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Hy-Vee boosts food safety compliance for in-store kitchens

Foodservice, fresh departments automate process via CM Systems’ ComplianceMate solution

Russell Redman

October 1, 2021

3 Min Read
Hy-Vee Kitchen meals department-deli.jpg
ComplianceMate is designed to alert Hy-Vee food preparation and foodservice areas to potentially unsafe food before it's served.Hy-Vee

Hy-Vee has bolstered food safety monitoring in all of its in-store kitchens with the deployment of the ComplianceMate solution from CM Systems LLC.

Automating the process of food safety compliance, ComplianceMate is now being used in Hy-Vee’s Italian, Asian, Hickory House and Market Grille foodservice kitchens as well as the Midwestern grocer’s meat, seafood, deli and bakery departments, Lawrenceville, Ga.-based CM Systems said yesterday. The customizable software tracks key indicators of food safety risk and, as the system generates data, it can alert any level of management — from store level to corporate offices — of potentially unsafe food before it’s served. 

“We’ve already seen terrific engagement from our stores. It’s getting employees even more involved than they already were,” according to Ellen Ciarimboli, director of food protection at West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee, which operates more than 280 stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

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Hy-Vee has deployed ComplianceMate to its Market Grille, Hickory House, Italian and Asian foodservice kitchens as well as to its deli, meat, seafood and bakery departments.

For Hy-Vee, ComplianceMate’s ability to proactively draw attention to potential issues well before they become problems proved to be a key capability, CM Systems noted. The software can create configurable checklists for any regulatory or brand-specific compliance benchmarks and then enable smart notifications. That functionality also gives Hy-Vee’s management real-time visibility into each store’s food safety performance. 

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“Seeing that data come in enables us to see what departments in specific stores are performing well or need support,” Ciarimboli reported.

CM systems added that ComplianceMate also makes above-unit auditing easier for Hy-Vee and its third-party auditing group. Auditors can use the system to collect and preview food safety data before entering stores, allowing them to develop an action plan  — based on information gathered and analyzed in advance — and expedite food quality and safety reviews.

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Using the ComplianceMate software, Hy-Vee can create configurable checklists for any regulatory or brand-specific compliance benchmarks and set up smart notifications.

“Through our partnership with ComplianceMate, we are ensuring our customers the best experience, the highest-quality food, and the safest food prep,” Chuck Seaman, vice president of food protection and compliance at Hy-Vee, said in a statement. “We are proud to partner with a company that shares our dedication to innovation and superior customer service.”

ComplianceMate employs a combination of wireless temperature sensors, mobile technologies and customizable tools to provide “total control” over food safety and compliance in kitchens and foodservice operations, according to CM Systems. The solution captures reliable temperature data, eliminates human error from compliance checklists, upholds compliance with all HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) and internal standards and sends real-time alerts when temperatures are out of specification. In addition, the system provides time-stamped temperature data from any cooler or equipment at any store at any time and indicates employee accountability and opportunities for training. 
 
CM Systems said that, on average, customers cut their HACCP-related labor costs by more than 50% and see audit scores improve 20%. 

Related:Amid pandemic, grocery chains get ‘seal of approval’ for health, safety practices

“ComplianceMate protects brands and their customers, but in the process, it also delivers enhanced operational effectiveness through analytics, dashboards, etc.,” stated Steve Getraer, president of CM Systems. “We empower teams to achieve elite food safety performance with even less labor, ultimately improving service to Hy-Vee’s own customers.”

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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