Is Your Sushi—or Salads, Sandwiches and Savory Meatloaf—Safe?

From soup to sushi to nuggets, safety is pivotal for food products sold for immediate or take-home consumption at grocery stores.

The price of a foodborne illness or allergen-related incident can be high. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates the cost of foodborne illnesses at $15.6 billion a year, with 3,000 annual deaths.

“You have to practice food safety every day. Failure to do that results in your foodservice establishment getting negative publicity or having a (safety-related) issue,” says consultant Jeff Nelken of Woodland Hills, Calif., who provides safety training and advice to foodservice operators and distributors.

Nelken emphasizes key food safety points, including the handling of raw product coming into the kitchen, proper personal sanitation, temperature maintenance, the prevention of cross-contamination and awareness of allergens, among others.

Not just anyone in a grocery store can work in the store’s foodservice program, he adds.  “You need to train people—you can’t just throw them in a kitchen environment."

Some items pose certain risks when it comes to food safety. Sushi is one example. Josh Onishi, CEO and president of sushi purveyor Peace Dining Corporation, underscores the importance of food safety among retailers who offer sushi. “The key to successful food safety is to institutionalize policy and to build it into corporate culture and operations. Ultimately, food safety must become habit-like and practiced by everyone,” he declares.

Among Onishi’s suggestions for sushi (and other similar perishables) include:

Hiring trained professionals for certain products may be another idea worth consideration. Onishi reports that Peace Dining Corporation has a trained professional sushi master at every location.