The Food Safety Innovation Conference 2025 was a resounding success, attended by leading voices across the food production industry.

There were so many valuable takeaways to come out of the expert talks, interactive workshops, and panel discussions. One of the highlights of the day had to be the talk given by Chris Boardman – Cleaning and Hygiene: unpacking advances in automation and resource utilisation.

As Site Director for Humdinger Foods, Chris was the perfect person to explain how sites can reduce inefficiencies and “do more with less” within their Hygiene Departments.

The following article provides an overview of Chris’ talk, covering everything from Time and Motion Studies to the role of automation.

Setting the Scene

Chris opened his talk by addressing one of the key challenges faced by businesses within the food production industry: the challenge to drive standards, while managing the current economic climate. He shared that, on average, the cost to employ has increased by around 10% year on year.

In order to maintain their margins, sites are having to review their costs. They are also having to reduce their proposed spend for the year ahead – finding opportunities to do more with less.

Although it is common for businesses to focus on the largest cost areas with the biggest overheads – for most sites this will be Operations – Chris encourages sites to adopt a holistic approach. By identifying instances of inefficiency and waste across all areas of your business, you could generate significant cost savings over time.

For Chris, a great place to start is with Hygiene, working through the following four points: Processes, Labour, Equipment, and Chemicals.

Resource Utilisation: Hygiene Processes

The first step is to conduct an in depth review of your site’s Master Sanitisation Schedule. All too often, sites will only address this schedule during the auditing process, but won’t take the time to carry out an independent review.

Chris highlights the review process as an important part of finding out which tasks are taking up the most time. He recommends carrying out a Time and Motion Study for the top five areas. This is a business efficiency model that involves two key components:

Time

Establish the amount of time it takes to complete each task. Break the task down into smaller actions and time each part. Then, rearrange the actions until you find the most efficient approach.

Motion

Identify the different movements involved in each task. Are there any actions that are inefficient? e.g. operatives having to carry essential equipment from one area of your site to another.

Once you have the relevant information, you should also give a value score to each task to reflect its level of importance. This will make it easier to identify any low value tasks that are taking up an unnecessary amount of time and motion.

Finally, you need to evaluate the frequency of the cleans being carried out at your site and the intention behind them. Are there any areas where the frequency could be adjusted?

Resource Utilisation: Labour

The majority of Hygiene Teams work night shifts, so are more susceptible to feeling overlooked and excluded. This makes it even more essential that you evaluate the training your operatives receive, ensuring it is up-to-date and engaging.

You should also be on the lookout for individuals who are going above and beyond to deliver results. It’s important that these operatives are rewarded for their efforts and empowered to share their approach with the wider team. While doing this, try to identify individuals who are being held back by their lack of training and require further support.

Another vital step is to make sure your Cleaning Instruction Cards correspond with your site’s Master Sanitisation Schedule. All messaging should be consistent to avoid confusion or costly mistakes.

Chris also encourages you to identify areas where you are overly reliant on people because your processes and equipment are inadequate. By placing Hygiene at the centre of your discussions and bringing it back into the main core of your business, you can challenge your Operations Team and Leadership Teams to consolidate tasks where possible, driving standards of efficiency.

Resource Utilisation: Equipment

When it comes to the effective utilisation of tools and equipment, Chris recommends starting with a simple question: What equipment are we currently using and is it working at the same standard as when we initially bought it? Often, the answer to this question will be no. If this is the case for your site, the next step will be to evaluate your process for carrying out equipment inspections and sourcing replacements.

Although repairs and replacements involve an upfront cost, they can help to generate long term savings, as you will be able to cut down on the amount of time and effort that goes into compensating for sub-par equipment. In some cases, you may also be able to free up your operatives to focus on other tasks.

In his speech, Chris also unpacked advances in automation and encouraged sites to think about how their use of technology compared to other food manufacturers.

By automating certain processes and embracing technological advances, you could save time, eliminate inefficiencies, reduce waste, and empower your team to focus on more skill-based tasks.

Resource Utilisation: Chemicals

Chemical usage will often go overlooked when it comes to driving efficiency and reducing waste. Once a Chemical Management Plan has been signed off by auditors, many sites will see this as the green light to push ahead with their existing strategy. However, Chris stresses the importance of investigating this aspect of your operation – identifying areas for improvement.

Working through the list of chemicals used at your site, you need to find out if they are all functioning at the level they should be. Pay particular attention to the quantity of each chemical being used, as if this is higher than necessary in any areas, you may have found a quick and easy way to cut costs and reduce waste.

Additionally, you need to be on the lookout for opportunities to consolidate the different chemicals on site. Are there any chemicals that offer the same properties and do exactly the same thing? Instead of directing precious resources towards ordering, storing, and moving these chemicals, there could be the option to streamline your stock.

Smart Working in Food Factories

Once you have worked through the four key areas listed above, it’s all about ‘Smart Working’ to find the right solutions. Chris brought his speech to a close with the following recommendations:

  • Work closely with your suppliers. There is no shame in having gaps in your knowledge and going to suppliers for an expert opinion. If you share where you’re at, the assessments you’ve carried out, and your overall goals, you should find a wealth of knowledge within your supply chain.
  • Consider: What does automation look like? Reach out to your supply base for ideas on what automation could look like at your site. This could be anything from an automated cleaning system to a centralised fogging unit. Explore the opportunities available.
  • Enhance your equipment. Chris gave the example of moving from traditional ATP tests (detects ATP) to an A3 System (detects ATP + AMP + ADP). Click here to learn more about why an increasing number of sites are making this switch.
  • Trial new equipment and chemicals. This is a great opportunity to find out what works and what doesn’t for your site. From an engagement point of view, it will also help to give your Hygiene Team a voice, as their feedback will play a key role in the decision making process. You can also use the data from your trials to ensure you are making smart investments.

The Food Safety Innovation Conference 2026

Whether you were at the FSI Conference 2025 and got to see Chris’ talk in person or the valuable takeaways from this article have inspired you to attend next year, there is now the opportunity to register your interest.

You will then receive information and alerts relating to the Conference, plus an Early Bird Discount Code when bookings open.

A dynamic mix of talks, workshops, and panel discussions – you won’t want to miss it!

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