“Gas station sushi”: Most of us have heard someone use this term to summarize food offered at convenience stores (C-stores). The saying evokes thoughts of a cheaply priced, half-rotted, foul-smelling, and unsanitary product that will make a consumer immediately ill upon ingestion. However, modern C-store foodservice programs have shattered the notion of “gas station sushi” by focusing on providing consumers with high-quality offerings produced and served in a clean and sanitary environment. Today, a consumer can expect to find everything from fresh-cut produce to handmade premium sandwiches and artisanal coffee at their local C-store. In the 2019 State of the Industry report, the National Association of Convenience Stores noted that foodservice sales accounted for the second-largest contributor to in-store sales (22.6% as compared with leader tobacco, which accounted for 31%). Capitalizing on these statistics, C-stores have made the development of foodservice programs a key focus to drive in-store traffic and distinguish themselves in the competitive C-store market. For these programs to continue to be successful, the need for strong food safety systems and policies aimed at consumer and brand protection has become more important than ever. However, due to the relative newness of premium foodservice offerings, C-store food safety professionals struggle to find food safety-related resources aligned with the complex challenges unique to the C-store environment.
Given the great importance and contributions of C-stores in the food industry, Food Safety Magazine convened an expert panel, moderated by Jeremy Zenlea, director of food safety, Cumberland Farms, to address some of the more critical questions regarding the challenges surrounding the C-store food safety culture. Participating panelists were Charles McGuffey, retired head of global food safety and quality assurance at 7-Eleven Inc., International Division; Jay L. E. Ellingson, Ph.D., senior director of food protection and science operations, and Marty Putz, director of food protection – retail, Kwik Trip; Richard Sterling, director of food safety North America, Circle K Stores; Chirag Bhatt, food safety professional; and Steven Mandernach, J.D., executive director at the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO).
Food Safety Magazine: How does the variety of food products sold in convenience stores complicate the creation of food safety management systems or policies within the establishment?
Charles McGuffey: A variety of products is not as much a problem as one might think. Minimizing basic risk factors (cross-contamination, time and temperature control, employee hygiene, and shelf life) after the items are delivered to the stores is critical and most challenging, however. Staff training and consistent/perpetual monitoring are critical in this high-employee-turnover industry and must be kept as simple as possible and practical. Minimizing in-store preparation and staff handling is key when developing products. The process must begin with the suppliers and continue through the delivery system. Working with suppliers to develop cate-gory- and product-specific equipment with automated fail-safe equipment and short shelf life for fresh products and ingredients for in-store prep items is key to minimizing risks and optimizing quality.
Jay L. E. Ellingson and Marty Putz: With the creation of a food safety management system, companies need to break the variety of food products into different categories. The obvious categories are refrigerated, frozen, and shelf stable, but within each of those categories there can be concerns. A C-store that has minimal food offerings, using pre-packaged products with a limited variety, does not have the same requirements for a food safety management system. Most food is reheated, maybe even by the customer themselves. The hot-holding and preparation is minimal. On the other side of the spectrum, a C-store that prepares a large variety of products needs to create a more robust food safety management system. Increases in food handling or custom-made orders can challenge food safety. Traditionally, C-stores are challenged with kitchen space and design; if the store has a smaller footprint, it can be a challenge for adequate prep or storage space. Segregating raw and ready-to-eat products throughout the store (storage and prep) and the introduction of process controls in small spaces are very challenging.
Jeremy Zenlea: Unlike in manufacturing, quick-serve or full-serve restaurants primarily focus on offering a specific line of products to a uniquely targeted consumer demographic. In contrast, a C-store focuses on targeting all consumer demographics by offering a wide variety of food and beverage options to be presented in multiple formats. Take bakery items, for example: C-stores offer bakery items in several different formats—grab and go (from a bakery case), heat and serve, or in a retail package. Each of these delivery methods for the same item means that we have to design and implement several different Standard Operating Procedures to cover that one type of product. Now multiply that by all of the other product types offered in a variety of formats, adding in limited food prep and storage space, and one can easily understand how complex the food safety management system at C-stores truly is.
Richard Sterling: The busy lifestyles of today’s consumers have driven them to demand the on-the-go convenience of snack and grab-and-go foods in place of meals, and they now look to C-stores as food destinations. Many C-stores have already transitioned over to food as a destination driver, and their offerings include a variety of fresh foods such as sandwiches, wraps, salads, and cut fruit, as well as ethnic, vegetarian, and gluten-free foods.
In addition to consumer demand for variety, there is also the expectation of quality and “freshness” from the C-store food offerings, typically manifested by the inclusion of produce and nontraditional ingredients and components in prepared foods.
The increasing amount and variety of food products prepared and served in C-stores, along with the food safety risks posed by many of these relatively high-risk items (such as produce ), requires that C-stores work collaboratively with—and place more accountability on—suppliers, broad-line distributors, and other supply chain participants to mitigate these food safety risks.
Although many provisions of FSMA [the Food Safety Modernization Act] do not apply to C-stores/foodservice, this legislation has put renewed pressure on C-store operators to fully implement preventive controls (such as consistent and reliable temperature monitoring for equipment and food) rather than relying on reactive processes after failures occur.