Kroger Receives Food Safety Award
By: Amy Jeanroy
Published: May 15, 2012

Kroger Co.  has been awarded the prestigious Black Pearl Award for food safety and quality by The International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) . This honor is not taken lightly by Kroger Co. The company makes food safety and handling a priority. Here are just some of the things that Kroger does, to protect the consumer: 
 Food Safety Review Audits. Kroger conducts a bi-monthly food safety review audit of each store. These audits are conducted by third-party firms and augment inspections conducted by local health departments and Company associates. In 2010, Kroger conducted 14,753 food safety reviews and followed up on results to resolve any issues that were identified.
Customer Education. Kroger works to equip our customers with information to ensure safe food handling. We provide education around proper grilling and cooking temperatures, safe food handling tips, and general information about food safety at home.
Recall Notification System. Kroger was one of the first retailers to implement a customer notification system for certain types of recalls. Using our customer loyalty database, we are able to notify customers through register receipt messages and automated phone calls about recalls of products they may have purchased. Kroger was also one of the first retailers to endorse the Rapid Recall Exchange, the food industry's only online recall notification system - and was the first national retail chain to encourage its suppliers to subscribe to this industry-leading program.
GFSI Audits. Kroger manufactures almost half of the company's corporate brand items in its 39 food-processing plants and stocks about 11,000 of corporate brand items per supermarket. In 2010, every Kroger manufacturing plant received full Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) certifications. These standards are best-in-class and require constant improvement in food safety as measured by certified third-party auditing companies. All of Kroger's private-label suppliers are required to have GFSI certification as well.