Meat + Poultry - September 2006 - 78

Apparel matters

Photos courtesy of UniFirst Corp.

to a minimum. "It's not like a bunch of
Maytags are lined up and the Calgon is
being poured in by somebody. It's all
chemically injected," Siegel adds.
In terms of durability and ensuring
parts of smocks or aprons don't become
a food safety hazard due to snaps falling off or fabric disintegrating, apparel
providers establish standards and inspect and grade garments regularly at
several points in the process. To ensure
the maximum life of their products, industrial uniforms are typically made
of material capable of enduring harsh
environments and scores of extreme
wash cycles. Cuffs, collars, elbows,
seams, drawstrings, buttons and snaps
are some common areas monitored for
wear. Some companies' standards also
include measuring thread bareness.

Distributing assurance
Apparel delivery and pick up is another potential vulnerability being addressed at processing plants. The use
of sealed containers to deliver "cleans"
and pick up "dirties" is becoming the
standard. Steps to avoid cross contamination also include planning and designating routes between customers.
Delivery drivers are instructed to first
bring clean apparel into the plant before
bringing soiled ones onto delivery vehicles. Employees are also trained to sort
garments by color, type of fabric and
the type of soil on the product.
Because some maintenance employees in processing plants are required to
wear cotton-based uniforms and their
duties don't include handling food, the
type of soil and fabrics are different
from the typical line workers' polyester-based, blood-soiled garments,
and delivery drivers should know to
keep the two separated. Some processors may require cleaned deliveries be
wrapped in plastic, similar to commercial dry cleaners. Attention is also being paid to the handling of cleaned garments as they are sorted at the plant.
In many cases, workers are required to
wear gloves to sort and route them, and
78

MEAT&POULTRY

September 2006

Some processors may require cleaned deliveries
be wrapped in plastic, similar to commercial dry
cleaners. Attention is also paid to the handling of
cleaned garments as they are sorted at the plant.

some companies take the extra step of
requiring drivers to wear gloves and
smocks during delivery and pick up at
processing plants and changing clothes
between customers. Delivery vehicles
are also the focus of some programs
to prevent cross contamination. Most
trucks are regularly cleaned as a matter of course, but certain companies are
demonstrating added valued to meat
and poultry processors by verifying
cleaning and sanitizing of vehicles used
to deliver and pick up garments.
Some uniform companies have enlisted the expertise of HACCP consultants as part of their campaigns to incorporate the seven principles into their
business model. "We've identified uniforms as a critical control point within

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the food supply chain," says Rick Weir,
marketing manager of Aramark Uniform Services, Burbank, Calif.
While HACCP is a universally accepted concept in meat and poultry
plants today, a growing number of processors are expecting their suppliers to
adopt a similar approach to their own
operations. Representatives from the
larger uniform suppliers say incorporating HACCP has merely been a matter of documenting processes they were
doing anyway. However, in some cases, examining their operations from a
food safety perspective revealed areas
for improvement. While the washing
process used by the suppliers is similar
and generally accepted as being equally as effective, some companies found
opportunities for preventing cross contamination at several levels of the process. "We knew from the beginning
that we processed hygienically clean
uniforms," says Weir. "It's just getting
them to and from plants that there could
be cross contamination," which is a focus for the service offered to meat and
poultry processors.
Most firms have partnered with chemical companies, which provide them
with specifically formulated chemical
compounds for meat and poultry-specific soils. Putting garments through
the steam tunnel, which is designed to
get rid of wrinkles (using temperatures
up to 300ºF), but also kills any remaining pathogens.
With a growing number of uniform
companies outsourcing their uniform
needs, suppliers are adjusting to the
increased demand. Uniform companies' extensive laundering facilities
usually have designated areas specifically for food-related garments.
"The point of outsourcing your uniform program is so the food plants
can focus on their core competency,
which is producing safe and quality
product," says Weir.
We would like to hear from you-your comments and
questions about this article are welcome. E-mail the author
at: jcrews@sosland.com.

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Meat + Poultry - September 2006

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