Meat + Poultry - September 2006 - 76

Apparel matters

their own. "The major uniform suppliers have identified the risks in their own
operations and tightened up their processes to make them a closed-loop system. The goal is to assure food processing customers they are supplying them
with garments that are allergen-free and
pathogen-free," Eudy says.
Adam Siegel, manager of business development with UniFirst Corp., Wilmington, Mass., adds that because food
safety risks are scrutinized by the public, the burden for addressing
any risks associated with apparel is being passed along by
a growing number of meat and
poultry processors.
"Uniform companies have
become more active in food
processing environments," says
Siegel. "The level of awareness
in our society about cross contamination and bacteria has accelerated tenfold." Why else,
he points out, would a brand
like Purell suddenly become
synonymous with hand sanitation almost overnight? "It's
really a 'germophobic' society
we're living in right now," says
Siegel. "Everyone is scared to
death of germs," which is why
the major uniform companies
are adopting HACCP-minded
approaches to their operations,
just as their processing customers have done for a decade.
Most of the large uniform
companies take similar approaches in addressing the processors' food safety concerns.
"All of us (uniform companies) do the
same kind of things," Siegel says.
One way this is accomplished is by
utilizing specialized washing processes, including the use of steam in the
washing process. Companies typically require a minimum temperature of
160ºF throughout the washing process.
This is accomplished by injecting steam
into the water used to wash apparel.
"That kills a lot of bacteria," says Sie-

gel. "There are not many things that can
live at 160º."
Companies now are also touting their
use of chemicals engineered to sterilize
uniforms during the laundering process. By combining 160ºF water with
highly concentrated levels of specialized bleach pathogens in soiled uniforms can't survive. Just as processors
refer to log reductions to quantify the
effectiveness of kill steps in their operations, so too are uniform companies

Providing proof
Verification of the entire process of
delivering, picking up and laundering uniforms using sanitary methods
is another way providers of the service
distinguish themselves. By verifying
washing and sanitizing claims using a
third-party auditor, apparel companies
must prove, for example, that steam
tunnels reach at least 270ºF or wash
cycle reach 160ºF and are maintained
for 25 minutes. Methods of system controls, testing and verification
vary between companies, but
the results are similar. Some
apparel firms offer to swab-test
samples of cleaned garments to
verify sanitation processes at
the time of each delivery in the
customers' facility. Others send
samples to independent labs to
regularly test and verify the
effectiveness of their processes, while others maintain labs
within their laundering facilities where cleaned uniforms are
regularly tested for pathogens.
"We get stuff in that is filthy;
totally soaked in blood. You
can't just run that through with
a little Tide," Siegel says.
The concept of confi rmation and process verification
is familiar to meat processors
and something most plant's
HACCP managers appreciate
from the suppliers they work
with. "They want to know that
we are doing what we say we
are doing and that we can prove
it," Siegel says.
Also, similar to their meat and poultry processing companies' operations,
today's leading uniform companies
rely on technology to ensure their processes are occurring and their desired
results are being achieved. Chemicals
are incorporated into large batches of
soiled garments using computer-controlled injection systems, which can be
monitored and verified using production data. Human error is therefore kept

"We get stuff in that is filthy; totally
soaked in blood. You can't just run
that through with a little Tide."

MEAT&POULTRY

September 2006

touting the efficacy of their processes
using similar lab-based criteria. "All of
us have very similar log reduction because of the use of hot water and concentrated chemicals," says Siegel.
"Each food processor has a designated HACCP coordinator," he says, "and
when you start talking to them about
washing at high temperatures and using bleach they become very interested
and their ears perk up."

www.MEATPOULTRY.com

Meat + Poultry - September 2006

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