Food Safety in Times of Crisis

It goes without saying, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

This phrase can't be any more true when it comes to food retailers. This segment of the market is a great example of strength and dedication. Food retailers are putting themselves in the front lines against a powerful enemy while continuing to keep families and individuals fed in such dire times.

I believe this was possible because of all the hard work and dedication these businesses have already put in place to address food safety. The majority of front line retailers have food safety and sanitation policies that are documented and practiced. This allowed them to quickly expand their processes and advance their hygiene and sanitation requirements.
 
Although these retailers have done an exceptional job of rolling out these procedures, it is most important now that these sanitation and hygiene practices become the "new normal" going forward. One way to make sure this does not become just a crisis reaction, but also a new way of conducting business, is to set up schedules for these new processes and track them daily to make sure they’re completed timely and accurately.

The ability to set schedules and assign them to the appropriate employees is instrumental in keeping both the facility and food safe for the consumer. A digital food safety and task management solution can provide the necessary infrastructure across multiple facilities to perform vital activities while ensuring consistency and accountability.

Digitizing a food safety program eliminates manual, paper-based recording methods that can be costly, difficult to access and riddled with inaccuracies. Cloud-based storage and automated data collection provides a consistent audit trail of all activities, and intelligent reporting can identify problems and resolve situations before they become major issues.
 
Food retailers have truly stepped up in these difficult times with unprecedented speed and courage, and their teams continue to do a tremendous job keeping food safe for all. Automating these new and often more extensive processes and safety practices will allow them to sustain and even build upon this transformation long into the future.