Costco Connection

fied and continues to look for ways to reach every last member.

From left: Assistant buyer Justin Knapp, Quality Assurance Lab manager Robin Forgey and tech support Sandy Wang.

Food-safety training

Whether they’re at the cash register, in receiving or boxing your purchases, all warehouse employees are versed in food safety. All managers, both food and non-food, and even buyers, must take an all-day class and pass a stringent, nationally recognized food-safety exam.

Standard sanitary operation procedures for all food-related processes are detailed and specifically written for Costco warehouses, with instructions for every task, from how to clean the frozen-yogurt machine to how to receive temperature-controlled products into the building.

Every day a warehouse staff manager inspects all areas of food production and performs a comprehensive food-safety walk-through of each location, beginning with observing the inside perimeter of the building, then the coolers and the freezers, and checking everything from temperature logs to hand sinks. Violations are noted and attended to immediately.

includes reviewing Costco bakery, food court and deli items, can ascertain each product’s quality as well as its authenticity.

The test-and-hold program

Testing, by itself, is not enough. That’s why all of Costco’s food-safety testing, for both Costco and its suppliers, is performed on a “test-and-hold” basis. What exactly is test-and-hold? Before a supplier can ship ready-to-eat foods, be it sliced meats or cut fruit, the facility must test the product for pathogens and hold it on its premises until the tests come back negative. Only then can it be shipped.

All ready-to-eat produce, for example, is tested for microbial integrity. Costco’s suppliers of bagged salads, cut apples and baby carrots are required to test their products for a range of bacteria at their facilities. No product can be shipped to Costco until the tests have been completed and the results are in.

If there are any issues, the product can’t be shipped, and the facility must review its food-safety processes to identify and correct the problem. “The test-and-hold program has been so valuable, it’s moving into all aspects of ready-to-eat foods outside of meat and produce where it hasn’t been used in the past,” says Christine.

becomes public knowledge. When Costco becomes aware of a recall, the company acts quickly. Potentially harmful products are immediately pulled off the floor, while at the same time phone calls— 1 million per hour— can be made to members who have purchased the product.

Even if there is only a suspicion that there might be a problem with a product, Costco will pull it from warehouse shelves and hold it until the concern can be confirmed or refuted. Information is posted online, members are called and letters are mailed. Costco has a 90 percent member contact rate, but it’s not satis-

The future of food safety

FRANCE FREEMAN

Every year Costco reviews supplier audits— 4,000 food-safety audits and 5,000 produce audits—all performed by third-party auditors. Costco even insists on shadow audits (audits of auditors) to verify processes and procedures. The audit program is unique in the industry and includes a multitude of in-depth assessments. If a supplier can’t meet the requirements, Costco will not buy its products.

Of course, no program is perfect. “Nothing in food safety is 100 percent,” says Craig. His team is now investigating new technologies to improve testing and exploring social media to improve communication. “Food safety is not static,” echoes Christine. “We are constantly looking for ways to make our system better.” C