Ward Off Foodborne Illnesses With Sanitizing Wipes

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Eating out is a favorite pastime for many Americans. But the next take-out meal or restaurant dinner could be putting their health at risk. 

 

Foodborne illnesses in restaurants are on the rise. One of six Americans get sick from eating contaminated food and another 3,000 die annually, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

 

These outbreaks not only impact the public’s health, but also the establishment’s reputation and bottom line. 

 

With numbers like these, restaurant owners are taking extra precautions to ensure that surfaces are properly cleaned and disinfected. Many owners are taking their cues from consumers, who are using wet wipes in their homes to clean everything from countertops to chairs. 

 

“Wet wipes — in all markets — are growing in a big way,” says Louie Davis Jr., senior territory manager for Central Paper Co., Birmingham, Ala. “They are so widely accepted in the retail market that most people don’t think too much about using them in the workplace. It’s an intuitive type product: you know what it is, you pull one out of the tube and you start wiping with it.”

 

The popularity of wet wipes in foodservice environments is driven largely by the fact that these products simplify cleaning — the process is the same whether a person is cleaning in the kitchen, the restroom or the dining area. 

 

“The greatest benefit is the convenience factor,” says Steve Rathbun, janitorial sales manager for Martin Brothers Distributing Co., Inc. in Cedar Falls, Iowa. “There’s no measuring of chemicals, so they’re always the proper dilution and they’re always fresh.”

 

For Penn Jersey Paper Company in Philadelphia, sales of sanitizing wet wipes in foodservice facilities are growing. 

 

“One of my biggest customers in the city uses wipes in all three of its restaurants,” says Steve Lettero, foodservice sales manager. “Part of the reason is that it shows their customer base they’re concerned about sanitation and any possible cross-contamination.”