The Strategic Role of Sanitation in Food Manufacturing

Sanitation is foundational to food safety and quality assurance in manufacturing. A robust sanitation program minimizes the risk of foodborne illnesses, ensures regulatory compliance and protects brand reputation. This article explains sanitation’s importance, outlines standardized procedures and highlights organizational strategies, supported by real-world examples.

Organizational Commitment

Sanitation programs require unwavering support from plant leadership. When management consistently allocates dedicated personnel, time and authority, sanitation teams can implement protocols without compromise.

A documented case from a U.S. dairy processor illustrates this principle. The facility faced persistent bacterial contamination in its Clean-In-Place (CIP) system. Initial fumigation efforts failed, prompting intervention using a chlorine dioxide–based CIP treatment. After recirculating a 10 ppm chlorine dioxide solution for 45 minutes, the team discovered biofilm laden with bacteria in previously overlooked filters. This comprehensive sanitation eliminated recurring contamination issues and restored operational integrity (Food Safety Magazine, 2020).

“When management consistently allocates dedicated personnel, time and authority, sanitation teams can implement protocols without compromise.”

This case underscores the importance of empowering sanitation teams with authority and resources to halt production when hygiene standards are not met—prioritizing food safety over short-term operational gains.

Core Objectives of Sanitation

Sanitation programs serve four essential objectives:

• Illness prevention: Eliminates pathogens and allergens.

• Regulatory compliance: Aligns with FSMA, SQF, BRC and other standards.

• Brand protection: Reduces risk of recalls and reputational damage.

• Product quality: Ensures hygienic production environments.

Standardized Procedures: The Seven Steps of Sanitation

Consistency and accountability are achieved through structured processes. The widely adopted Seven Steps of Sanitation include:

1. Dry cleaning – Remove leftover debris and solids.

2. Pre-rinse – Loosen soils before using detergents.

3. Soap and scour – Apply cleaning agents and scrub surfaces.

4. Post-rinse – Remove detergent residues thoroughly.

5. Self-inspection – Operators verify visual cleanliness.

6. Pre-operational inspection – QA-led visual and microbiological checks.

7. Sanitizing – Apply approved sanitizers to food-contact surfaces (NSF International, n.d.).

Real-World Example: Listeria in Ice Cream

In early 2015, Blue Bell Creameries faced a serious listeriosis outbreak linked to contaminated ice cream. Ten cases were reported across four states, resulting in three deaths. The investigation revealed unsanitary conditions at multiple production facilities and prompted a nationwide recall of all Blue Bell products. The company eventually pleaded guilty and paid $17.25 million in criminal penalties (CDC, 2015; U.S. Department of Justice, 2020; FDA, 2020).

This outbreak underscores how lapses in standardized sanitation protocols—even in frozen-food environments—can have devastating consequences.

Deep-Dive: Persistence of Listeria

Studies of the 2015 outbreak showed that Listeria monocytogenes can survive in frozen products for extended periods, even without multiplying. Investigators found the contaminated ice cream produced in two facilities had consistent pathogen loads and distribution to hospitals—especially those serving vulnerable patients—directly correlated with reported cases (CDC, 2016).

This event highlights the importance of regular microbiological testing, environmental monitoring and validated sanitation steps to avert hard-to-detect contamination.

Challenges and Resourcing

Operational pressures often compete with sanitation needs, potentially eroding protocol adherence. To address this, sanitation teams must be supported with proper staffing, scheduled windows and empowerment to maintain standards—even at the cost of delayed production.

Data-Driven Justification

Key tools to build organizational support include:

• Time studies to define labor needs.

• SSOP validations to confirm procedure effectiveness.

• Trend analysis linking sanitation metrics to contamination indicators over time.

These data-backed reports make the case that sanitation is not just a cost center but a strategic investment.

Conclusion

Sanitation is not the responsibility of a single department but a collective organizational mandate. Failure to prioritize it leads to food safety incidents, regulatory repercussions and reputational harm. Proactive investment in robust sanitation programs is far preferable to reactive measures following a crisis. Ultimately, sanitation is both a preventive and strategic function essential for sustainable food manufacturing.