It might be surprising to find out that corporate food safety standards often far surpass what is required by the government (see more about the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act below). With an increasing public awareness of foodborne illnesses and product recalls, supermarkets and restaurants are being driven to beef up their food safety requirements for suppliers. Food manufacturers eager to keep customers happy and expand into new markets are constantly working to comply with the demands of their buyers in a cost-effective way.
Check out the links below to peek at what it takes to sell to retailers like Costco, Walmart, Trader Joe’s and McDonald’s. Peterson Farms and Happy Apples are two companies who have used ParityFactory to help them build and maintain successful supplier relationships with McDonald’s and Walmart.
Making the operational changes necessary to follow these guidelines, and prove compliance, can be challenging. ParityFactory users can utilize their Tracing Suite reports as a sales tool to demonstrate the quality of their materials control to prospective buyers, and to remain in the good graces of their food safety conscious customers. Give us a call to see the Tracing Suite in action and find out how it could help you keep up with the growing demands of food safety.
Walmart
“We strive relentlessly to provide safe, affordable, quality foods in our retail operations. As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we go further than many U.S. and Puerto Rico retailers in requiring that harmonized, leading-edge food safety standards be adopted throughout the entire food production chain.”
Costco
“The purpose of a food safety audit is to gather current information about the food safety status of existing and potential entities/suppliers. This information is shared with the Costco Food Safety Group and the Costco Produce Buying Staff. The Costco Food Safety Group will use this audit to determine what areas, if any, are in need of improvement to meet the Costco Produce Food Safety criteria. The Costco Produce Buying Staff will use the information as an aid to assist them in making purchases.”
McDonald’s
“McDonald’s commitment to sourcing the highest quality food products for our restaurants starts with suppliers – one of the critical legs of the three-legged stool. That means suppliers’ commitment to food safety and quality must remain strong to ensure McDonald’s restaurants can consistently deliver safe, high-quality, great tasting products to more than 70 million customers every day.”
Trader Joe’s
“We buy only products that are produced in FDA or USDA licensed and approved commercial manufacturing facilities that possess a variety of food safety certifications, including GMP and HACCP.”
“The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is transforming the nation’s food safety system by shifting the focus from responding to foodborne illness to preventing it. Congress enacted FSMA in response to dramatic changes in the global food system and in our understanding of foodborne illness and its consequences, including the realization that preventable foodborne illness is both a significant public health problem and a threat to the economic well-being of the food system.”
FDA Food Safety Modernization Act Overview