How we buy changes food safety.

Apparently Australian consumers have really taken to purchasing online, with recently released research by Nielsen (the market research organisation) showing that about nine out of 10 consumers buying online in 2013.

Liquor is the big food group being purchased on line with our buying rate across the internet being twice what is being purchased in store, in terms of dollars spent.

The research has also shown that around 60% of people are using both on line and retail stores for making their purchasing decisions. This highlights why many food related businesses are now actively promoting an estore set up on their websites. It is now at a point that if a food business does not have the facility for customers to make purchases on line, that business will be losing trade.

This raises an interesting question in terms of food safety. Does a business put perishable items on it’s website for sale and, if so, how is it going to be delivered so it is safe for consumption?

Companies like Lite n Easy have been delivering potentially hazardous foods for years, with no food safety issues, but it is a matter of being organised and using the right packing materials. It can therefore be done but requires good planning, and should not be done unless food safety can be assured.

It is worth remembering that if a food business chooses to sell potentially hazardous foods through it’s website and delivers that food, then this whole process will need to be included within the scope of all future food safety audits. This will mean; training, procedures and suitable records.

This is another example of how changes to a business model can have significant effects on it’s food safety program, and this is why there must be some form of trigger in place that forces review of systems if a change happens in the business.

The research also showed that people are not just making these purchases when sitting in front of their computer but are now increasingly likely to be using their phones to do it. This is also important in terms of food safety, as these people may not even be home when the food arrives there. This means that the food business must ensure the packaging and processes are strong enough to allow for this.

My local Post Office is in a small country town and the owner was telling me recently that more than 60% of the material being delivered to letter boxes in this area is from purchases made on line. This cannot be the sort of numbers in just this area, it has to be everywhere and it is growing. Food businesses have to find methods and packaging to manage this new way of purchasing and delivery and ensure their products are still good quality and safe.

Written by Rachelle Williams – the Green Food Safety Coach