Purchasing from an Approved Supplier Means that the Food is Safe
Every prudent restaurateur knows that preparing great meals goes beyond having the best recipes. Sure, delicious food depends on your cooking techniques, but purchasing from an approved supplier means that the food is safe. To achieve the utmost client satisfaction and business growth, you must ensure that your meals meet the highest quality and safety standards possible.
If you want your restaurant to be associated with superior quality, you must foster a food safety culture at all times. That begins with ensuring that you source your meals from approved suppliers.
What role does an approved supplier play in guaranteeing the safety of your meals? Let's dig into that!
Food Quality vs. Food Safety
Many restaurateurs think that food quality is just another way of describing safe food. However, while they're interrelated, there are a number of distinctions between them.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), quality food has the necessary components that make it valuable to customers. These include components like spoilage, texture, flavors, processing methods, etc. However, food safety focuses on the acute and chronic hazards that make food unhealthy for the customer.
In summary, while food quality aims at making customers happy, food safety wants them to be healthy (safe).
Here are the top two reasons why food safety is important for every restaurant:
1. It Safeguards Your Customers’ Health
Did you know that 48 million people contract food borne illnesses very year? Food safety, quality, and consumer protection ensure that your customers stay healthy and continue to enjoy patronizing your restaurant.
2. It Protects Your Business
As a restaurant operator, one of your top priorities is building a reputable food brand. Selling safe food promotes consumer confidence, eliminates legal issues/lawsuits, bolsters employee morale, and increases revenue.
How Patronizing Approved Suppliers Guarantees Safe Food
Now that you know purchasing from an approved supplier means that the food is safe, your next concern is how to guarantee that the supplier you choose prioritizes food safety too. Fortunately, determining if a distributor is approved can be quite simple.
Approved food suppliers have been declared/certified acceptable to the regulatory body in your locality. For South Carolina, the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is the agency in charge of permitting operators in the food service industry.
To get a DHEC permit, food establishments must show an ability to adhere to all the applicable food safety regulations. On-site inspections are carried out to ensure that they have the necessary facilities to guarantee safe products. Besides inspecting business premises, DHEC also advises operators on the best methods to handle food, equipment, etc., to avoid contamination.
Generally, the regulatory department will consider numerous factors before issuing permits to suppliers. They include:
Storage
Processing
- Shipping/ transportation
- Personal hygiene
Staff training
In other words, DHEC does due diligence on your behalf. By purchasing from an approved supplier, you can be sure that you're getting items that have met the required local laws and food safety standards.
Make Food Safety Your Watchword with Carolina Food Service
If you are dedicated to fostering a food safety culture in your restaurant, then Carolina Food Service of Loris has got you covered. Food safety is our first priority, and we're guaranteed to provide you with the best quality products you can find. Become a customer today!