Your Mother Was Right

“Clean your room. Wash your hands.” I bet you remember hearing that just like I did. It turns out that her advice is exactly what the food industry needs.

While the Chipotle issues were on our minds (and all over the media) going into the holidays, we all were hoping that it would just go away. I had several comments to make, but held off because I didn’t want to be that guy to pile on.

Now we hear that Chick-Fil-A’s flagship Manhattan store had a health inspection by NYC officials on December 24^th and 6 serious violations were noted. The store closed on December 30^th to complete “facility and procedural changes that will better meet the needs of serving our guests”. Note the 6 day lag between the inspection and the decision to close. That is the troubling part of the story. The press release is here.

Everyone in the supply chain has an obligation to do the best possible job every day to protect the safety and integrity of the food we handle. Inspections are not meant to be punitive; they are an opportunity for fresh eyes to note any improvements that could be made within our facilities to help us execute on our obligation. If we ignore the recommendations we not only violate the trust that others put in us, but we put the entire industry at risk.