Stores

Stores are the retail outlets where consumers buy food, from supermarkets and hypermarkets to corner shops and market stalls, and they are the final controlled link in the cold chain. Their responsibilities include maintaining refrigeration and freezer temperatures, rotating stock by date, handling fresh produce hygienically, and keeping the premises clean and pest-free. Retail display conditions directly affect the quality and safety of food at the point the consumer takes it home: abused temperatures in a display cabinet undo all the care taken upstream. Good retailing is the last mile of food safety.