Dec 9, 2019

By: Adam Friedlander, MS, Food Safety and Technical Services, FMI

Food Safety Cleaning Grocery shoppers deserve a safe shopping experience. In fact, the FMI U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2019 reports 74% of customers expect a store to be clean and neat, an 11% increase from the 2018 report. Plus, 93% of shoppers trust their grocery store to ensure that the food they purchase is safe. FMI members build trust within their communities by raising food safety standards in each of their stores and sharing valuable food safety knowledge with their customers. 

Throughout the year, the Food Protection Committee (FPC), a group of food safety leaders from FMI member companies, worked hard to publish free food safety resources that support all FMI members in advancing food safety programs.

The Cleaning and Sanitation Guide for Food Retail introduces the top five fundamental categories for developing a successful cleaning and sanitation program:

  1. Use Proper Equipment, Cleaning Chemicals and Tools 
  2. Plan Facility Design and Workflow 
  3. Develop a Master Sanitation Approach 
  4. Establish Effective Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) 
  5. Train All Personnel on Cleaning and Sanitation

The updated Listeria Action Plan for Retailers assists retailers in developing food safety plans to help control the growth of Listeria throughout all operational activities by addressing:  

  1. Product Handling to Limit Listeria Growth
  2. Sanitary Design of Equipment
  3. Controlling Product and People Flow to Reduce the Risk of Cross Contamination
  4. Training and Execution of Proper Cleaning and Sanitation as well as Employee Practices
  5. Cleaning and Sanitizing
  6. Environmental Monitoring Plans
  7. Incoming Ingredient Management

Both guides aim to equip retailers with comprehensive tools that improve the shopping experience, enhance operational efficiency and reduce the likelihood of product contamination. 

Overall, cleaning and sanitation programs play a vital role in the prevention of contamination and is a foundation for establishing an effective food safety management system. Developing and implementing a well-documented and executable cleaning and sanitation program is the first step to achieving a food safe retail environment and building a strong food safety culture. FMI is proud to support the entire food industry in maintaining and improving food safety from farm-to-fork. 

Download the Cleaning and Sanitation Guide for Food Retail

Download the Listeria Action for Retailers