Biosecurity Management In-stores during the pandemic

What is biosecurity management?

In the last article, when we talk about organizational transformation, I only touched on automation or digitization, but protecting employees and customers has become a priority for supermarkets. Managements committed to safety seek total quality, that is, “0” Covid-19 cases among employees or customers.

Not only to avoid the risk of negative publicity, which damages the reputation of the brand and the loss of customers, but also because of the risk of closing the doors to prevent massive infections.

Today more than ever, management must show that they take care of their customers and that not only do they have cleaning protocols, but that their employees enforce the rules and apply the best hygiene practices necessary to offer a safe and positive shopping experience that builds trust in buyers.

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For this, committed and effective leadership must seek to motivate its team, supervise it, and control it in compliance with the rules.

Biosecurity MANAGEMENT

Consumer Report magazine ran a report on the cleanest stores listing Publix, Fresh Market, and Hy-Vee. But with Covid-19, cleaning is no longer enough. An ongoing biosecurity process is required, which includes a set of standards, protocols, technologies, and practices implemented to avoid risks to health and the environment that come from the exposure of biological agents that cause infectious, toxic, or allergic diseases.

In the attached diagram, we can identify the elements that should be monitored and controlled. The best practice guides “Check List” were made available to the companies’ management on their website.

But more than six months after Covid-19 was officially declared in the United States, many companies had already taken action.

What we suggest is to create a biosecurity management system with indicators and take into account some key factors such as the following:

  • A commitment of senior management to provide adequate resources.
  • Prioritize and communicate the policy in the company and its importance so that everyone is committed.
  • Have a biosecurity leader in stores.
  • Determine the causes of incidents and prevent recurrence as established by the Alliance for Preventive Control of Food Safety “FSPCA.”
  • Identify opportunities for improvement and correct them.
  • Control times, resources, and costs to ensure maximum management efficiency.

Management is responsible for biosecurity within supermarkets to offer safe shopping experiences, but the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements also seek to enforce and prevent stores from receiving contaminated imported products.

Management must demand biosecurity protocols from their importing suppliers or distributors and have a verification program in the supply chain.

At Comercio Competitivo, we have the support of a company specialized in the management of biosafety projects applied to the supply chain in Latin America, with a collaborative approach, between suppliers and retailers to take care of the health of their customers. Those interested in learning more about Competitive Commerce can write to [email protected]