A majority of American consumers claim that they will only shop in a store that appears clean. One-third of U.S. adults have ended shopping trips due to a lack of cleanliness.
The International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association’s (IDDBAs) new research, High Stakes of Food Safety in Dairy, Deli, Bakery & Prepared Foods, developed in conjunction with Phil Lempert, supermarket guru, explores how customer perceptions shape supermarket trip frequency and basket size. These findings can be used by food retailers to determine best practices and processes for promoting food safety within their stores. Adjusting to these new practices will result in more loyal and satisfied customers.
Among the research discoveries are:
- Six out of seven (85.2%) of consumers need to feel confident of food safety in dairy, deli, and bakery departments before buying there, while 83.3% will shop in a supermarket only if it looks clean to them. One-third of American adults (33.8%) have ended a supermarket visit due to store messiness.
- Supermarkets are the most trusted retail format for food safety, commanding the top position from 60% of survey respondents.
- Over 52% of respondents said they would shop a supermarket more if it commits to food safety best practices. Nearly four in 10 consumers (38.7%) said they would spend more time in dairy, deli, and bakery departments that implement superior food safety practices.
- Supermarkets are the most trusted retail channel for food safety, commanding the top position from 60% of survey respondents, triple the number of mentions for specialty stores (mentioned by 20% of shoppers). Small format grocers were third. Good news for perishables, within supermarkets, consumers say they trust service perishable department managers the most for food safety follow through—by a 47% margin vs. store managers (mentioned by 17%) and butchers (roughly 10% of mentions).
- Many actionable ideas can assist retailers in developing new best practices and processes for promoting food safety within their stores. One example is the importance of food safety signing. Consumers told us these messages and signs, prominently displayed in departments, increase their shopping loyalty (in order of importance):
- High grade from a food safety inspector (58%).
- Company’s stance on food safety certification (52%).
- Hair restraint area (52%).
- Employees must wear gloves and change them between tasks (51%).
- Dept. manager on-duty is food safety certified (49%).
- Multiple glove dispensers (49%).
- Employees must wash hands (47%).
High Stakes of Food Safety in Dairy, Deli, Bakery & Prepared Foods is the latest member research piece developed by IDDBA. Other recent research include Total Store Connectivity: Revealing New Pathways to Win – Specialty Cheese and Engaging the Evolving Shopper: Serving the New American Appetite.
“Food safety is a vital component in our industries, and we’re committed to providing our membership with the resources and tools to help them educate their managers and associates on the importance of food safety practices,” said Kelly Campbell, IDDBA membership director. “Our new food safety research is the latest of numerous original studies we’re planning to release over the next few months, boosting our library of resources that help member companies and stores operate more efficiently and successfully.”