In today’s circumstances, reinforcing critical concepts of food safety, as well as worker health, are more important than ever. There are several lessons from SafeMark® Food Handler Training that provide key concepts for your staff to understand to protect the health and safety of your customers.

In late February, (only two weeks into the job) I was assigned to the Crisis Management Team, a cross-departmental group focused on the looming coronavirus outbreak. It was just a month after I joined the FMI team in the headquarters office that I was told, along with the rest of the staff, to work from home indefinitely. Since then, what I have witnessed is, put simply, awe-inspiring.

According to the U.S. Grocery Shoppers Trends COVID-19 Tracker survey, 76% of consumers have changed how they eat due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While I do not always plan my meals, 27% of consumers are planning more meals in advance these days. Some consumers (20%), myself included, are trying new dishes more often.

Since the early days of the pandemic, FMI staff have been tracking news stories recording the food industry’s responses to their communities. Our tracking is a growing spreadsheet updated daily with nearly 200 rows documenting stories of food, product and monetary donations to those organizations serving people in desperate need. Of course, these actions are on top of the daily courageous efforts being exerted by grocery store teams to remain open, serve the public and ensure our customers are getting the food and other items needed for their families.