It’s that time again. It’s Q4 of 2018 which means that food facilities must renew their registration with the FDA. Renewal of facility registration occurs during Q4—October 1 through December 31—of even numbered years. If you haven’t done so already, the current registration renewal for 2018 will be available through December 31, 2018. Under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the FDA requires biennial registration of all domestic and foreign food facilities engaged in manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding food for human or animal consumption in the United States.

Independent grocery store operators need their customer communications to be effective and support their bottom line, but with so many different digital and traditional communications channels, it’s hard to know where to invest time and resources. Annually, the Food Marketing Institute survey’s the food retail industry about their overall business practices. In our 2018 The Food Retailing Industry Speaks report, we look at how grocery stores are communicating with customers. When you narrow the survey respondents to operators of one to 10 stores you can see an interesting picture.

Forty-six million turkeys are consumed each Thanksgiving, according to the National Turkey Federation, but the centerpiece for the family meal currently under scrutiny due to an ongoing investigation and multi-state outbreak of a multi-drug resistant Salmonella Reading infections linked to raw turkey products. Your customers are likely concerned about the potential for an unwelcome guest at the Thanksgiving table based on recent headlines and local television reports.

Today’s consumers are more educated about the food they’re providing their families and require more information about the quality of their food. Heightened consumer demand for increased food safety assurances starts with retailers providing verifiable proof that robust food safety control systems have been effectively implemented. Even the cleanliness of a retailer's store can influence a consumer’s decision on where to shop, relating it to the quality and safety of the foods sold there.