A Story From the Field: Three Days Without the Hum of the Compressors

"Khun Wit" and his wife run a small frozen dim sum factory in a single-storey building behind their house on a road in Nakhon Chai Si district. The business employs eight people. The production room has stainless-steel tables for folding shumai and har gow, a set of steamers, a packing room, and six chest freezers lined up along the wall. Every week, products go out to cafés, dim sum restaurants and online shops across Bangkok and the surrounding provinces.

When the Tha Chin River ran high and heavy rain fell at the same time, water crept into the lane and then into the factory, reaching about mid-shin. The electricity authority cut power to the area for safety for almost three days. All six freezers stopped. Khun Wit tried to find dry ice to protect the stock, but he could not get nearly enough.

When the power came back and the water drained away, he was met by the rotten smell of thawed product inside the freezers mixed with the smell of mud from the floor. Every freezer base had a tide mark and a layer of silt. The rubber door seals had black mold spots. In the packing room, cardboard cartons and packaging bags stacked on the floor had turned soggy. The lower walls of the production room were stained with water marks and lines of mold.

Regular customers messaged: "When can you deliver?" Some were already looking for backup suppliers. Khun Wit knew he needed to get back into production quickly, but he also knew that if he rushed and a batch caused problems, a business built over many years could be finished overnight.

Khun Wit's story is a realistic scenario that reflects the situation of many small frozen-food producers after a flood, whether they make dim sum, wontons, meatballs, dumplings, ready meals or frozen Thai desserts. This article explains the correct recovery order and the role that disinfection fogging and ozone treatment play in it.

Why Small Frozen Food Factories Suffer More Than Expected

A frozen-food factory takes two kinds of damage at once. The first is the flood itself, which brings in mud and germs. The second is the power cut, which breaks the cold chain. Product that has thawed and been refrozen cannot be confirmed as safe, and liquid from thawed product seeps into freezer floors and joints, creating a breeding ground for germs and odour.

Small producers often feel this double blow more sharply than large plants. They rarely have backup generators, their freezers sit on the floor rather than on raised platforms, and their packaging stock is usually stored in the same building. One event can wipe out raw materials, finished goods and packaging all at once.

Health risks

• Food poisoning. Product that thawed for a long time or touched floodwater may support bacterial growth. If sold on, it could affect a large number of consumers.
• Leptospirosis. Staff who carry out stock and clean the factory while water is still standing must wear rubber boots and gloves, especially if they have cuts.
• Mold and allergies. Door seals, cardboard cartons and damp walls breed mold. Staff with allergies may sneeze or struggle to breathe.
• Pests. The smell of thawed, spoiling product attracts flies, cockroaches and rats.

Business risks

A small frozen-food business survives because restaurant customers trust its quality. A single problem batch can lead a customer to cancel and warn others in the trade. At the same time, a long production stoppage pushes customers towards other suppliers. A clear, ordered recovery is therefore essential both for safety and for keeping customers.

Step One, Done by the Factory: Discard All Damaged Stock and Raw Materials

No fogging or ozone treatment can make thawed or flooded food safe again. The approach we recommend is:

• Discard thawed freezer stock: every item you cannot confirm stayed frozen throughout the power cut, and every item that touched floodwater, even if the packaging looks sealed.
• Discard raw materials: flour, meat, prawns, vegetables, seasonings and every ingredient that was in the water or stored without power for a long time.
• Discard wet packaging: cartons, bags, labels and trays that were on the floor or got wet.
• Record the losses: photograph and list everything thrown away, for assistance applications or insurance claims.
• Dispose of it properly: ask the municipality or subdistrict office about disposing of large amounts of food waste. Never dump it into waterways.
• Have equipment checked: freezers, steamers, electrical systems and pumps that were in the water must be inspected by an electrician and a refrigeration technician before use.

Then wash the freezers inside and out, remove moldy door seals for cleaning or replacement, shovel out mud, and wash floors, walls and stainless-steel tables with clean water and a cleaning detergent. Open doors and windows until everything is dry. Finally, move new raw materials, new packaging and all food-contact equipment out before our team arrives to fog and ozone-treat.

Why Washing Freezers and Floors Alone May Not Be Enough

Washing a freezer and closing the lid straight away. Moisture trapped inside the freezer and in the door seal will bring the rotten smell back and allow new mold to grow. Freezers must be left open until completely dry.

Pouring concentrated bleach on the floor. Besides leaving a harsh smell unsuitable for a food production area, bleach loses strength against mud and organic matter and can corrode some metal surfaces.

Incense or fragrance sprays. These are not appropriate in a food production room and do nothing to remove the cause of the smell.

