Food Protection Trends - November/December 2024 - 454

BLACK PEARL AWARD
WALMART INC.
Bentonville, Arkansas
Since our humble beginning in 1962 as a small discount retailer
with one store in Rogers, AR, Walmart has opened thousands
of stores and clubs in the U.S. and abroad. Through innovation,
Walmart has created a seamless experience to let customers
and members shop in stores, online, and through their mobile
devices. Beginning with Sam Walton's vision of saving
people money so they can live better, Walmart has created
opportunities and brought value to communities around the
globe. Operating approximately 10,500 stores and clubs in 19
countries, alongside various eCommerce platforms, Walmart
has a global workforce of 2.1 million associates, with nearly 1.6
million based in the U.S. alone.
Sixty-one years later, Walmart's ability to provide safe,
affordable food, consumables, and general merchandise to
customers and members is core to our business success and
our mission to help people save money and live better.
Walmart's food safety program is a comprehensive and
integrated approach aimed at ensuring the highest standards
of food safety across our stores, clubs, and supply chain.
Dedicated to safeguarding the health and well-being of our
240 million customers and members who frequent our global
locations each week, we have instituted stringent protocols,
advanced technologies, and fostered a culture of continuous
improvement to prevent foodborne illnesses and uphold trust.
Proactive risk assessment is a key element of our food safety
program. We employ a dedicated team of food safety experts
who utilize cutting-edge risk assessment techniques to identify
and mitigate potential risks in our supply chain. By proactively
identifying hazards, we can implement preventive measures,
reducing the likelihood of foodborne illnesses. Our risk
assessment process includes evaluating factors such as supplier
performance, transportation practices, in-store processes and
storage conditions, as well as regulatory compliance.
Our farm-to-fork program begins with robust supplier
standards, which are designed to ensure that the products
entering our stores meet the highest safety standards. We
have established strict expectations for our more than 6,000
private brand suppliers of finished goods. These standards are
communicated to our suppliers, fostering a partnership based
on shared responsibility for food safety.
As part of our commitment to upholding the highest
standards of food safety, Walmart has dedicated food safety
teams in every market, and has made significant investments
in expanding the team of corporate food safety experts.
This team includes food safety microbiologists, a food fraud
manager and professionals specialized in sanitary design and
hygiene, as well as omnichannel food safety.
Comprehensive training and education are integral to our food
safety programs in our stores, clubs, and supply chain. In fiscal
year 2023, we trained nearly 1.2 million global associates
in at least one food safety course. We prioritize the training
and education of our associates across all levels to foster
a culture of food safety excellence. Our associates undergo
rigorous training programs that cover proper handling, storage,
and disposal of food products, as well as personal hygiene
practices and food safety regulations. We provide ongoing
education and resources to ensure that our associates are
equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to maintain
the highest standards of food safety.
We recognize the importance of leveraging state-of-the-art
technology to enhance our food safety program. We have
implemented advanced technology solutions throughout our
supply chain to monitor and maintain the safety of our food
products. Real-time monitoring systems, such as our in-store
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Food Protection Trends - November/December 2024

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