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A perfect, total fit: uniform companies move beyond clothing workers to keeping them and the products safe.

Article Excerpt
The industry is never stagnant. As times and needs change, so does the meat industry. Of course, this means that the companies serving the industry must change and adapt themselves.

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Uniform companies are among those that have changed and adapted with the times. Once simply producing clothing for use in the plant, they have expanded their role to include aiding producers in food and worker safety.

At first glance to the casual observer, the connection between uniforms and food safety can be lost, but uniform companies see it differently.

"It actually is a natural extension of our core business," says Jan Eudy, corporate quality assurance manager for Cintas Corporation. "We provide safety solutions to thousands of customers everyday, and this was simply a matter of organizing those solutions around the issues facing food safety--specifically contamination control."

Jim Holton, senior national account executive for Aramark, had a similar answer.

"We've done extensive research and have learned that food-processing plants consider uniforms a major part of their food-safety program," he says. "This shows that some plants have more comprehensive programs than others and there is room for considerable growth in the industry."

For years, uniform companies provided processors with uniforms and facilities service products to support their employee garment and hygiene programs, adds Scott Wallace, senior vice president of marketing for G & K Services.

"In that respect, we've always been involved with food safety," Wallace explains.

Adam Siegel, manager of food industry programs for UniFirst Corp.,...

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