The need to provide safe, healthy food as well as protect staff and customers in a supermarket is one that can’t be overemphasized. As an essential act of business sanitation in Central Texas, this should be considered as a top priority in every grocery store where people frequently come to shop from time to time.
It’s important to understand that such places can be havens for various kinds of bacteria that can lead to several health problems. In order to prevent the spread of germs and foodborne illnesses, there are certain precautions that should always be taken into consideration.
At the forefront of consumer protection is the retail food industry. Most of the food products shoppers buy involve several types of food ingredients, materials, processes, and technology required for their production. In a bid to protect the consumer, there is need to source and handle these products safely.
It’s important to understand that there are several risks associated with the journey of every item from the producer or farm to the consumer. Along the food supply chains, there are quite a number of factors that can endanger consumers’ health; the hygienic handling of products in the store is one of them.
There are myriad ways by which food is presented to the buyer in the stores. Apart from the bakery, boxed, bagged, canned, and bottled products, fresh food counters, and fridge displays feature frozen food, cooked products, multiple types of dairy products, seafood, raw meats and other prepared foods while fruit and vegetables come packaged, peeled, chopped, bagged, and even loose. These present a multitude of opportunities through which the safety of the consumer can be compromised.
Here are some business effective business hygiene tips for supermarkets in central Texas.
Provide Satisfactory Facilities
For the health of everyone in the store, it’s expedient to provide facilities that are satisfactory. This is good business. Both employees and consumers will need to use the restroom at some point during their shifts and shopping trips, and it’s hygienically important for all staff members to properly wash their hands before getting back to work—especially those who handle food preparation in areas such as fish counters, butcher, bakery, and deli.
It’s also important to note that most communicable diseases (about 80 percent of them) are spread by touch. As customers pick through products like vegetables and fruits, it’s inevitable that some unwanted germs will be left behind. In a bid to help everyone obtain cleaner, safer hands, it is recommended that no-touch appliances, such as paper towel dispensers, air hand dryers, automatic hand dryers, faucets, soap dispensers and flush systems be installed in restrooms.
Provide Hand Sanitizers and Surface Sanitizing Wipes
Customers are very likely to come in contact with some commonly contaminated hot-spots in a supermarket. These might include reusable bags, cashier PIN pads, check out belts, raw meat, cart child seats, basket handles and shopping cart handles. The hand basket or shopping cart is one of the first things most patrons would likely reach for upon arriving at a supermarket.
For these reasons, it’s essential to provide customers with hand sanitizers and sanitizing wipes that they can use to get their hands cleaned, sanitize child seats and wipe down the handles.
As a supermarket owner, you’re probably already familiar with many of these concerns. But we all need a little reminder once in a while and, with a little extra attention to detail, you can play a big part in ensuring that your food’s trip from farm to consumer is a safe one. If you’re looking for a provider of sanitation supplies in Central Texas, look into what we offer at Business Hygiene. We can provide all of the supplies a supermarket needs to stay sanitary and keep consumers coming back!
