USA

With eight more laundries earning the Textile Rental Services Association’s Hygienically Clean Food Safety certification this past quarter, UniFirst Corp. now has 40 facilities that have reached this milestone. The recent additions included the company’s first such achievements in the states of Arizona and Washington as well as the Canadian province of Alberta, after UniFirst plants already were certified in 20 states and the Canadian province of British Columbia.

This achievement reflects UniFirst’s commitment to best-management practices (BMPs) in laundering as verified by third-party on-site inspection and their capability to produce hygienically clean textiles as quantified by ongoing microbial testing. The certification confirms a laundry’s dedication to compliance and processing garments and other textile products using BMPs as described in its quality-assurance documentation, the focal point for TRSA inspectors’ evaluation of critical control points that minimise risk.

 “More and more, we’re seeing our customers in food-related industries looking for third-party validation that our specialised Product Protection Process and our Hygienically Clean standards are consistent with HACCP and GFSI guidelines,” said Adam Soreff, director of marketing and communications at UniFirst Corp. “Working with a Hygienically Clean Food Safety certified laundry helps reassure them that their managed uniform program is working in concert with their own food-safety protocols to help them ensure food safety for consumers.”