Food safety is all over the news, from the listeria outbreak that shut down a Boar’s Head manufacturing plant to salmonella in cucumbers and E. coli in onions at McDonald’s. No business seems safe, especially supermarkets and grocery stores.
Despite the many news stories, the number of food outbreaks wasn’t actually higher in 2024. However, customers’ awareness and concern about supermarket food safety remain high, making it more important than ever for store owners and staff to be prepared.
In this article, we’ll go over the key things you need to know about supermarket food safety, like:
- What causes supermarket food safety issues
- The costs of neglecting food safety
- 7 supermarket food safety best practices
What Are the Main Causes of Supermarket Food Safety Problems?
Supermarket food safety issues usually come in two varieties.
The first is a sanitation or hygiene issue within the store itself. For example, you might store a large amount of meat or produce improperly and then sell it to unwitting consumers. Or, there might be cross-contamination within the deli, and the entire store has to shut down.
The second category is also the most notorious: foodborne outbreaks. The FDA defines an outbreak as when two or more people get the same illness from the same food. Because foodborne illnesses can take a while to test, many become widespread before they are proven.
The vast majority of food safety issues arise at the manufacturing or processing stage of the supermarket supply chain, but stores and restaurants are often the center of attention when they happen. Stores need to respond quickly when food safety issues arise.
Even outbreaks that are nationwide news stories may only affect a small region or specific stores. However, once news breaks, many customers become overly cautious, leading to decreased sales and certain (perfectly good) products going to waste.
The more you stay educated about food safety best practices, the more confidently you can handle and prevent them.
Remember, even if an issue like a recall isn’t your fault, it is your responsibility to handle it.
The Cost of Neglecting Supermarket Food Safety
Although experts disagree on the exact economic impact of supermarket food safety issues, almost everyone agrees that it is not good.
Here are some of the most significant costs that come from neglecting supermarket food safety.
- Loss of trust: A poorly handled food recall or a food safety issue can irrevocably damage a store's reputation, causing people to shop elsewhere.
- Immediate financial loss: Foodborne outbreaks are extremely costly for supermarkets, with costs mounting up in the form of lost sales, added labor, and more. A grocerant or fast-casual restaurant can spend between $4000 and $2 million on a single food safety issue.
- Long-term financial loss: Even after a recall is ordered and products are safe, consumer spending for certain items may plummet due to an abundance of caution or lost confidence in a store or brand.
- Compliance issues and fines: If a supermarket knowingly sells food that is linked to a food outbreak or sells unsafe food it prepares, it will violate food safety laws and be subject to fines, legal action, or even store closure.
The bottom line: Correcting a food safety problem is much more costly than preventing one. The more proactive you are about preventing foodborne illnesses and educating customers, the better.
Supermarket Food Safety: 7 Best Practices
Here are seven best practices you can follow at your supermarket to prevent and address food safety problems.
1. Sanitize Surfaces and Fridges Regularly
Many common supermarket food safety issues boil down to one simple thing: hygiene. When surfaces and appliances aren’t cleaned regularly, the possibility of harmful bacteria growing exponentially increases. This is especially true in areas where food is in the open, like the butcher or deli, or for ready-to-eat items.
To stay on top of this, create a cleaning schedule and follow it religiously. Clean reach-in fridges at least once a week, removing all food items. Butcher and deli cases should be cleaned daily.
Related Read: 4 Strategies for Grocery Store Employee Management
You should also schedule a deep clean at least once a quarter, including clearing drain lines, vacuuming condenser coils, and cleaning ice makers.
Last, clean checkout scales, conveyors, self-checkout stations, and other areas that regularly have food on them.
Regular cleaning has benefits outside of improving food safety, including:
- Helps spot mechanical issues: Cleaning and emptying your fridges may also help you notice other maintenance issues more easily.
- Improves smell: Fridges that aren’t cleaned regularly can begin to smell, which is bad news for customers and staff alike.
- Reduces energy costs: When appliances are clean and maintained, it improves their efficiency.
Having a consistent cleaning schedule will go a long way to preventing cross-contamination and other food safety hazards.
2. Overcommunicate With Customers
As we mentioned before, many foodborne illnesses will not be your fault. You won’t know that a certain brand of eggs or a particular spinach crop is bad until the FDA announces it.
The sad reality, however, is that many customers will still place a certain amount of blame on the store where they bought the affected item. One way to get out in front of this situation is to overcommunicate with customers.
Use your newsletter or social media to announce outbreaks and give customers clear instructions on how to handle bad merchandise. Proactive communication will help build trust in your store and provide helpful information.
Consider offering discounts or compensation for spoiled products out of your control. While this won’t recoup the costs of the original item, it will build goodwill with customers.
