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As population growth drives new environmental regulations, there is a critical need for innovative sanitation, waste management, packaging and technology strategies to ensure food safety without compromising sustainability goals. By addressing these challenges, the food industry can achieve a safer, more sustainable future while meeting consumer and regulatory demands. Erin Mertz, director of food safety and public health at Ecolab, explores the intricate balance between sustainability and food safety in the global food supply chain.

The task of safely and sustainably feeding the estimated 8 billion people on planet Earth is intensely complicated. As the global population continues to grow, governments worldwide have introduced legislation aimed at reducing the environmental impact of food manufacturing.

But in meeting those demands, food companies must simultaneously ensure that they’re not putting consumers at risk when sustainability policy can potentially undermine food safety. Moreover, sustainability practices must also make their intended impact without interfering with the global supply chain – a dominant concern for a majority of food and beverage leaders. 

It is possible to meet sustainability goals without upending the global food supply. But it will take a thorough approach to identifying risks and opportunities for better sustainability practices in four key areas: sanitation, food loss and waste, packaging and technology.  

Sanitation 

Rigorous cleaning and disinfecting procedures are the foundation for eliminating the risk of contamination from pathogens, allergens and other hazardous substances. However, traditional sanitation methods are also at the root of several sustainability concerns.

Food and beverage leaders should focus on four key areas to achieve superior sanitation and more sustainable operations. These include:

1. Water management: Dry and low-moisture cleaning are great options for lowering water usage and reducing opportunities for microbiological growth in the presence of water or moisture.  Common dry or low-moisture cleaning methods include low-water chemistries and wipes, dry steam cleaning, vacuum cleaning and other mechanical soil removal methods. If you have an on-site wastewater treatment system, communicate the reduction in water with management, as adjustments may need to be made to account for the reduced volume of water. 

   
   

1. Chemical management: Dry and low-moisture cleaning isn’t always an option, and water has always been the best base for cleaning surfaces and leveraging the chemistry-amplifying benefits of heat. When processes require water, work with your sanitation chemical supplier to choose the right cleaning product for the suitable soil and conditions. A more thorough understanding of the soil’s properties and the make-up of your process water (its hardness, pH, etc.) can help minimise the amount of cleaning chemistry required and avoid the overuse of inefficient chemistries. 

   
   

1. Master sanitation schedule and preventative maintenance programmes: Two essential and commonly underutilised programmes in a food production facility are the master sanitation schedule (MSS) and preventative maintenance (PM) programmes. A well-documented MSS optimises water and cleaning chemistry and streamlines operations without undermining food safety. A PM schedule ensures proper equipment operation and cleanability while lowering the risk of issues down the line, for example, leaks, foreign objects entering food from equipment or part failure, damage to surfaces or micro-pitting that can become microbial harborage areas, and other issues arising from improperly maintained equipment.  

   
   

1. Sanitary design: Equipment that follows sanitary design principles helps reduce water and cleaning chemistry use through higher efficiency. Being able to clean equipment to a microbiological level in a reasonable amount of time with minimal tools ensures that sanitation staff can clean and disinfect properly so that equipment is ready for safe and quality food production. 

   
   

Food loss and waste 

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), about one-third of food produced for human consumption is either lost or wasted, costing about $1 trillion annually. When directed to landfills, this food contributes to the production of greenhouse gas emissions.

The land and water used to produce this food are also costly to the environment, to say nothing of the food by-products lost during production and processing. A thorough understanding of areas where food is lost in equipment or to the floor, areas where food is rejected for quality issues, and what exactly those quality issues are can help identify areas for better efficiency and lower landfill emissions. 

In cases where food is not safe for human consumption, it can be diverted to composting, aerobic/anaerobic digestion, or, if by appropriate safety guidelines, animal feed.  

Sustainable packaging 

Sustainable packaging is a top priority for the industry’s C-Suite in many forms– from reusable formats to biodegradable packaging to truly recyclable packaging. 

When evaluating sustainable packaging, focus on its lifecycle and supply chain. Be sure it is food-safe and manufactured to minimise the chance of microbial contamination from harmful chemicals. If it is being reprocessed and cleaned, make sure the process follows sanitary design principles and that the material can be easily cleaned to a microbial level. 

Technology 

Modern technological solutions can monitor production, sanitation, water usage, environmental contaminants, and many other areas of the facility. All these tools can enhance food safety and sustainability activities in the plant environment. 

A great example is monitoring clean-in-place, or CIP, cleaning cycles. When employees can monitor the four factors of cleaning (chemistry concentration, water temperature, flow rate and circulation time), they can identify problems in real-time, ensuring that the cleaning cycle is adequate and the equipment is truly clean. This supports better food quality and prevents the use of additional time, water and chemistry to redo the incomplete cleaning cycle.  

Embracing safety for a sustainable food supply 

Food safety and sustainability are inextricably connected. Manufacturers must navigate the challenges of ensuring food safety and embracing sustainability to meet regulatory requirements, consumer demands and resource constraints. The future of food manufacturing hinges on aligning these dual objectives to create a safe, high-quality and sustainable food supply for generations to come.