Milliken And G&K Services Extend Contract To Distribute BioSmart To Food Services Industry
Spartanburg, SC and Minneapolis, MN - Milliken & Company, one of the world's largest privately-held textile and chemical manufacturers, and G&K Services, a market leader in branded identity apparel programs and facility services, announced today that they have extended their contract to distribute BioSmart towels and garments to the food industry. BioSmart is a patent-pending textile technology from Milliken that binds chlorine bleach(a) to textiles and reduces the spread of common bacteria and viruses from cross-contamination. G&K Services is currently the exclusive distributor of BioSmart products for the food industry, which is marketed through G&K's ProSura food safety solutions program.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website notes on its Food Safety page that, "While the food supply in the United States is one of the safest in the world, CDC estimates that 76 million people get sick, more than 300,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 Americans die each year from food-borne illness." Uniforms, towels and equipment, if not properly controlled and sanitized, can contaminate food at any point during food processing, distribution or preparation.
G&K's patent-pending ProSura food safety solutions program helps processing plants, restaurants, retail meat, deli, produce and bakery departments reduce cross-contamination by implementing proper sanitizing and safety measures during uniform laundering and delivery processes. This program also supports Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) programs by ensuring measures and controls are properly documented. The use of BioSmart garments and towels provides additional protection on fabrics against cross-contamination beyond delivery and throughout the workday.
"Our ProSura program was a significant step forward in reducing the risk of cross-contamination through employee uniforms and towels. BioSmart is an innovative enhancement to this program, providing a critical layer of protection for our food processors, grocers and restaurant customers," said Scott Wallace, senior vice president of Marketing at G&K Services.
Market response has been positive. "BioSmart has allowed us to bridge the gap between customers' written standard operating procedures and the realities of operating in a food environment by helping mitigate the risk of human error," noted Carter Bray, marketing director at G&K Services. "The reaction of the market has led us to develop additional BioSmart products, which we expect to introduce before the end of this fiscal year."
As a result of positive customer response, the two companies are working together to develop a customer promotion program that enables customers to promote their use of ProSura and BioSmart to advance food safety and enhance consumer confidence. Logos, window decals, table tents, press releases and direct mail post cards will soon be available to restaurants, grocers, food service and processing plants for marketing and educational use.
"There's a real concern over bacterial contamination through textiles and clothing, particularly in the food services, healthcare and public safety industries," said Jack Spoon, business manager at Milliken's Workwear Fabrics division. "Programs like G&K's ProSura program are instrumental for reducing costly risk for program participants. We're honored to work with G&K to deliver BioSmart to the food industry." About BioSmart Developed by Milliken, BioSmart is a patent-pending textile technology that binds chlorine(b) molecules to the surface of fabric. Chlorine on the fabric will continue to kill germs after the fabric has been washed. Independent, outside testing has demonstrated that when BioSmart fabrics are laundered according to care instructions with EPA-registered chlorine bleach, the chlorine killed 99.9 percent(c) of common bacteria and viruses, including Salmonella choleraesuis, E.coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Hepatitis A.
BioSmart can be applied to synthetics, cotton and poly/cotton fabrics and are ideal for industries where bacterial contamination is a concern, including food processing and services, healthcare, public safety, hospitality, sports apparel, active wear and military. The protective coating is recharged with chlorine during laundering, so it is always functioning at full strength thus providing a longer shelf life and optimizing value for manufacturers, laundries and consumers alike. BioSmart fabrics have passed the ISO skin irritation and skin sensitivity tests. In addition, BioSmart fabrics are odorless, dry quickly and wick moisture.
SOURCE: Milliken & Company