powdered eggs on an "as-needed" basis, we have engineered our production workflow to ensure a zero-risk environment for our other freeze-dried products.
- Total Isolation: Egg production is never conducted simultaneously with our other food lines.
- Validated Sanitation: Between production cycles, our facility undergoes a rigorous, multi-stage sanitization process. We ensure that all surfaces and equipment are cleared of any organic residue before a new product run begins.
- Strict Ingredient Control: We do not use eggs as an ingredient, filler, or binder in any of our standard product recipes.
Why You Won’t See a "May Contain" Label
Because we maintain such strict control over our facility and production timing, we do not apply precautionary "May Contain" statements to our egg-free products. We believe in the effectiveness of our CFIA-compliant safety protocols and stand behind the purity of every batch we ship.
Our Promise: When you choose Pure Choice Foods, you are choosing food that is handled with the highest level of care, transparency, and scientific rigor.