Regain a Competitive Edge with Smarter Hygiene

Eco-Safe Systems USA of Los Angeles offers a variety of ozone water disinfection units for processing plants and food service facilities.

Finally, proper laundering and care of employee uniforms and garments is another way to improve plant hygiene and reduce cross-contamination. Aramark Uniform Services (Burbank, Calif.) manufactures its own uniforms and steam cleans and sanitizes them at temperatures exceeding 230° F. They also have implemented a thorough HACCP employee-training program to deliver the highest sanitation standards to their customers and the food industry.

Conclusion

New technology has a vital role to play in employee hygiene. The question, however, is whether industry adoption will be quick or slow. It’s a lot like pasteurization was at the turn of the 20th century. At first, people were resistant to change because of fears pasteurization would alter the taste of milk. Now, no one would consider drinking or buying milk unless it was pasteurized.

I believe emerging pathogens, like Listeria, some strains of Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 as well as others, are here to stay for the near future. They are increasing and becoming more potent because of our lifestyles, bigger supermarkets, longer distances between retailers and suppliers, and the abuse of antibiotics in processing, among other factors.

At the same time, increased vigilance by public health authorities and more advanced testing and techniques are enabling outbreaks to be detected faster and with more precision.

We should accelerate adoption of new technologies to minimize and eliminate risks to employees and the public. Now is the time, and the technology is here.

Dr. Baroud is president of Food Safety Institute (FSI), International, a Henderson, Nev.-based consulting company with offices in Newport Beach, Calif.