ComplianceMate Blog

Are Digital Food Safety Systems Cost-Effective?

There is a perception that restaurant technology is really expensive.  As a result, many food service establishments put off investing in a digital food safety and quality management system, An FSMS can offer a high return on investment and are more affordable than you may think.

Food industry businesses often name costs as the primary reason they have not implemented more food safety technology in their operations, even though they believe that investing in equipment would make their business more productive, increase sales, and provide an advantage over their competitors.1

Very often, food safety technology is more accessible than many food service managers and owners may realize. As digital systems advance, not only does kitchen equipment become more affordable, but the cost benefits become more apparent. Restaurants, supermarkets, schools, hospitals, and others in the food industry are experiencing less food waste, more consistent product quality, and improved compliance with safety requirements when they invest in a food safety and quality management solution.

Cost Benefits of Remote Temperature Sensors

Restaurants, grocery stores, franchises, and food trucks have two important responsibilities that guide their business operations:

  • Ensure product safety and prevent food poisoning, food-borne illness, or other product quality problems that might harm their customers.
  • Limit food waste and product loss due to improper food storage or handling of food during prep and serving.

Both of these goals are met with proper temperature measuring and accurate logging of temperatures and holding times to ensure food safety. Maintaining a compliant food safety program with correct temperature controls is time-consuming, labor intensive, and prone to errors. Monitoring commercial kitchen equipment with remote temperature sensors can drastically reduce employee time, equipment costs and lost product.

Without real-time alerts to dangerous temperature variations, commercial facilities might be left guessing about product safety, and they are faced with discarding food that might have reached unsafe or room temperatures due to equipment malfunctions. The alternative of serving questionable cooked food could result in a public health alert, lawsuits, and damage to your business reputation. The costs of investing in food safety equipment pales by comparison to the price of serving unsafe food.

Cost Benefits of Food Safety and Quality Assurance  Software

Installing an automated food safety and quality management solution allows your food service business to leverage automated workflow checklists as well as monitor employee performance alongside safe food-holding temperatures. You can lower your future expenses and operational costs with innovative solutions including software andremote dashboards for management.

Using food safety systems software from an industry leader offers these benefits:

  • Managing recalls with accurate product histories from digital barcodes and logs
  • Leveraging business intelligence to promote better performance and reliable food safety activities
  • Tracking maintenance and repairs on heavy-duty appliances for quality management and energy efficiency to know when expensive equipment is reaching end of life
  • Documenting compliance with state, local, and federal food safety regulations for food distribution and food storage
  • Lowering operational costs by reducing staff time spent maintaining manual records and monitoring temperatures and times by hand, allowing them to spend more time preparing food
  • Managing preventative maintenance schedules to prolong the lifespan of equipment and reduce down-time and unexpected maintenance costs
  • Reducing food waste by identifying problem areas through real-time alerts and analyzing data trends within your business model for more efficient purchasing and enhanced quality assurance

Realizing a Return on Your Investment in Commercial Kitchen Technology

Existing lines of commercial kitchen equipment, such as temperature monitoring equipment, continue to get better at a lower average cost. When doing your return on investment or ROI calculations, factor in your annual returns on quality assurance and business reputation. Consider how you can gain broader insight into how your restaurants are running and make cost-saving adjustments to your business plan.

Starting a food business is a significant investment, and systems like ComplianceMate can help improve your bottom line. In fact, improvements can help technology investments pay for themselves. As more wireless systems help restaurants to automate processes—for example, by wirelessly transmitting temperature readings and automatically recording them at preset intervals—the equipment can begin to pay for itself through labor cost savings.

Are you wondering if remote temperature sensors and supporting software is a cost-effective choice for your business? You can schedule a free demo of the ComplianceMate system and talk with an expert about the benefits to your type of business. We have helped nationwide franchises and small-town eateries improve their quality assurance, protect food safety, and save money on labor, prevent inventory losses, and ensure customer satisfaction with a stellar reputation for food safety.

Source:

  1. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-research-shows-restaurants-are-hungry-for-tech-without-the-headache-300307860.html