The on-going Covid-19 pandemic has instilled fear in the minds of people, who are struggling to get accustomed to the new normal. As a preventive measure, WHO has advised people to sanitise their hands, and the objects they use. The most common way of doing this is by using alcohol-based hand-sanitizers. However, it is important to note that FDA considers alcohol-based hand sanitizers safe to use in moderation. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can lead to dry skin, infection, and even alcohol poisoning. At the same time, they have been deemed a fire hazard by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA).

With the lockdown being lifted from most cities and markets being open to the general public, retailers face a bigger challenge of providing a safe and hygienic environment to their customers, especially if you are a food retailer. As a food retailer, you might think that your No. 1 priority right now should be e-commerce or supply chain efficiency. While those certainly are important operational challenges to address, the most critical task in food retail today might just be finding a way to keep shoppers from being terrified of your store.

While you might be familiar with using disinfectant wipes to clean the surface of essential goods, there is another possible way to combat the germs that live on the surface of the stock in retail shops – that is, UV-C sanitation.

According to popular mechanics, "UV-C stands for germicidal ultraviolet light. It works by deactivating the DNA inside bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens, effectively ceasing their capability to reproduce and spread disease. More specifically, the UV-C light damages nucleic acids inside these micro-organisms, forming covalent bonds that prevent DNA from unzipping for replication. When the bacteria or virus tries to replicate itself, it drops dead".

The sensitivity of the coronaviruses to far-UVC light suggests that it may be safe to use overhead far-UVC lamps in occupied indoor public places, to markedly reduce the risk of person-to-person transmission of coronaviruses, as well as other viruses such as influenza.

The market is flooded with several new products which use UV-C technology and guarantee making not only surfaces but the entire atmosphere virus-free. Besides electronic giants such as Philips, Samsung and Godrej that have launched UV-sanitiser boxes and sticks, even homegrown companies, start-ups and technological institutes have jumped onto the bandwagon. One such start-up is Minonabs with their product called - UV Saaph.

The Minion UV Saaph Standard is a light weight, elegant, and portable disinfection system with a volume of 32 litres. It has been designed specifically to kill 99.99% of SARS-COVID-2 and other pathogens like germs, bacteria and fungicides in less than 4 minutes. This model is designed in such a way that the light energy from UV-C lamps (253.7 nm) are exposed to the object kept inside the box at 360 degrees making sure that even a millimetre is not left out for these pathogens to live.

It can be used to sanitize vegetables, fruits, milk & liquid items in sealed containers, cooked food packets, meat & fish, grocery packets, metal items like key chains, vessels, coins, etc., Stationary like books, papers, documents, currency notes, etc., Electronic gadgets like smart phones, headsets and speakers, Bluetooth & Wi-Fi modules, etc., any electronic equipment’s & components, etc.

Now you can shop without any fears.