Hygiene and sanitation are vital for safe food and beverage processing. Sanitation processes must be carried out correctly to remain in compliance with regulations, avoid unnecessary downtime, maintain consistent quality, and reduce the risk of product contamination.
But poor worker training, because of high turnover, can jeopardize sanitation. Additionally, a lack of experience and lack of supervision could damage machinery.
According to PMMI’s 2025 Automation in Food and Beverage Equipment Sanitation report, training and skills gaps are one of the largest concerns when it comes to hygiene and sanitation.
Ensuring effective sanitation should be a collaborative effort between OEMs and CPGs. Working together in the design phase allows end users to ensure that machines are easy to clean and keep sanitary.
But beyond this phase, the responsibility for sanitation falls onto the shoulders of OEMs.
OEMs must provide a comprehensive standard operating procedure (SOP) for end users, and after installation, CPGs must operate the machinery according to the SOP. Without clear documentation and training, end users have a greater room for error that could result in recalls.
“I think it’s the OEM’s responsibility to continue to iterate and innovate based off hygienic design principles,” an OEM representative said. “That’s us doing our due diligence as an OEM, making sure that we’re doing our part to mitigate risk for a potential recall or something along those lines.”
SOURCE: 2025 Automation in Food and Beverage Equipment Sanitation
For more insights from PMMI’s Business Intelligence team, find reports, including Automation in Food and Beverage Equipment Sanitation, Knowledge Transfer for Machine Operators: From Paper to Digital Intelligence, and Beyond Manuals: Setting the Right Expectations for Operator Training on Modern Packaging Lines at https://www.pmmi.org/business-intelligence.
Download the FREE report below.
