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Quantifying the ROI of Environmental Monitoring Program Automation

By Joseph Heinzelmann
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The COVID-19 pandemic heightened the urgency for food brands to adopt technology solutions that support remote management of environmental monitoring programs (EMPs) as they strive to provide safe products to customers. While digital transformation has progressed within the food safety industry, food and beverage manufacturers often have lower profitability as compared to other manufacturing industries, such as pharmaceutical and high-tech equipment, which can lead to smaller IT spend.1 Many companies still rely on manual processes for environmental monitoring and reporting, which are prone to error, fail to provide organizations with visibility into all of their facilities and limit the ability to quickly take corrective actions.

Despite growing recognition of the value of automating testing, diagnostics, corrective actions and analytic workflows to prevent contamination issues in food production environments, barriers to adoption persist. One key obstacle is the recurring mindset that food safety is a necessary compliance cost. Instead, we need to recognize that EMP workflow automation can create real business value. While the downside of food safety issues is easy to quantify, organizations still struggle to understand the upside, such as positive contributions to productivity and a stronger bottom-line achieved by automating certain food safety processes.

To understand how organizations are using workflow automation and analytics to drive quantifiable business ROI, a two-year study that included interviews and anonymized data collection with food safety, operations, and executive leadership at 34 food organizations was conducted.

The respondents represent more than 120 facilities using advanced EMP workflow automation and analytics. Based on the interviews and the shared experience of food organization leaders, two key examples emerged that demonstrate the ROI of EMP automation.

Improved Production Performance

According to those interviewed, one of the primary benefits of EMP automation (and driver of ROI) is minimizing production disruptions. A temporary conveyor shutdown, unplanned cleaning, or extensive investigatory testing can add up to an astounding 500 hours annually at a multi-facility organization, and cost on average $20,000 to $30,000 per hour.2 So, it’s obvious that eliminating costly disruptions and downtime has a direct impact on ROI from this perspective.

But organizations with systems where information collected through the EMP is highly accessible have another advantage. They are able to take corrective actions to reduce production impacts very quickly. In some cases, even before a disruption happens.
By automatically feeding EMP data into an analytics program, organizations can rapidly detect the root cause of issues and implement corrective actions BEFORE issues cause production delays or shutdowns.

In one example, over the course of several months, a large dairy company with manual EMP processes automated its food safety workflows, improved efficiencies, reduced pathogen positives and improved its bottom line. At the start of the study, the company increased systematic pathogen testing schedules to identify where issues existed and understand the effectiveness of current sanitation efforts. With improved access to data on testing, test types and correlated sanitation procedures, the company was able to implement a revamped remediation program with more effective corrective action steps.

Ultimately, the automated workflows and analytics led to reduced positive results and more efficient EMP operations for the company as compared to the “crisis-mode” approach of the past. The associated costs of waste, rework, delayed production starts, and downtime caused by food safety issues were significantly reduced as illustrated in Figure 1.

EMP automation
Figure 1: Reduction of food safety testing costs through EMP automation. Customer Study 2016-2018. All figures courtesy of Corvium, Inc.

Quantifying the ROI of Production Performance Improvements

The financial impact of reducing production downtime by just 90 minutes per week can be dramatic when looked at by cumulative results over multiple weeks. In fact, eliminating just a few delayed starts or unplanned re-cleaning can have significant financial gains.

Figure 2 shows the business impact of gaining 90 minutes of production up-time per week by automating food safety operations. For the purposes of this analysis, the “sample organization” depicted operates two facilities where there are assumptions that down-time equates to a cost value of $30,000 per hour, and that both plants experience an average of 90 minutes of downtime per week that can be re-gained.

Production Performance Improvement ROI Calculation
Figure 2: Sample Production Performance Improvement ROI Calculation.

Reduced Food Waste

The second key insight uncovered in the two-year study was the impact that automating the EMP process had on waste. An estimated 30–40% of all food produced in the United States is wasted, and preventable food safety and quality issues account for a substantial portion of this waste.3

A key challenge shared by study participants was detecting food safety issues early enough to avoid wasting an entire production run. Clearly, the later in a processing or manufacturing run that issues are discovered, the greater the potential waste. To limit this, organizations needed near real-time visibility into relevant food safety and EMP data.

