Food manufacturers use dry ice blasting to clean:

• ovens;
• mixing equipment;
• conveyors;
• trays;
• molds;
• packaging equipment;
• glue heads.

Advantages include:

• reduced downtime;
• a more thorough clean;
• minimal disassembly;
• elimination of harsh chemicals;
• elimination of electrical problems associated with water blasting.

The diversity of the food manufacturing industry helps to demonstrate the diversity of CO2 blast cleaning. The process successfully removes baked-on residues in ovens as well as uncooked product from mixing equipment. It removes paper dust from packaging equipment as well as glue from glue heads. It is used to clean waffle and cereal molds and because it is non-abrasive, it preserves the surface integrity of these molds. It works on plastic as well as on metal substrates, hot surfaces or cold. It is completely safe around electrical equipment.

Food manufacturers most often use CO2 blasting in areas where water cannot or should not be used. Water often creates worker safety hazards on the floor or around electrical components. Equipment outages sometimes occur when water short circuits electrical devices. Dry ice blasting eliminates these problems.

The CO2 that is used to make dry ice is food-grade quality, the same element used to carbonate soft drinks. Some research exists that it may actually serve as a sanitizing agent in some food manufacturing processes.