Food safety is non-negotiable, we all agree on that fact.  But what benefits can you get from implementing an automated logging solution to assist with your food safety program?

Grocers have long known that prepared foods in the deli case are a boon for profits, margins and loyal customers. This trend continues as retailers try to position their brand against the race-to-the-bottom commodity providers. Amazon might be able to ship a can of peas cheaper than what you’ll find in isle 13, but you can’t get that homemade freshness unless you travel to the deli and feast your eyes on some of that Tortellini Pasta Salad or Classic Rotisserie Chicken. After all, who gets emotional about a can of peas?

The margins in grocery have been driven down in many parts of your business, but alas; you still can make some money in your deli if you do it right. Right? It’s no secret, to do your deli right, you need great food, attractive displays, engaging associates and oh yes, high food safety standards. Products and people tell stories.

So, can you really improve food quality by implementing a food safety program with automated logging?  YES!  Here are two examples:

Cooking – Once cooking is complete you temp items to ensure they are safe to eat, but what if they are overcooked?  Centralized reporting allowed one of our customers to realize that their stores were over cooking rotisserie chickens (to over 200 degrees!).  This was not a onetime occurrence, it was the outcome of the oven settings and the cooking times defined in their procedures.

Holding Cases – Hot and cold cases are also critical to food quality.  If your cases malfunction you can continue cooking, which dries out food, or, in the cold cases, even freeze food.  Accurate holding temperatures can make or break your operations.  Again, this is where automated logging solutions can help.  Reports can show you where your holding temperatures are off allowing you to investigate before a customer complains.

Ensuring food safety means maintaining temperature logs, so why not improve the quality and taste of your food at the same time? Having great food is one of the prerequisites of doing your deli right. Retailers are finding that the new technology in the food safety arena has the unintended benefit of improving the taste and quality of the food you sell.  Having your chicken cooked and held at a very high temperature will keep your food inspector happy, but it might not do much for the palates of that family of four when they sit down to the dinner table.

This new technology will help you maintain safe and quality deli items, AND, there is something to be said for having a sleek and clean handheld device rather than a clipboard or 3-ring binder that looks like it was used as a coaster at the morning coffee break.

If you are ready to bring your Food Safety program to the next level and get the benefits of centralized reporting let us know.