By automating EMP workflows, they solved this issue and created value. By tracking and analyzing data in near real time, production teams were able to keep up with ever-moving production schedules. They could define rules to trigger the system to automatically analyze diagnostic results data and alert stakeholders to outliers. Impacted food product could be quickly identified and quarantined when needed before an entire production run was wasted.

Companies included in the study realized substantial benefits from the increased efficiencies in their testing program. According to a food safety quality assurance manager at a large U.S. protein manufacturer, “Our environmental monitoring program has reached new heights in terms of accuracy, communication, visibility and efficiency. Manual, time-intensive tasks have been automated and optimized, such as the ability to search individual sample or submittal IDs, locate them quickly and make any necessary changes.”

Quantifying the ROI of Food Waste Reductions

Figure 3 shows how measuring the business impact of gaining back just 10% of scrapped food per week. For the purposes of this analysis, the “sample organization” depicted operates two facilities where there are 500 lbs. of finished product scrapped each week, and the value per pound of finished product is valued at a cost of $1 per pound.

Sample Waste Reduction ROI Calculation
Figure 3. Sample Waste Reduction ROI Calculation.

Conclusion

Automating EMP workflows decreases the time required to receive and analyze critical EMP data, helping food manufacturers achieve significant improvements in production performance, waste reduction and overall testing efficiency. By using these same ROI calculations, food brands can better illustrate how improved food safety processes can build value, and help leaders see food safety as a brand imperative rather than a cost center. As food organizations progress through each stage of digital transformation, studies like this can show real-world examples of business challenges and how other organizations uncovered value in adoption of new technologies and tools.

References

  1. CSIMarket, Inc. (2021). Total Market Profitability.
  2. Senkbeil, T. (2014). Built to Last: Maintaining Reliability and Uptime of Critical Connected Systems in Industrial Settings. Anixter.
  3. USDA. Food Waste FAQs.
Sponges, environmental sampling

Mitigate the Risk: Importance of Environmental Sampling in an Environmental Monitoring Program

By Gabriela Martinez, Ph.D.
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Sponges, environmental sampling

There are several ways in which pathogens can enter a food processing facility. Once inside, pathogens are either temporary visitors that are removed using cleaning and disinfection methods, or they can persist in sites such the floor or drains and require a more intense remediation process. As food processors take on the responsibility to prevent product adulteration in facilities, setting up and maintaining an environmental monitoring program (EMP) is critical.  An effective EMP helps a company manage and potentially reduce operational, regulatory and branding reputation risks.

Establishing an EMP begins with identifying and documenting potential pathogen sources in all physical areas (including raw materials, storage and shipping areas) and cross-contamination vectors (employees, equipment, pests, etc.). These areas and vectors should be surveyed, controlled and when possible, eliminated. Implementing effective controls, including microbiological sampling of high-risk areas, should be part of the program. Sampling for pathogens or indicator microorganisms  in food contact areas during production is also important. Additionally, the EMP elevates the awareness of what is happening in the plant environment and helps companies measure the efficiency of their pathogen-prevention program—for example, it is not only critical to test for pathogens, but also for the overall effectiveness of cleaning and sanitizing procedures. Both procedures are necessary and must be properly executed to reduce microorganisms to safe levels. The goal of a cleaning process is to remove completely food and other types of soil from a surface. Since soils vary widely in composition, no single detergent is capable of removing all types. In general, acid cleaners dissolve alkaline soils (minerals) and alkaline cleaners dissolve acid soils and food wastes. It is for this reason that the employees involved must understand the nature of the soil to be removed before selecting a detergent or a cleaning regime. The cleaner must also match with the water properties and be compatible (i.e., not corrosive) with the surface characteristics on which it will be applied. However, not only the correct choice of agent is necessary for an optimal result; it should be coupled with a mechanical action, an appropriated contact time and correct operating temperature. As the combination of these parameters is characteristic to each process, it becomes essential to verify effectiveness through sampling. Finally, cleaning is closely related to sanitation, because it can’t be sanitized what hasn’t been previously cleaned.

