3 key benefits of digital food safety

By: Eric Moore, Director of Food Safety and Industry Outreach at Testo North America

Sponsored by Testo North America

Monitoring and controlling food safety hazards can be onerous particularly in fast-paced customer service-oriented environments like food retail, and the successful management of these hazards while providing exceptional customer service requires robust controls. Operations-focused technology systems comprised of advanced stationary and handheld devices, commonly referred to as Digital Food Safety Management (DFSM) systems can supplement or replace outdated paper-based food safety program activities and improve day to day operations. A good DFSM system integrates seamlessly into your organization’s processes providing actionable insights based on the system’s continuous monitoring of key operational data points. The DFSM system operates behind the scenes by continuously monitoring and analyzing the actual execution of key processes (for example, cooking, cooling, storage) that you define and program into the system. Let us look at a couple of real-world examples of benefits organizations are seeing as a result of introducing a DFSM system.

A good starting point is the increase of operation visibility a DFSM system can provide. In retail it is the front-line employees that are trusted to carry out the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) established in the company’s food safety management program. The day-to-day execution of these SOP’s is a key ingredient in an organization’s recipe for success. Paper-based programs can capture key pieces of information but lack an efficient and sustainable way to put that information to use to support the business. With a DFSM system, managers gain access to real-time operational execution metrics of SOPs at the department, shift, location, region, or organizational level providing valuable insights on best practices as well as actionable insights to support continuous improvement.

Consistent messaging and communication are also areas of great benefit provided by a DFSM system. If 2020 has taught us anything it is the need to quickly respond, communicate and implement changes at the operations level. This has always been a time consuming and costly challenge for paper-based documentation programs. Retail operations professionals have tried to address this by following scheduled update plans ranging from anywhere from quarterly to annually. DFSM systems provide an ideal environment to support situations when time is a critical factor through use of user-friendly programmable workflow processes. At the push of a button, previous policies and procedures are replaced with the new or updated requirements with supporting training and educational materials. This flexibility provides minimal disruption at the operations level which enables your stores to focus on supporting customers and running a good business.

Leveraging automated wireless temperature monitoring is benefiting organizations by providing a smarter and more economical way to document cold or hot holding units. One immediate benefit is the elimination of employees devoting time to labor intensive record keeping requirements every two to four hours. These systems operate on a 24/7 basis only requiring human interaction if the system identifies a situation that is outside of acceptable parameters. Wireless sensors also allow for maximum placement flexibility and they cost less to install and maintain than traditional hard-wired temperature monitoring systems. The software automatically analyzes the data against your specifications, eliminating the need for employees or managers to devote large amounts of time and attention away from your customers.

In today’s fast paced retail grocery industry, addressing consumer awareness around food safety and health and hygiene practices has become an absolute business necessity. The testo Saveris digital food safety management system combines advanced software with cutting-edge mobile devices, smart sensors and automated temperature monitoring that enable unparalleled visibility into your day-to-day operations. Updating policies and procedures was once time-consuming and complicated. Now it becomes a simple and streamlined process that ensures consistent messaging is delivered and more importantly measurable. Around the clock stationary temperature monitoring adds an additional level of quality assurance as well as enabling employees to spend more time supporting your customers and less time on paperwork.