How Grocers Can Ensure Food Safety in Their Operations
Thanks to the recent recall of Boar’s Head deli products, food safety is on the minds not only of consumers, but also of members of the food industry who have to deal with the consequences of recalls, as well as instances of foodborne illness both as they occur and as regulators try to prevent them from occurring. Additionally, new concerns are on the horizon as FDA moves toward implementing the Food Traceability Final Rule, currently scheduled to take effect in January 2026. The final rule will add extensive documentation of designated produce, seafood and dairy movement through the supply chain.
When it comes to retailers and food safety, the challenge today is less one of innovation in technology and processes, and more one of coping with specific and general conditions ranging from location to labor to training and education.
It’s Happening in Brooklyn
Food safety in stores is a full-time job, according to Phil Penta, managing partner of 3 Guys From Brooklyn, in the famed New York City borough. He ought to know: His operation, a fruit and vegetable market/grocery store, has racks of mostly perishable products on both sides of its corner location. Not only that, but the store is open 24 hours, seven days a week. Further, it’s located a short distance from a park harboring any number of creatures that no one would want in a store and, in 3 Guys’ case, an attached warehouse.
In response, Penta has educated himself on food safety, taking courses in Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) — the cornerstone of food safety — and he has workers who process fruits and vegetables in his store do likewise. It’s not just having the knowledge, though — it’s consistency in application and dedication to having a regular program of hygiene, in addition to ensuring product is properly handled and, if necessary, pulled if it presents a problem.
“We do a really good job of cleaning around the clock,” says Penta. “It’s constant vigilance and maintenance built into an everyday routine. … People need to feel the stuff is clean and they want to take it home and feed it to their families.”
Stringent Safeguards
At Draeger’s Market, which operates four gourmet groceries in the San Francisco Bay Area, co-owner Richard Draeger notes that the approach to food safety is comprehensive and consistent. Food production at the South San Francisco, Calif.-based operation goes beyond processing fruits and vegetables, thereby introducing additional food safety challenges.
“As a company, we’re a little bit unique in the sense that we operate our own commissary for deli and for bakery products, so the degree of safeguards we put in place in production are stringent and ensure we do not have a food safety issue,” he observes.
Draeger’s is careful in choosing vendors, with attention paid to reputation regarding product quality and safety. Often, food safety issues emerge from a supply chain that has become more elaborate over time, says Draeger, “so you have to have good traceability in place in your production environment, and that traceability is only possible through technology platforms, and those technology platforms are very complex to operate, in and of themselves.”
[RELATED: FMI Urges More Time, Flexibility to Comply With Food Traceability Rule]
Of course, outside vendors can be sources for traceability help, and traceability technology is something that Draeger’s has been exploring, but the use of commonly available technology can help ensure that food safety procedures in stores are followed correctly. The devices commonly carried can suffice to record and forward the accomplishment of procedural mandates, which can even include photography to ensure that something was done correctly.
Further, leadership is critical to ensuring that food safety is both a priority and a respected practice. Draeger’s relies on the professionalism of its food safety management and organization to maintain sanitary conditions.
Well-Trained Associates
At Carson, Calif.-based Good Food Holdings, Lynn Melillo, VP of asset management for the Bristol Farms, Lazy Acres Natural Market and New Leaf Community Markets banners, also points to operations as the place where best practices have to be maintained critically.
“The biggest challenge in food safety is ensuring all employees are properly trained in safe food-handling practices,” observes Melillo. “Even though we have multiple levels of training, safe practices are often overlooked due to labor challenges and leadership oversight. We address these challenges by requiring stores to complete a food safety self-audit each day to capture the training opportunities that exist. We also have a food safety manager who visits the stores regularly to identify areas of opportunity and conduct specific food safety training with the employees.”
To help ensure that employees are up to speed when it comes to food safety, the company recently launched a regular feature meant to boost awareness.
“We added a food safety topic each month that is sent to our stores for posting within the perishable departments,” continues Melillo. “We believe this helps with all stores focusing on a single food safety topic. It is shown on digital boards for access and reinforcement to build on our food safety culture. We work at ensuring we keep managers up to date with food manager certifications. We have recently signed an agreement with a company that offers online training. This takes about six hours of time. After completing training, an online test is offered, with our food safety manager proctoring the test at each store location.”
Third-party providers can give food safety operations a leg up by employing outside expertise, even if vendor employees also need to be monitored at least occasionally to ensure they’re properly fulfilling their roles.
According to Melillo, her banners “employ a third-party overnight maintenance crew to complete a detailed scope of work for complete cleaning and sanitizing of our locations, front and back of house,” she says. “The vendor is managed by the food safety manager. We believe this provides a clearer focus on achieving clean and safe stores. It also continues to raise the cleanliness standards and build on the food safety culture.”
Remember the Basics
For her part, Hilary Thesmar, chief science officer and SVP, food and product safety at Arlington, Va.-based FMI — The Food Industry Association, notes that the basics matter. Processes that keep food safe have already been developed and widely adopted, especially in the case of HACCP procedures.
To evaluate the ongoing progression of food safety in the marketplace, it’s critical to have solid professionals in place and the right support, she adds. Companies should incorporate food safety professionals into more of their functions, such as reviewing new product and equipment purchases to identify potential problems like new ingredients that might cause allergic reactions in some consumers.
Further, it’s crucial that food safety professionals’ expertise be applied when executive decisions are made. Food safety must be integrated throughout the business culture so that everyone has a sense of responsibility, including line workers who may be the first employees to see that something might be wrong.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Register for the "Food Safety: A Team Approach to Unmasking Hidden Threats" webinar as experts expose the hidden dangers lurking in supermarkets that could be threatening grocers' food safety programs.]
