PSSI, the leading food safety and contract sanitation provider for USDA, FDA and CFIA food processing industries, is focused on innovating the future of food safety with new technology. Following its new re-brand earlier this year, the company today announced the launch of a new real-time performance metrics platform that supports a more detailed data-driven approach to food safety and sanitation.

The new technology platform, designed by PSSI, enables its sanitation teams to proactively track and respond to critical data that can impact the overall effectiveness of the sanitization process. Data that was previously recorded with a pen and a piece of paper on a clipboard as part of a nightly sanitation log post-cleaning, is now logged digitally into an application on a tablet or mobile device in real-time during the sanitation process.

The data is monitored closely by PSSI site managers and can easily be shared or accessed by other key stakeholders to perform analytics and make real-time adjustments to the sanitation process. The system also has the ability to send alerts and notifications regarding changes or updates that need to be made as well.

“The ability to record and respond to real-time data during a sanitization shift is a game changer,” said Doug White, senior vice president of operations for PSSI. “It enables us to take corrective action sooner, which drastically improves effectiveness of sanitation and improves food safety.”

The PSSI team focuses on documenting several key factors that can influence a successful cleaning process, including time, water temperature, titration (concentration of cleaning agents) and mechanical force (i.e. water pressure). If any variable is off during the sanitation process, it can impact the overall effectiveness of the cleaning.

The platform also supports a growing need for more detailed documentation from a regulatory compliance standpoint. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), in particular, is requiring processors to have specific documentation supporting its food safety plan and be able to produce data proving adherence to that plan during inspections.

“Our partners love having visibility into the process so they know the exact steps that were taken to ensure the highest level of sanitation on a nightly basis,” said White. “It also improves communication to make the process faster and more efficient from a response standpoint if additional support or intervention is necessary.”

PSSI is one of the first sanitation providers to implement this type of real-time data reporting and metrics to advance food safety. The company began testing an initial version of the technology late last year with a select group of partner sites and has started rolling it out across the 500 plant sites it supports across the U.S. and Canada.