Clean sweep

Hygiene is subject to ever-tighter requirements. The government is becoming stricter and consumers are increasingly critical. Everything must be done right, not only in terms of quality, but also relating to working conditions and the environment. There is plenty of reason for concern: hygiene is inextricably linked to ensuring food safety – a topic that will once again feature highly on the political and social agenda in 2017. 

This is where cleaning companies can make a clean sweep. The good news is that the cleaning sector is a dynamic one: we’re seeing both a broadening and a deepening of the service offering, robotisation is on the rise, digitisation is improving the internal work processes, they are increasingly using cleaning agents that are less harmful to the environment – plenty is being done to relieve the burden on you, to improve the standard of hygiene and to ensure that the cleaning activities are aligned with your CSR policy. A growing number of customers are realising that real efficiency gains are only possible after a sufficiently long settling-in period and are increasingly signing long-term contracts (Rabobank Figures & Trends, 18 October 2016).

Of course, food safety goes beyond merely safeguarding hygiene; it’s also about ensuring that ink from recycled packaging doesn’t make its way into our food, and about reducing the fat and salt content. Healthy living and a healthy diet are trending topics for 2017. According to the latest news from Brussels, the European Parliament wants to introduce a limit on industrially produced trans fatty acids that are used in various snacks. The maximum legal limit for trans fats in foodstuffs could, for example, be set at 2% per product. Denmark already has such a rule. “Consumers are still eating too many industrial trans fats, which are hidden in countless products. Those fats are causing lots of Europeans to be overweight, resulting in diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. This calls for action by both the European Commission and the food industry,” says Annie Schreijer-Pierik (CDA European Parliament).

News like this makes me happy, so long live critical consumers, governments and food companies. It means that the food industry is evolving and that continuous thought must be given to renewal and innovation. It also means that I will still have plenty of topics to write about, to explore and, above all, to inform you about in 2017. 

Judith Witte
 
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