Fans alone. Fans help things dry but do not kill germs and may spread mold spores across the production room.

Forgetting the packing room and packaging store. Many factories focus on the production room, but a packing room full of soggy cartons is a mold source that sends odour throughout the building.

The Solution: CHEMGENE HLD4H Disinfection Fogging and Ozone Treatment of the Empty Space by WHD

Once stock has been discarded and the factory washed, the World Health Disinfection (WHD) team steps in where hand cleaning cannot reach.

1. Ultra-low-volume (ULV) disinfection fogging with CHEMGENE HLD4H disinfectant. Fine droplets reach under stainless-steel tables, behind freezers, wall corners, floor drains and packing-room shelving, helping reduce bacteria, viruses and mold on surfaces.

2. Ozone shock treatment with a controlled ozone generator. Ozone spreads through the production and packing rooms, breaking down the molecules behind the rotten smell of thawed product, mud and mustiness, and reducing airborne mold spores. Freezers that have been washed and left open during treatment are reached at the same time. The team controls treatment time to avoid ageing the rubber door seals.

How the service works for a small frozen-food factory

1. Site survey. We review the factory layout, production room, packing room, freezer positions, flood level and mold spots.
2. Confirming preparation. Damaged stock and raw materials have been discarded, new ingredients, packaging and food-contact equipment moved out, and freezers washed and left open.
3. Disinfection fogging. Floors, walls, tables, freezer exteriors, floor drains, the packing room, toilets and the staff changing room are covered.
4. Ozone treatment. The area is closed and treated for a time suited to its size. No people, pets or plants may be inside.
5. Ventilation. Doors, windows and extractor fans are opened until the ozone has broken down, before staff return.
6. Re-check and advice. We walk through with the owner to check odour and damp spots and advise on storing items off the floor and planning for the next power cut.

Disinfection fogging and ozone treatment help reduce germs, mold and odour in the production area, but they are not a certification of food safety and do not replace the hygiene system the factory must maintain every day. If the factory holds a licence or standard issued by a government agency, it should check with that agency or the local public health officer before producing and selling again.

10 Reasons Frozen Food Producers in Nakhon Chai Si Choose WHD

1. Straight talk about what must be discarded. The team never suggests disinfecting food and helps set a clear order for discarding and washing.
2. Droplets reach behind freezers and into floor drains through our disinfection service.
3. Reduces the rotten smell of thawed product through our ozone treatment service.
4. Covers the often-forgotten packing room.
5. A clearly named product: CHEMGENE HLD4H.
6. Ozone controlled to protect door seals and equipment.
7. Flexible scheduling to help the factory return to production as soon as it is safe.
8. Planning advice for next time, such as raising freezers and preparing backup power.
9. The family home can be treated too through residential ozone disinfection.
10. Helps the owner explain clearly to customers how the factory was restored before the first new batch.

Before and After: Restoring a Frozen Food Factory

An Owner's Voice (Example Scenario)

"We threw away almost everything in every freezer. It hurt, but if we had shipped it and a customer had a problem, we would have been finished. Once the freezers and rooms were washed, the team came to fog and run the ozone. The rotten smell that had soaked into the packing room faded a lot, and the staff felt comfortable coming back to work. We are producing again now, and we sent every customer a message explaining what we had done. Most of them have started ordering again."

— Owner of a small frozen dim sum factory, Nakhon Chai Si (example scenario)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Some stock did not fully thaw and is still partly frozen. Can it be refrozen?
A: If you cannot confirm the product stayed at a safe temperature throughout the power cut, or if it touched floodwater, it should be discarded for the safety of consumers.

Q: Can ozone be used inside the freezers?
A: Freezers that have been washed and left open during room treatment are reached by ozone at the same time. The team controls the time to protect door seals, and freezers must be empty of food.

Q: How long will production need to stop?
A: It depends on how long discarding, washing and equipment checks take. Fogging and ozone for a small factory usually fit into a single visit.

Q: Do tables need washing again after ozone?
A: Yes. Tables and food-contact surfaces should be washed again following the factory's normal routine before production starts.

Q: Will this service help us pass a standards inspection?
A: The service helps reduce germs, mold and odour in the space, but it is not a certification of any standard. If your factory holds a licence or standard, check directly with the issuing agency.

Q: Should the staff changing room and toilets be treated too?
A: Yes. Staff use them before entering the production room, and they are often damp and musty after a flood.

