QSR October 2022

SmartChain FoodSafety

Innovative Ideas In today’s environment, operators need food safety solutions that save on labor.

F or many restaurant operators, the pandemic has thrown existing gaps in food safety into sharp relief. “Fewer staff, stricter reporting guide lines, new food safety procedures—it was a lot to take on at once,” says Bart C. Shuldman, CEO of TransAct Technologies . “Operators turned to technology to do more with less, abandoning paper charts, instructions, and checklists for digitized task management, HACCP logging, and more.” Automation and other high-tech solutions and equipment have helped multi-unit operators get insights into each location’s performance and compliance. “There’s a lot of experimenting going on in the industry right now, as operators try to navigate around such a wide range of issues,” says T.J. McReynolds, customer

success manager at SafetyCulture . “I think the businesses having the greatest success are those that are curious about the role of new technology and are focusing their time on integrating cost-effective solu tions that can help ensure food safety and quality.” Given the ongoing labor shortage, this can free up staff to focus on tasks that benefit from a human touch, like customer “ We see technology transforming food safety just aswe see it impacting all aspects of our daily lives.”

interactions and other complex work. Automated procedures and monitoring can reduce the time needed to complete food safety checklists by 50 percent or more when compared to traditional pen cil-and-paper systems. “Manual record keeping is inherently cumbersome, so foodservice directors are thus pressured to create efficient time and labor savings to reduce operating costs and remain prof itable,” says Jeffrey Kautz, global account manager, cold chain for Emerson . If food safety tasks aren’t completed or properly recorded, restaurants may have a tougher time defending themselves in relation to lawsuits or regulatory issues. “The most common mistake we see with our customers before they automate their food safety HACCP plan is falsifying their daily temperature logs throughout the restaurant,” says Jason Mobley, president of ITD Food Safety . “This puts the restaurant not only at risk for failing health inspec tions but also legally and financially if the consumer were to get sick.” Introducing automated technology to food safety programs can build a new layer of accountability to better protect the brand. “Having recorded data eas ily available that can confirm proper food handling procedures can be helpful in cases where there are regulatory or legal situations,” Kautz says. Sensors and wireless temperature monitoring systems allow operators and employees to track temperatures in real time. For example, units placed on fridge grates or in heating and holding equip ment can send an alert to the manager or employees when a deviation from the standard occurs. This can potentially reduce or prevent the spread of foodborne illnesses, and save thousands of dollars of

Emerson

EMERSON / JOHN GIAMMATTEO

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OCTOBER 2022 | SPONSORED SECTION