Outsourcing Cleaning in Food Plants

In my previous column (September/October 2010), I brought attention to outsourced cleaning in food plants. Microbial risk prevention along with higher regulatory demand is making cleaning more time consuming and a drag on internal resources. Outsourcing cleaning with a qualified supplier can be compared to outsourcing pest management.

The food industry has been outsourcing integrated pest management for years. Needs assessment, treatment options, chemical storage, application, documentation and auditing are similar activities with pest management service providers and cleaning suppliers. A relationship of this magnitude must be a partnership with a firm you can trust; one that has a reputation to deliver a service backed with technical expertise that meets requirements and exceeds expectations.

Food companies can gain a competitive advantage with strategic outsourcing by allowing each plant to minimize downtime while focusing on the core competency, mission and objectives. What are some practical solutions to outsource cleaning?

Following are a few points to consider and questions to honestly answer:

• • The total cost of in-house cleaning must be identified before any outsource decision is made. Consider labor (overtime/benefits), chemicals, sanitizers, tools, cleaning equipment, maintenance, training, supervision and production downtime. Is current cleaning satisfactory? Are risks being taken with a lack of deep-cleaning intensity, especially in the primary bacteria control area?
• Deep cleaning directly impacts production downtime, and cleaning to a desired standard can be costly in terms of downtime and resources. Are cleaning employees getting pulled to other work tasks? Do employees have the knowledge, specialization and technology for cleaning? Is the master sanitation schedule with SSOPs science based, detailed, results oriented, validated, compliant and third-party audited? Is an agreed-upon level of clean clearly established?

Some advantages of outsourced cleaning are comparable to those of pest management—which often proves to be successful over time. A key advantage is that of keeping chemicals in the hands of full-time specialists who are know-ledgeable, safe, trained and current with industry advancements and regulations, and who utilize sound science with industry-specific technology.

Similarly, a clear advantage to outsourcing cleaning is that of having access to cleaning expertise and experience not on your staff. Following a cleaning needs assessment, specialists will design a total cleaning scope specific to soil types and priorities with best cleaning methodologies designed to meet requirements and reduce risk of pathogenic organisms such as Salmonella and E. coli. The assessment will also include input on areas best wet cleaned, dry cleaned, sanitized and recommended frequencies.

Once the total cleaning program, master sanitation schedule, SSOPs and validation/verification are systematically designed, working with experienced professionals will bring a complete system into your cleaning program.

In addition, your provider should offer employee training with technical support to improve your overall cleaning effectiveness, efficiency and economics, and your providing of open access to all cleaning documentation and costs incurred with third-party auditing is an excellent way to build this new relationship.

Minimizing production downtime with a dedicated, efficient cleaning team can lead to better economics. When the cleaning requirements and standards have been decided, outsourcing to a company with the expertise, efficiencies and capabilities to meet those requirements will likely lead to a savings. In fact, it is ultimately the bottom line that will be a deciding factor in outsourcing cleaning. Identifying existing total cleaning costs will provide a return on investment (ROI) of outsourcing with additional numerous intangible advantages.

Cleaning is an essential requirement to producing a safe, wholesome food, preventing contamination and assuring a safe environment. Accomplishing this requirement in an effective, efficient and economical manner is indeed a challenge. Outsourcing cleaning with experienced professionals that bring a complete system into your cleaning program is a practical solution that will allow you to be more focused on your core competency, mission and objectives.