If there’s a big news story that certain products are unsafe, people may be overly cautious and avoid them altogether, even when the products in your store aren’t affected. This is why it can also be a good idea to proactively assure people your products are safe, educating them about your suppliers and which products they should avoid.
3. Have a Recall or Outbreak Plan
A product recall or outbreak is always messy, but it’s even worse when stores lack a solid plan or a clear view of what products they sell.
Make a food recall or outbreak plan that includes:
- Who should handle each task (e.g., tracing supply and sales, contacting suppliers, taking items off the shelves, etc.)
- A communication plan including email, SMS, and signage
- A clear return policy for affected items
This will ensure you and your staff can respond efficiently when issues arise.
A comprehensive inventory management system is also essential for effectively responding to supermarket food safety issues. This will allow you to quickly search for affected products, identify suppliers, and more.
If you aren’t 100% sure if your stock is part of a food outbreak, your only choice will be to throw it away.
4. Cook and Store Food at the Correct Temperatures
Perishable food items are like ticking time bombs. The minute they arrive at your store, they have a limited shelf life. When food isn’t stored at the right temperature, it increases food waste and creates potential food safety hazards.
All refrigerators containing perishable foods should maintain a temperature of 40 degrees or below. Most commercial refrigerators should have a built-in thermometer to measure the temperature at any given time.
Pro Tip: Don’t overload your fridges, as this can block components that prevent the fridge from getting to the right temperature.
Finally, keep in mind that different foods have different safe storage times and temperatures. Track expiration dates on your inventory management system to ensure that items aren’t sitting on shelves or in freezers past their sell-by dates.
If your power goes out, don’t panic. The FDA advises that perishable food in refrigerators is safe if power isn’t out for more than four hours and the doors remain closed.
If you run a grocerant or other quick-service restaurant attached to your supermarket, you should also ensure food is cooked to the correct temperatures. If you have cooked meals made in advance, they shouldn’t be stored at room temperature but warmed to 140 degrees or more.
5. Don’t Cross Contaminate Meats and Produce
Another common source of foodborne illnesses is cross-contamination. This is caused when harmful bacteria from one type of food spread to another. This can happen in a few ways.
- Food-to-food: If you store produce in a refrigerator near raw meat, the produce could touch the meat and become cross-contaminated.
- Person-to-food: If food isn’t handled correctly, it can cause harmful bacteria to grow. For example, if employees don’t wash their hands before stocking produce.
- Equipment-to-food: Failure to clean your display fridges, meat slicers, or other equipment can cause cross-contamination.
To mitigate these problems:
- Store raw meat and other items separately.
- Ensure packaging is airtight and does not leak.
- Separate different types of meat in each refrigerator case.
- Make sure employees stocking shelves (especially for produce, meat, and ready-to-eat items) wash their hands regularly, use gloves, and follow other food safety best practices.
Being overly cautious about cross-contamination might add some time to certain processes, but trust us, it’s well worth it.
6. Use the First In, First Out (FIFO) Method
The FIFO method ensures that the items you acquire first are also the first ones you put out to sell.
For example, say you regularly buy meat from a farmer who delivers to you on Monday and Wednesday. Using the FIFO method, you’ll sell all of the meat you received on Monday before putting out the meat from Wednesday.
The FIFO method is best practice for managing perishable inventory such as produce or meat. It minimizes the risk of items spoiling and allows you to store new items safely until they’re ready for sale.
The FIFO method is best used in conjunction with an inventory management system, so you can simultaneously track the arrival and expiration dates of different products.
7. Use Trustworthy Suppliers
Last but not least, ensure you work with trustworthy suppliers. Only work with food suppliers that prioritize food safety. Providers should have a HACCP system, ISO 22000, or SQF certifications.
Not every small, local farmer or food supplier can afford specific food safety certifications. However, asking them about their food safety practices and food recall plans can't hurt. A competent food supplier should have no problem answering basic questions.
If they can’t, you might want to rethink your partnership. If a food outbreak does occur, see how each supplier handles it or if it tends to occur more frequently with products from one supplier than another.
Increase Visibility and Prevent Supermarket Food Safety Issues With IT Retail
Implementing the above best practices and taking a more proactive approach to supermarket food safety can help maintain customer trust, speed up reaction time, and stop problems before they happen.
One of the most impactful (and easiest) things you can do to keep on top of food safety at your supermarket is to implement the right technology.
IT Retail was specifically designed by grocers for small grocery stores and supermarkets. It offers inventory management, employee management, pre-built reports, and other useful tools to help you stay safe and prevent waste.
Schedule a demo today to speak with our supermarket experts.
