 As the foodservice industry becomes increasingly connected, the risks of foodborne illness multiply quickly. Food and beverage recalls and alerts have climbed in recent years. Further, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one in six Americans (roughly 48 million people) fall ill from foodborne diseases annually — often from restaurants or foodservice venues.
When a food safety incident strikes, swift, transparent action can determine whether guests return or walk away. Fortunately, consumer forgiveness is high. According to research shared during a recent webinar from Datassential about midyear industry trends, 77 percent of consumers say they will return to brands affected by recalls once the issue is resolved. Of course, that’s if businesses take appropriate actions in the aftermath of a food safety problem. Businesses have to halt the risk by removing affected products, notifying authorities and communicating with staff. Root-cause investigations, supplier checks and updated protocols are critical. Many operators are already acting preventively: Datassential said 49 percent of have conducted staff trainings in the past year, and 44 percent are prepared for the upcoming FSMA 204 traceability rules. Prevention matters, especially for younger consumers. Over half of Gen Z and millennials say they’d pay more for products with safety certifications or traceability guarantees. Technology is a key ally here — and operators are investing in more protections. Datassential found that 69 percent of operators believe investing in food safety tech like smart monitoring, digital logs, or AI-driven systems is worth the cost.  In your restaurant, to what extent do your staff simply expect to find intermittent food safety issues with the ingredients you bring into your business? A recent Food Safety Magazine article describes how in food processing facilities, there seems to be a focus on controlling as opposed to preventing certain food safety hazards. In other words, comments like “We expect to find Listeria in our plant” have become common. But this response is more about fighting fires than preventing them from happening – and this creates risks that trickle down to foodservice operations. When a food safety issue is tolerated and corrected on the spot without further action, tolerance becomes encouraged. From there, the problem is likely to become more common – for both the food processor and the restaurants downstream that serve its products. So within your foodservice business, how do you stop this downward drift in food safety standards? When someone on your team finds a problem, are they clear about what to do next? Do you have procedures in place to make sure the supplier is notified and can explain what sustainable steps they will take to prevent the issue from recurring? Finding weak points in your food safety procedures (internally and up the supply chain) and then taking prompt action can help ensure you’re not in permanent firefighting mode when it comes to your food safety.
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