Food Safety and Health and Wellness Meet in the Store

By: Hilary Thesmar, PhD, RD, FMI Vice President, Food Safety Programs, Food Marketing Institute

Foodborne illness is a tremendous burden to public health.  The CDC reports that an estimated 1 in 6 Americans get sick from foodborne illness each year, costing the economy more than 15.6 billion dollars, of which a large proportion is attributed to health care costs. 

Customers have a relatively high confidence in the food supply found at grocery stores.  Ninety-one percent of consumers report that they trust their grocery to ensure safe food products (FMI Trends, 2014).

Food Retailers are increasingly seen as a healthful resource when it comes to mealtime solutions with 43 percent of shoppers view their grocery store as an ally in supporting health and wellness goals (FMI Trends, 2014). 

One way retailers are supporting shoppers with their health and wellness goals is through the use of in-store cooking demonstrations by chefs.  More than half of food retailers employ chefs at the corporate level and 76 percent employed a chef at all or some stores, according to FMI’s Food Retailer Contributions to Health and Wellness.  In store demonstrations create an opportunity to influence customers in preparing more family meals at home, but also to influence customers’ food safety behaviors.  These behaviors are not limited to practicing proper food handling techniques to prevent cross contamination; ensuring the desired temperatures of food are met by correct thermometer use; practicing good personal hygiene through appropriate handwashing; and effectively cleaning and sanitizing food contact surfaces.

Many of the same challenges of safe food preparation in the store also pose challenges to home food preparation.  Foods prepared in the home have been associated with large numbers of foodborne illness.  Retailers are committed to food safety and have taken many different steps to educate consumers on food safety.  Here are three tools retailers are using to communicate both food safety and health and wellness together. 

1. Healthy Recipes with food safety information
   • Hand washing reminders
   • Cooking temperatures and food thermometer instructions
   • Cooling instructions 
2. Resources from the Partnership for Food Safety Education

    

3. The Food Keeper contains food safety and storage advice to help you maintain freshness and quality of foods.