Preparing the Factory for the Next Flood or Power Cut

• Raise chest freezers on platforms above the highest flood level you have experienced.
• Consider backup power for your most important freezers.
• Install temperature loggers in freezers so you know exactly how long stock was above safe temperature.
• Store packaging on high shelves and in lidded plastic boxes.
• Keep a list of contacts for dry ice suppliers or rentable cold storage in advance.
• Agree a simple flood plan with staff: who moves what, in which order, and where it goes.

What the Day of Treatment Looks Like

For a small factory, treatment day is planned around the production schedule, which by this point is usually on hold anyway. The team arrives and walks through every room with the owner: the production room, packing room, packaging store, changing room and toilets. Together we confirm that all food, ingredients and packaging have been taken out, that freezers are empty, washed, dry and open, and that scales, sealers and other sensitive electronics have been removed or covered.

Fogging starts in the dirtiest areas, such as the packing room and around the freezers, and moves systematically towards the cleaner zones, finishing at the staff entrance. Once fogging is complete, ozone generators are placed so that the gas can circulate through each room, doors to the outside are closed, and warning signs are placed at the entrances. Staff wait outside or go home for the day.

After the treatment period, the team opens doors and windows, runs extractor fans and ventilates until the ozone has broken down. The owner then joins us for a final walk-through. We check odour room by room, look again at any wall sections that still feel damp, and talk through the steps the factory will take next, such as washing food-contact surfaces, bringing in new packaging and running a small trial batch.

Communicating With Customers After the Flood

Restaurant and café customers are usually understanding about floods, but they want to know two things: that no old stock will reach them, and when supply will resume. A short, honest message answers both. Explain that all stock affected by the flood and the power cut was discarded, that the production area was washed, disinfected and ozone-treated, that equipment was checked by technicians, and give a realistic date for the first new delivery.

Some small producers also share a few photos of the cleaned production room. This is not about advertising but about reassurance. Customers who can see that the business took the problem seriously are far more likely to return than those who hear nothing for two weeks and then receive a delivery without explanation.

Finally, consider restarting with a smaller range. Focusing on your best-selling products for the first week or two lets staff settle back into a routine in the restored space, keeps quality high and gets money flowing again while the rest of the range is brought back step by step.

Looking After Staff During the Recovery

Recovery work in a flooded food factory is physically hard and often unpleasant. Staff may be carrying heavy bags of spoiled product, scrubbing freezers that smell strongly and working in damp rooms. Providing proper gloves, rubber boots and masks, rotating tasks so nobody spends all day on the worst jobs, and giving regular breaks in fresh air all help keep people safe and willing to stay.

Encourage anyone who develops a fever, skin infection or breathing problems during the cleanup to see a doctor or visit a local health facility and mention that they have been working in floodwater. Small businesses depend heavily on a handful of experienced workers, so protecting their health is part of protecting the business itself.

A Practical Checklist Before the First New Batch

Before the first tray of shumai goes into the steamer again, it helps to walk through a short checklist with the whole team. None of these steps are complicated, but together they make sure nothing has been missed in the rush to restart.

• Every freezer has been checked by a refrigeration technician, has new or cleaned door seals and is holding the correct temperature for at least a full day before any product goes in.
• Steamers, mixers and other equipment that stood in floodwater have been inspected by a qualified technician and cleaned according to the factory's normal procedure.
• All electrical sockets and control panels in wet areas have been checked by an electrician.
• Tables, trays and every food-contact surface have been washed again after the ozone treatment and ventilation.
• New raw materials and new packaging are stored on raised shelving, away from walls that are still drying.
• The staff changing area, hand-washing stations and toilets are clean, stocked and working.
• A small trial batch has been made and checked for quality before full production restarts.
• Customers have been informed of the restart date and what was done to restore the factory.
• Pest traps have been checked and reset around the building, since rats and cockroaches often move in during a flood.

Ticking off this list takes a few hours at most, and it gives the owner and staff a clear sense that the factory is genuinely ready, rather than simply hoping it is.

Keep the completed checklist with the photographs and loss records from the cleanup. If a customer, insurer or local official asks later how the factory recovered from the flood, you will have a clear, dated account of every step, from the stock that was thrown away to the day the first new batch left the building.

Restart Production in a Clean Space Without Lingering Odor

Talk to the WHD team about disinfection fogging and ozone treatment for small frozen-food factories, production rooms and packing rooms in Nakhon Chai Si and nearby areas of Nakhon Pathom province.

View Disinfection Service – Click Here

Book Ozone Treatment – Click Here

Call 065-556-6294 · LINE @whd268 · Email worldhealthdisinfection@gmail.com

Related Links

• Ozone odour and chemical residue removal
• Master Ozone Generator
• Mosquito spraying service
• All articles

Health references: World Health Organization (WHO): Floods · Department of Health, Thailand