Food safety is the number one priority for both the cold chain industry and retail food industry. Food retailers are responsible for selling products that are safe for consumers. To avoid a catastrophic event that leads to costly food spoilage, food safety measures must be put in place to ensure the continued success and reputation of grocers and suppliers.

Food Safety Challenges

Prepared Meals
Fresh prepared meals continue to generate billions of dollars in sales for supermarkets. Although grocery stores have offered delis and salad bars in the past, they are now offering more elaborate meals that require intricate cooking and serving practices. As grocery stores jump into prepared foods, foodborne illnesses can begin to rise. To solve this problem, grocers should motivate employees to adhere to food safety standards. Food retailers should also review the temperature data of the food product upon arrival.

Contamination

Food retailers are at the end of the cold chain, which means the product has gone through several steps before reaching store shelves. Temperature sensitive food can become contaminated anywhere from farm-to-fork. The best way to protect your products is to require your suppliers to use a cold chain monitoring system that’s simple, effective, and transparent.

Communication between Retailers & Suppliers

The cold chain for perishable foods can be complex. Communication between retailers and suppliers should occur regularly to address responsibilities, expectation, and roles. When food is being shipped from one site to another, temperature data must be captured and reviewed to ensure that the perishable cargo isn’t compromised. Real-time temperature monitoring archives all temperature and location data while your perishable shipment is in transit and provides complete documentation to prove that the shipment is FSMA and HACCP compliant. Ensuring that food is kept at the right temperature throughout the entire cold chain management process will help reduce costly spoilage.

Learn More About Real Time Temperature Monitoring

Retailers and cold chain partners have every reason to maintain the cold chain. It can reduce shrink associated with spoilage, contribute to increased food safety, and provide the best shopping experience for customers. To learn more about how our Lightning Real-time temperature monitoring can help your suppliers, give us a call at (800) 338-8134 or visit cargodatacorp.com.