Invest in hygiene to reap long-term dividend

The Factories Act, which lays down standards on cleanliness to be provided by an employer, states that in the absence of proper cleanliness in a facility, the license of the employer is liable to be cancelled. While it is statutory requirement to provide adequate sanitation and hygiene facility in a factory, it becomes a prerequisite for any units handling food (such as canteen of a factory/establishment, food processing units, restaurants, food joints, etc) as it could lead to loss of life due to food contamination. “Hygiene and safety standards are imperative in any industry and, certainly, more so in the food and hospitality industry,” admits Prashant Sule, Managing Director, Cannon Hygiene (India) Pvt Ltd.  
 
Hygiene standards, if properly implemented, prevents the growth of bacteria and viruses. “Imagine food being served infested with bacteria, the kind of infection it can spread. Handling food with unsanitised hands or equipment can infest the food and, thus, infect the consumer with bacteria causing severe diarrhoea, gastroenteritis etc. In severe cases, this can cause death as well,” adds Sule.
 
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Today, companies are realising the importance of clean and hygienic workplace in increasing customer loyalty. Take the example of Jumboking Foods, which sells vada pav (a popular fast food dish popular in Maharashtra). While there are hundreds of vada pav vendors on streets of Mumbai, Jumboking’s unique selling point has been high-hygiene standards of its eateries selling this humble dish. “Maintaining hygiene is a very crucial aspect for building a solid food business. The biggest proof of that lies in the support customers have given brand Jumboking whose single biggest differentiating factor was hygiene vis-s-vis our competition,” claims Dheeraj Gupta, Managing Director, Jumboking Foods Pvt Ltd.
 
Hygiene a top priority
With growing awareness about hygiene and sanitation among consumers, cleanliness, besides taste & price-points of foods being served in a QSR, is one of the key criteria for a consumer to select an eating joint. Gupta adds, “When it comes to taste there are vada pav vendors who have been doing business for years but are having to upgrade their hygiene and sanitation standards to meet the expectations of today’s consumers. For the youth of today the order of priority is hygiene, taste and then price point.”
 
Agrees Catarina Wickstrom, Vice President of Market & Product Support for SCA-MEIA (Middle East, India and Africa), “Hygiene is becoming more and more important and required from the authorities in India. Also, for any operations handling food, hygiene is of vital importance to avoid food poisoning or contaminations. This will have an impact both on customers (lost) and employees (sick leave). It also gives a more welcoming environment for customers to see a clean and hygiene facility.”
 
Cleaning: Cost centre or investment
There are many benefits that comes with high cleaning and hygiene standards - improved employee morale and satisfaction, increase in productivity and compliance to standards. While it is important for every industry to provide its employees with clean and safe workplaces, the top management should understand that cleanliness and hygiene is not necessarily a cost centre but can have positive effect on the bottom line.
 
“It is a notion that cleaning is most costly. In reality, it is least expensive. It has highest rate of Return on Investments (RoI),” says Himanshu Jain, Managing Director & Vice President - Indian Subcontinent, Sealed Air.
 
Experts believe that a clean workplace can reflect the employer’s viewpoint for the staff - making the employees feel valued and thus increasing their productivity and retention. It also helps the company to maintain a positive image in front of its stakeholders – mainly the employees and the customers.
 
In-house or professional services?
According to a survey, only small percentage of establishments opt for outsourcing maintenance to cleaning contractors. Especially, in small units, cleaning is maintained in-house. But more and more companies are opting for professionals to solve their cleaning challenges.
 
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Sule explains, “While standards of hygiene may be learnt by all at home and in the schools, this learning will be very basic and could be sufficient on day to day personal use. However, when dealing in a professional capacity, it would be more important to have an in-depth knowledge of the use of various chemicals and sanitisers, the potency of these chemicals, the dosage required for best effect, etc so that there are no adverse effects of the chemicals and sanitisers used. As it would be unadvisable to self-medicate in case of illness so it would be for the use of these chemicals and sanitisers. Thus, taking assistance of a professional agency will be certainly advised for this purpose.”
 
The entry of MNC food chains, which adhere to high sanitation and hygiene norms globally, has raised the cleaning standards in food services industry in India. “With the high growth of international players in the food service area entering the Indian market we believe in high growth as this companies wants to keep the hygiene standards and level as in Europe and US. Also with the increased hygiene awareness in the country this requirement will also be applicable for local players,” observes Wickstrom.
 
While companies spend on buying cleaning equipment and chemicals, to have desired effect it is important to use these in right way and in adequate quantity. And this where professionals can prove handy. “As the awareness of hygiene is increasing day by day, it is imperative to fulfil hygiene regulations like HACCP. Professional service companies can provide the required services. This will lead to higher hygiene standards and better reputation - which leads to more customers,” opined Wickstrom.
 
As cleanliness is linked to the productivity of the employees, it should be given prime importance. By taking professional help, one can not only achieve desired cleaning effect, but also save time and cost.