It’s common to think of sanitation as third-shift work that ends the production day. But given that workers ensure the plant is clean and ready to operate, it’s preferable to consider sanitation as the beginning of production, or “shift zero.”
Microbial hotspots—problem areas or equipment that chronically harbor microbes—are often to blame when a food safety or food quality issue arises in a processing plant. That’s why it’s important for plant managers to address chronic contamination.