Food Safety and Suppliers

I found this an interesting read from a food magazine - QSR and oh so true. If you don't use approved suppliers or suppliers that have their own food safety measures in place, then as a food business you're basically playing Russian roulette with your ingredients and supplies. And that's even before you start cooking!

Make sure your supplier is approved

'How Using the Right Vendors Can Reduce Food Safety Risks

Restaurant operators saw two cases of romaine lettuce outbreaks in 2018. The first, in April, impacted thousands of brands and locations, while the second, in November, had a similar but lesser impact. Now that it seems the dust has settled; questions still remain in the minds of operators.

Food safety concerns are at an all-time high and outbreaks such as the above highlight the importance of how using the right vendors and distributors can help restaurant executives and operators protect themselves, and their brands, from food recalls and outbreaks.

Many years ago, the company Fresh Concepts put a food safety plan in place that tracked where produce items came from, especially for high-risk items. Since then, they have become even more strict in terms of their processes and procedures, including third-party audit information review, outbreak/recall systems, standard operating procedures, food safety manuals, and supplier and distributor approval programs. These processes and procedures should be part of any vendor and distributor food safety plan, regardless of who operators choose to work with.' QSR Magazine