Spartan Stores Becomes Largest U.S. Supermarket Chain to Receive NSF Shop Fresh(TM) Cer...( Raising the Bar on Food Safety an...),Health

Raising the Bar on Food Safety and Quality

ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NSF International today announced that Spartan Stores is the largest supermarket chain in the United States to receive NSF Shop Fresh(TM) certification.

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Spartan Stores, one of the nation's leading grocery suppliers and retailers, is going beyond standard Food Code requirements to ultimately improve the quality of its perishable products. Obtaining NSF Shop Fresh(TM) certification demonstrates Spartan Store's overall commitment to food safety.

"Spartan Stores makes food safety a top priority. We realize that if you want to be the best, you have to work with the best, and the NSF Shop Fresh(TM) program has proven itself to be one of the most effective programs on the market to help assure safer food," said Chuck Behrend, Food Safety Director, Spartan Stores. "The NSF microbial reports provide Spartan Stores with a means to view the invisible. These reports have created a heightened sense of awareness on behalf of the store associates and provide a sense of assurance to our valued customers that the food they purchase is the freshest, safest available."

The NSF Shop Fresh(TM) Certification Program integrates microbial sampling with onsite inspections. The voluntary program is designed for retail food establishments, which assists in further preventing and reducing food-related risks while improving the quality, freshness and shelf life of foods.

NSF's independent, highly-experienced, third-party auditors evaluate food safety practices in perishable departments and collect food and environmental samples to test and validate freshness and quality. This proactive approach involves three interlocking services:

-- Unannounced audits evaluate food safety, sanitat
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