“Not Your Grandfather’s Environmental Monitoring Program Anymore”: Learn more about this important topic at the 2016 Food Safety Consortium | EVENT WEBSITE

The Association of Official Analytical Chemists defines sanitizing for food product contact surfaces as a process that reduces the contamination level by 99.999% (5 logs). Sanitation may be achieved using either heat (thermal treatment) or chemicals. Hot water sanitizing is commonly used where immersing the contact surfaces is practical (e.g., small parts, utensils). Hot water sanitizing is effective only when appropriate temperatures can be maintained for the appropriate period of time. For example, depending on the application, sanitation may be achieved by immersing parts or utensils in water at 770 C to 850 C for 45 seconds to five minutes. The advantages of this method include easy application, availability, effective for a broad range of microorganisms, non-corrosive, and it penetrates cracks and crevices. However, the process is relatively slow, can contribute to high energy costs, may contribute to the formation of biofilms and may shorten the life of certain equipment parts (e.g., seals and gaskets). Furthermore, fungal spores can survive this treatment.

Regarding chemicals, there is no perfect chemical sanitizer. Performance depends on sanitizer concentration (too low or too high is ineffective), contact exposure time, temperature of the sanitizing solution (generally, 210 C to 380 C is considered optimal), pH of the water solution (each sanitizer has an optimal pH), water hardness, and surface cleanliness. Some chemical sanitizers, such as chlorine, react with food and soil, becoming less effective on surfaces that have not been properly cleaned.

The effectiveness of a plant’s sanitation practices must be verified to ensure that the production equipment and environment are sanitary. Operators employ several methods of verification, including physical and visual inspection, as part of ongoing environmental hygiene monitoring programs. Portable ATP bioluminescence systems are widely used to obtain immediate results about the sanitary or unsanitary condition of food plant surfaces. ATP results should be followed up with more in-depth confirmation testing, such as indirect indicator tests and pathogen-specific tests. Indirect indicator tests are based on non-pathogenic microorganisms (i.e., coliform, fecal coliforms or total counts) that may be naturally present in food or in the same environment as a pathogen. These indicator organisms are used to assess the overall sanitation or environmental condition that may indicate the presence of pathogens. The principal advantages of using indicator organisms in an EMP include:

  • Detection techniques are less expensive compared to those used for pathogens
  • Indicator microorganisms are present in high numbers and a baseline can be easily established
  • Indicator microorganisms are a valid representative of pathogens of concern since they survive under similar physical, chemical and nutrient conditions as the pathogen

However, indicator organisms are not a substitute for pathogen testing. A positive result indicates possible contamination and a risk of foodborne disease. It is recommended that samples be taken immediately before production starts, just after cleaning and sanitation have been completed when information regarding cleaning and sanitation are required. However, when sampling is conducted on surfaces previously exposed to chemical germicide treatment, appropriate neutralizers must be incorporated into the medium to preserve viability of the microbial cells.

Neutralizers recommended for food plant monitoring include Dey-Engley neutralizing broth (DE), neutralizing buffer (NE), Buffered peptone water (BPW) and Letheen broth (LT) (see Table I). Most of these are incorporated into a support such as a sponge, swab or chiffon to neutralize the residues of cleaning agents and sanitizers that may be picked up during swabbing. The product should be selected based on the surface, the type of cleaning agents and the type of testing (qualitative or quantitative).

Neutralizing agents, Environmental sampling
Table I. Neutralizing agents

It is critical to verify that the chosen neutralizer has an efficient action against the used sanitizers. Table I show the most effective equivalence among the cleaning agents and the most common neutralizers.

For instance, if a quantitative method is to be used, it is very important to consider a neutralizing agent, such as the neutralizing buffer, that doesn’t support the bacterial growth.

Finally the sponge is a very popular choice due to its versatility. Sponges are used for sampling equipment surfaces, floors, walls, work benches and even carcasses. They enable the sampling of large surfaces and the detection of lower levels of contamination at a lower cost of operation.

Sani sponge
The versatility of sponges make them a popular choice for environmental sampling. Image courtesy of Labplas.

To summarize, environmental sampling is an important tool to verify sources of contamination and adequacy of sanitation process, helping to refine the frequency and intensity of cleaning and sanitation, identify hot spots, validate food safety programs, and provide an early warning of issues that may require corrective action. Over all, it provides the assurance that products being manufactured are made under sanitary conditions.