09-Jan-14

Case study released by CART-NGA Innovation Center, in collaboration with PAR, demonstrates superior performance on key food safety practices and outcomes

Arlington, VA - Results from a recently completed case study released by the Center for Advancing Retail & Technology (CART) and the National Grocers Association (NGA) show that in-store deployments of a food safety and intelligent checklist platform have a positive impact on food quality and safety performance. The case study, "Intelligent Checklist for Quality and Safety in the Supermarket," commenced in the summer of 2013.

In-store research prepared by the Center for Advancing Retail & Technology (CART), in partnership with PAR, a provider of the SureCheck® Intelligent Checklist™ solution deployed the PAR intelligent checklist technology in deli food service departments within two U.S. grocery retailers. NGA members, Niemann Foods, Inc. and Lee's Market, provided the testing environment for this project, and found that the platform delivered improved product consistency, desirable process transparency, reliable data logs, reduced shrink, and more satisfied shoppers.

Results from the study indicate improvements on several key performance dimensions compared with previously existing paper-based record keeping methods, including:

  • Enabled superior workplace practices while reducing costs
  • Provided better control and mitigation of risk
  • Improved outcomes on health safety inspections
  • Enabled the delivery of better quality prepared foods, leading to happier, more satisfied customers and increased sales.

The paper includes several on-site photographs showing the SureCheck solution in use in the stores. It documents multiple direct benefits:

  • Potential for labor savings of up to 60%
  • No more paper - eliminates purchase and storage cost
  • Increased visibility into stores and the ability to affect employee behavior more directly
  • The system is not just suitable for food safety - the platform can be applied to virtually any type of operational checklist
  • Ability to efficiently implement ad hoc activities such as product recalls
  • Potential ability to reduce outside audit expense

The "Intelligent Checklist" paper can be found on the CART website http://www.advancingretail.org/par-case-study/ and the PAR website (www.partech.com.

About NGA and CART: The National Grocers Association (http://nationalgrocers.org) is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. The Center for Advancing Retail & Technology (http://advancingretail.org) and the NGA have partnered to bring a unique service to the retail industry: The NGA InnovationCenter, a network of live store environments in different markets across the U.S. available to research sponsors for testing merchandising concepts and piloting innovative solutions. CART partners are solution providers and academic institutions who serve and study the grocery industry.

About PAR: ParTech, Inc. (www.partech.com) (PAR), a wholly owned subsidiary of PAR Technology Corporation, has been a leading provider of restaurant and retail technology for more than 30 years. PAR offers technology solutions for the full spectrum of restaurant operations, from large chain and independent table service restaurants to international quick service chains. PAR's SureCheck® Intelligent Checklist™ solution is helping restaurant and retail food services companies improve food safety and checklist management. PAR's Hospitality business also provides hotel management systems with a complete suite of powerful tools for guest management, recreation management, and timeshare/condo management. In addition, PAR offers the spa industry a leading management application specifically designed to support the unique needs of the resort spa and day spa markets, a rapidly growing hospitality segment. In addition to solutions for the restaurant industry, PAR products are improving the customer experience in retail, including the cruise, hotel, casino and entertainment industries.

distributed by