A benchmark for hygienically clean napery

Restaurants and catering venues are regularly scrutinised for potentially unsafe equipment, unsanitary conditions and improper food preparation or storage by food safety inspectors. However, kitchen and table linens don’t often factor into this equation, and until recently there was no method for commercial laundering operations to demonstrate that their laundering process is efficient enough to remove all soil and bacteria from these linens. Today, certification to NSF P413: Hygienically Clean Napery in Commercial Laundering Operations verifies that laundering facilities have quality control measures in place to ensure the laundering process is capable of consistently removing potential pathogens or other unacceptable bacterial organisms from soiled napery.

NSF P413 was developed as a consensus-based protocol with stakeholder input from industry, professional associations and academia to provide an independent, third-party certification that companies meet specific requirements to ensure a hygienic product free from disease-causing microorganisms is produced through laundering each and every time. 

Clean linens in foodservice establishments play an essential part in food safety and public health, as well as customer perception. The laundering process most commercial laundering facilities follow involves a separation procedure to sort napkins, towels, tablecloths, trash and other items into separate loads. Each product type is then laundered using a specific wash algorithm and detergent mixture unique for that particular item. Water treatment, including filtering and softening, may be conducted at the facility to improve the wash efficiency and performance. Separation of soiled and laundered linens must be maintained at all times at the facility and during delivery and pickup as a means to prevent cross-contamination.

Ensures consistency

Certification demonstrates that linen cleaning services follow these processes to consistently produce hygienic linens using the proper chemical consistency. The certification process consists of three main components to ensure consistency within the laundering process. These three requirements are designed to work together to ensure that the laundering facilities have procedures in place to evaluate and demonstrate quality control measures indicating that the laundering process is capable of removing potential pathogens or other unacceptable bacterial organisms from soiled napery.

Process planning and evaluation

The first element is the process planning and evaluation to set forth facility requirements that control points in the laundering process are documented, monitored and controlled, and that documented corrective actions are implemented if those processes are not within specification. Based on a process flow configuration, each facility must prepare and implement an organisational management system that includes process evaluation of critical control points within the process. These include everything within the process from wash resources to the wash procedure to the handling of the final product.

Sampling and testing

The next element of the programme is product sampling and testing for microorganisms. Random sampling is completed on the finished product after it is run through the laundering process. These samples are then collected and sent to a laboratory for microbiological testing to verify the total aerobic plate, total yeast and moulds, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli counts. Finished product testing is done to confirm repeatability and validity of the organisational management system’s effectiveness.

On-site audit

The final element is the on-site facility audit. The audit is a compliance check that the organisational management system has been effectively implemented, and all control points follow the expected procedure on a consistent basis. The audit is conducted to additionally ensure hygienic napery is produced each and every time it runs through the certified process.

Certification provides laundering companies with a means to differentiate themselves and ensure their customers that their laundering process destroys harmful bacteria. This is important because potential microbial contamination within laundering facilities that do not have a properly designed, implemented and monitored system is significantly high. From improper separation of soiled linens to out-of-specification control limits for detergents to inconsistent press temperatures, there are a multitude of elements within the laundering process that could create potential for product contamination and public health concern. Developing a consistent and appropriately designed process can eliminate many of these potential risk factors and certification verifies these processes and cleaning techniques are effective. 

Ashlee Breitner is business unit manager for nonfood compounds at NSF International