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The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

foodborne illness

Video: PathSpot Helps Prevent Poop Hands in Restaurants

Poop hands. Fun to say, super gross to have, especially if you work in a restaurant.

We’ve all seen the signs in restaurants broadcasting that employees must wash their hand thoroughly before returning to work. But one person’s deep, lathery scrub is another’s gentle rinse, so how can restaurants (and consumers) be sure that the person handling their food actually has clean hands?

Minimizing foodborne illnesses is no joke. In 2018, The National Institute of Health estimated that “the cost of a single foodborne illness outbreak ranged from $3968 to $1.9 million for a fast-food restaurant, $6330 to $2.1 million for a fast-casual restaurant, $8030 to $2.2 million for a casual-dining restaurant, and $8273 to $2.6 million for a fine-dining restaurant.”

PathSpot has developed one tool to help. Its eponymous device is installed in restaurant kitchens as a means to assess whether or not an employee has indeed scub-a-dubbed enough. After washing their hands, employees stick them under the PathSpot, which uses fluorescent spectroscopy and special software to analyze and detect any pathogens like E. Coli, Salmonella and Norovirus.

PathSpot showed off its device at our recent Food Tech Live event in Las Vegas. Though I had spent the day traveling on a plane, through two airports and in a Las Vegas hotel, I stuck my hands under the PathSpot to see how well I cleaned up. What were my results? Watch the full video to see how it works and find out.

CES 2020: No More Poop Hands! A Conversation with PathSpot

PathSpot Raises Another $2M to Help Keep Poop Off Restaurant Workers’ Hands

PathSpot, which makes a scanner that ensures restaurant workers have washed their hands thoroughly (i.e. no poop hands), announced today it has closed an additional $2 million in seed funding. This brings the total amount of seed funding raised by the company to $4 million.

Restaurants can install PathSpot’s device in their bathrooms. The devices use visible fluorescent spectroscopy to examine washed hands for pathogens that could carry foodborne illnesses. As we wrote about PathSpot last year:

Once lit up, PathSpot can “see” any contaminants not visible to the naked eye still left on the hands. PathSpot looks for indicators behind 98 percent of all food borne illness types and protects against a broad range of food borne illness such as E.Coli, Salmonella, Norovirus, Hep A, Listeria, and many others. If contaminants are found, the PathSpot screen displays a red X and employees should re-wash and re-test their hands. Sites can choose whether they want people to identify themselves at the scanner or not. PathSpot then collects this data and gives it to restaurant management to determine where any breakdowns are in their sanitation procedures.

The Center for Disease Control “estimates 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne diseases each year in the United States.” So it’s not hard to see why limiting the number of vectors of attack for these pathogens is important. And for restaurants operating on thin margins, installing technology to help prevent food poisoning could aid against the kinds of liabilities that cost restaurants millions of dollars.

PathSpot’s total seed round has been led by FIKA Ventures and Walden Venture Capita. The company says it will use the new money to build out its development, sales and marketing teams as well as ramp up production.

No More Poop Hands! PathSpot Checks How Well Restaurant Employees Wash Up

In every (decent) restaurant bathroom, there is a big bold sign that reminds employees to WASH THEIR HANDS. Exactly how well they wash those hands is a bit less definitive. And poorly washed hands touching your food after a trip to the bathroom, well, I’m getting nauseated just writing this.

You’re supposed to scrub your hands for as long as it takes to hum the “Happy Birthday” song twice, but life, work and general antipathy towards that horrible song often cut that time short. And dirty hands can be a big problem.

According to the Center for Disease Control, 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne diseases each year in the United States. To put it in cold, monetary terms, a single foodborne illness outbreak can cost a fast casual restaurant anywhere between $6,330 to $2.1 million.

To help restaurant employees and owners get a handle on clean hands, PathSpot has developed a special scanner that uses visible fluorescent spectroscopy to check washed hands for pathogens that may carry foodborne illnesses. After an employee washes their hands, they stick them under the device (installed in the back) which shines a purple light on them.

Once lit up, PathSpot can “see” any contaminants not visible to the naked eye still left on the hands. PathSpot looks for indicators behind 98 percent of all food borne illness types and protects against a broad range of food borne illness such as E.Coli, Salmonella, Norovirus, Hep A, Listeria, and many others. If contaminants are found, the PathSpot screen displays a red X and employees should re-wash and re-test their hands. Sites can choose whether they want people to identify themselves at the scanner or not. PathSpot then collects this data and gives it to restaurant management to determine where any breakdowns are in their sanitation procedures.

Right now, PathSpot is running pilots in forty food-related sites such as packaging locations and restaurants. According to Christine Schindler, CEO & Co-Founder of PathSpot Technologies, early results show that on average, 20 percent of workers (that’s one in five!) fail the hand wash scan during the first week of using PathSpot. As they use the scanner more, the number of failures drops by 75 percent over the course of the first month.

PathSpot joins a number of companies using light in clever ways to improve the food chain. ImpactVision is using hyperspectral imaging to determine food quality. SomaDetect uses light scattering analysis to determine milk quality and detect cow disease. And the handheld SCiO device uses near-infrared spectrometry to analyze cow feed for dry matter.

Based in New York City, PathSpot has raised $2 million in seed funding. The company charges a subscription fee for the service ranging from $100 – $150 per month and includes the PathSpot scanner as well as access to all the analytics.

Schindler’s sights are set beyond the bathroom sink, however. She said using light and their algorithms, future PathSpot devices could scan for allergens like peanuts, or be installed on a conveyor belt to scan plates or even food for contaminants.

But those applications aren’t even in development yet as the company focuses on scaling their current product. And if it works as promised, hopefully more restaurants find a spot for PathSpot in their kitchens.