Secret Shopper: Grocery Store Employee Food Handling Practices from a Customer

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Secret Shopper Grocery Store Employee Food
Handling Practices from a Customers Perspective

• Food Safety Forum
• February 20, 2006
• Ben Chapman
• bchapman_at_uoguelph.ca

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Food Retail in Canada

• Second largest retail sector
• Employs 1/6 of Canadians
• Sells gt70 billion in food each year

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Consumer Confidence

• 95 of consumers are confident that the food in
  grocery stores is safe as long as the building
  remains clean and the food is of high quality.
• (FMI, 2001)
• 2001- Mad cow in Japan
• - Beef sales down 20-30
• 2004- Environmental contaminants
• in farmed and wild salmon
• - Fish sales in Canada down 20

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The Super Market

• 97 of foodborne illness caused by improper food
  handler practices in food service establishments
  and homes.
• (Howes, et al., 1996)
• Grocery stores may be the last opportunity to
  control potential hazards leading to foodborne
  illness

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Objectives

• To observe food handling behaviors of grocery
  store employees
• To determine what advice grocery store employees
  offer to customers seeking food safety
  information
• To identify areas that should be improved in the
  development of grocery store training programs

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Store Selection

• Stores from two South-Central Ontario cites and
  their surrounding areas
• Selection criteria
• Must offer bakery, fresh seafood, butcher/fresh
  meat, hot and cold deli, fresh produce and dairy
  departments
• 25 stores met selection criteria
• 13 stores randomly chosen
• At least one store per town/city
• Maximum of 5 stores from major cities

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Secret Shopper Checklist
Grocery Store Sanitation Restroom Sanitation
Fresh Produce Bakery
Food Bar Seafood
Hot/Cold Deli Butcher/Raw meat counter
Dairy Cold Food/ Frozen Food
Canned Food Cashiers
Are employees wearing hair restraints?
Do employees change gloves in between
handling/serving cooked and raw meat?
Do cashiers place raw meat in a separate bag?
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Informal Interview Questions
General Food Safety Produce Department
Butcher Department Seafood Section
Hot Deli Cold Deli
Cashier
What does this date expiry date mean?
How long can I keep this raw fish for before I
cook it?
Do you ever get a chance to wash your hands?
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Secret Shoppers

• 10 researchers
• Various age and appearance
• Had previous knowledge of and experience with
  food safety
• Trained to portrayed customers
• November 2003-January 2004 secret shopper visited
  stores
• Each store visited 3 times
• Full notes on visits were recorded immediately
  after leaving stores

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Data Analysis

• Information was transcribed
• Content analysis was performed to identify common
  trends
• Results were triangulated to confirm the observed
  trends

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Cleanliness
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Hygiene
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Cross Contamination
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Storage Temperature
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Unsafe Foods
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Information
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Memorable Quotes
You wont get anything from our food Ill
guarantee it.
Just refrigerate it.
You will know it meat is cooked when it is
brown
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Conclusions

• Practices that are easy to monitor are controlled
• Employee controlled practices present a problem
• Retail training programs need focus on the
  importance of hand washing and proper glove use
• Grocery stores need to provide information about
  current food safety issues.
• Employees should be aware of the location of food
  safety information

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Acknowledgements

• Lisa Mathiasen
• Secret Shoppers

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