organized sanitation program is necessary
for the success of their operations. Yet, their
philosophy or attitude toward sanitation
“sets the state” for the entire organization.
Managers that lack interest in sanitation and
operate with such an outlook may vanish
long before the benefits of a sound sanita-
tion program can be realized. Management
does not always support sanitation since it
reflects a cost where dividends cannot always
be accurately measured in terms of increased
sales and profits. Frequently, lower and mid-
dle management have difficulty selling the
sanitation concept when top management
does not fully comprehend it.
However, some progressive management
teams have been more enthusiastic about a
sanitation program. They have recognized
that it can be used in promotion and can
improve sales and product stability. Other
managers have been able to improve the
image of their organizations through sani-
tary practices and quality assurance labora-
tories. Sophisticated cleaning equipment can
also add to the impressiveness of an opera-
tion. Progressive firms have realized that an
effective sanitation program will ultimately
save money.
Management Knowledge of Sanitation
If management is not educated on the
value of a sanitation program, progress in
this area will be slow. Without understand-
ing and support, the effectiveness of a sani-
tation program is reduced.
Management must support and promote
sanitation because of its direct impact on
corporate planning, marketing, and the com-
pany’s relationship with the law. Sanitation
programs have a direct impact on the indus-
try-regulatory interface. The U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) can prohibit
the preservation, production, packaging,
storage, or sale of any food under unsanitary
conditions. Management should recognize
that an effective sanitation program reduces
cleaning expenses through increased effi-
ciency.Management Commitment
Before a successful sanitation program can
be implemented, management must accept
the fact that rigid sanitary practices must be
incorporated. After recognition of the need
for effective sanitation, the commitment
should be communicated to all employees,
followed by the adoption of a workable pro-
gram.Program Development
A sanitation program should be planned,
organized, and treated as a part of the pro-
duction process (Chao, 2003). Two overall
methods for maintaining sanitation are: (1)
corrective and (2) preventive. The corrective
method eliminates or diminishes undesirable
conditions when they are discovered. An
example would be to control rodents after
their presence has been discovered in the
food production or storage area through exe-
cution of the necessary elimination steps. No
measures for permanent control are put into
effect through this method. The preventive
method involves the implementation of a
program to prevent undesirable conditions.
It is a way of life in which sanitation prob-
lems are anticipated and steps are taken to
prevent their occurrence. Preventive sanita-
tion is based on the recognition that at least
80% of the task is good housekeeping.
A successful sanitation program should be
tailored to the operation. An example is that
a meat processing operation will mostly
operate conveyors, mixers, and other open
equipment and containers, requiring more
hand-held hoses and wands than foam and
high-pressure units. In contrast, a milk plant
can incorporate more automated cleaning
equipment, such as cleaning-in-place (CIP)
technology.Management and Sanitation 393