Keeping up with the changing habits and preferences of consumers is an ongoing challenge for grocery stores and supermarkets. No longer do consumers head to the store with a grocery list that guides what they put in their carts – and no longer are they solely focused on purchasing traditional groceries.

As a result, most retail food locations are tailoring their products to meet consumer demand and growing competition. As lifestyles and have changed, stores have experienced exponential growth in the areas of prepared foods for takeout and ready-to-eat foods that are cooked in-store. In working to stay competitive and meet that demand, supermarkets and grocery stores find themselves playing on the same field as restaurants, convenience stores, gourmet specialty stores, and even department stores.

STRONGER FOCUS ON FOOD SAFETY

By making these new food offerings available, store operators are now faced with the same legal requirements and procedures for food safety followed by restaurants and other food-serving establishments. As a result, successful operators are adopting smart strategies to maintain food safety and are investing in new technology designed to increase efficiencies and improve practices.

One crucial step toward meeting these health and safety standards is to focus on temperature monitoring, both in refrigeration units and in prepared food checks. In the past, monitoring food temperatures has been tedious and sometimes ineffective as staff members manually checked and recorded temperatures in a handwritten log. New technologies, however, revolutionizing the process and helping many operators avoid costly run-ins with health inspectors.

One such system is the new DayMark Temp Monitoring and Food Check Solution. Offered by DayMark Safety Systems in partnership with JRI – designers and manufacturers of measuring, control, and monitoring solutions – the HACCP-compliant system provides food safety management, temperature monitoring, and compliance through an intuitive and comprehensive web application, either wirelessly or through a hardwired connection.

Key advantages include an automatic alert that is sent via text or email when the system detects critical temperature changes that could affect food safety and quality, and the ability for operators to perform automated temperature and food checks from a remote location as frequently as needed. The system eliminates the need for staff to manually check temperatures and is an accurate and reliable way to make sure all foods are stored and cooked correctly.

IN THE CLOUD

Systems that utilize cloud-based technology provide consistent and precise data, information that becomes especially important when the health inspector arrives. The DayMark solution, for example, sends information to the cloud where it is maintained on a dashboard, eliminating worry about mistakes or the possibility of someone falsifying information.

Leveraging technology and adopting smart food safety strategies allows operators more time to focus on changing customer demand. By investing in automated temperature monitoring systems, such as the DayMark Temp Monitoring Solution, they can worry less and make smarter business decisions that benefit their customers.

Article originally appeared on the Progressive Grocer website.