PHILADELPHIA - According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one of every 20 hospital patients will contract a Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI). To help its hospital partners combat HAI's, ARAMARK Healthcare today announced it has collaborated with Ecolab to introduce OxyCide™ Daily Disinfectant Cleaner, the first EPA registered non-bleach cleaning agent in a concentrate that is gentle on surfaces, but effective on germs such as Clostridium Difficile.

"We work very hard to offer our hospital partners innovative solutions to support their infection prevention strategies," said Mike Leone, President of ARAMARK Healthcare.  "Leveraging our scale in collaboration with our suppliers to develop cleaning solutions such as OxyCide, is one of the ways we are able to add value to hospitals through our environmental service programs."

OxyCide is an EPA-registered disinfectant, virucide, sporicide, deodorizer and one-step cleaner. ARAMARK Healthcare worked with Ecolab to test and develop the product for daily hospital use. OxyCide kills Clostridium Difficile in three minutes and other organisms in five minutes or less; yet has superior material compatibility compared to bleach-based cleaners on hospital surfaces such as diagnostic equipment, stainless steel and fabrics.

ARAMARK Healthcare is using OxyCide as its recommended daily disinfectant, pairing it with its processes and hospital cleaning technologies to enhance its environmental service programs and deliver better patient outcomes.

About Ecolab

A trusted partner at more than one million customer locations, Ecolab (ECL) is the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services that protect people and vital resources. With 2012 sales of $12 billion and 44,000 associates, Ecolab delivers comprehensive solutions and on-site service to promote safe food, maintain clean environments, optimize water and energy use and improve operational efficiencies for customers in the food, healthcare, energy, hospitality and industrial markets in more than 170 countries around the world. For more news and information, visit www.ecolab.com. Follow us on Twitter @ecolab or Facebook at facebook.com/ecolab.

About ARAMARK

Healthcare ARAMARK Healthcare is a leader in providing best-in-class clinical support services that are essential to healthcare delivery. Understanding that clinical excellence and the environment are interdependent, ARAMARK Healthcare directly impacts the entire healthcare continuum – patient, employee, nurse and physician satisfaction, operational efficiency and service excellence.  Through its facilities, food and clinical technology services, ARAMARK Healthcare helps more than 1,000 hospitals and senior living facilities deliver the optimal experience for patients and residents, their families, and the physicians, nurses and staff who care for them. For more information, visit www.aramarkhealthcare.com.