Dow Microbial Control, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), has entered into a commercial agreement with food safety innovation company Xgenex LLC, for the U.S. sales of Dow Advanced Oxidation System (AOS) Certified Whole Room Sanitization (WRS) for food processing and packaging environments.

AOS Certified WRS is a sustainable sanitization solution capable of reducing and controlling pathogens on surfaces and in the air. The system, developed specifically for the food industry, creates ozone vapor on demand using ambient air and water. Ozone is included in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’ s list of approved substances that may be used in organic food production.

“Through this strategic agreement with Xgenex, a company recognized by the food and beverage industry for its expertise in sustainable food safety technology, Dow Microbial Control is expanding the commercial footprint of its whole-room sanitization system,” said Tony Reed, Business Development Manager for Food Safety at Dow Microbial Control. “Based on our excellent results in controlling harmful pathogens and the positive market feedback we’ve received in the months since our launch, we are making Dow AOS Certified more widely available for trials and demonstrations at food packaging and processing facilities around the country.”

AOS Certified WRS is an automated system that fills the atmosphere with non-condensing ozone humidity, infiltrating even difficult-to-reach areas that conventional sanitation methods often miss. Three recent studies have validated AOS Certified WRS’ ability to effectively control harmful pathogens, including Listeria, E. coli and Lactobacillus.

“It’s important for the food industry to see and evaluate this progressive technology firsthand,” said Jim Byron, CEO of Xgenex, based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. “In an age of heightened transparency and sustainability in food production, consumers want to understand what food safety measures are being implemented and how these measures work to keep food safe. The fact that Dow is certifying that each treatment is properly applied does a lot to increase confidence.”

Food producers with wet or dry facilities can rely on the powerful sanitization effects of AOS Certified WRS. Because the non-condensing ozone vapor is produced on demand using just air and water, there are no chemical purchases required and there are no costs and energy usage associated with transporting sanitization chemicals. Every treatment is monitored in real time and certified by Dow, with standardized reports and data for audit purposes.

“Dow is committed to creating sustainable solutions to the industry’s biggest microbial control challenges,” said Mark Henning, Global Business Director at Dow Microbial Control. “The Dow AOS Certified WRS system does its job — protecting against harmful pathogens — and then fully dissipates without harming the environment, the workers or the community.”

Learn more about AOS Certified WRS online at dowaos.com/resources.

About Dow Microbial Control

Dow Microbial Control innovates with science and technology to provide long-term viable and sustainable microbial control. Our comprehensive global offering provides customers with solutions to optimize formulations, including high performing and technically supported selection of registered actives and products. With world-class people organization-wide and a broad portfolio of microbial control technologies, Dow Microbial Control can help solve most any microbial control problem. From specialty and highly regulated to non-regulated, the company has the experience and essentials for more sustainable microbial protection for products and processes. Visit http://www.dowmicrobialcontrol.com.

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company is driving innovations that extract value from the intersection of chemical, physical and biological sciences to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, clean energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow’s integrated, market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 180 countries and in high growth sectors such as packaging, electronics, water, coatings and agriculture. In 2013, Dow had annual sales of more than $57 billion and employed approximately 53,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 6,000 products are manufactured at 201 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at