Original title: Keeping the bottom line of food safety has the opportunity to “win” | Beijing News editorial
▲The Beijing News “Undercover Pizza Hut Kitchen” poster.Scan the code to view the report details
On July 20, the Beijing News exclusively reported on a variety of food safety issues in the operation of the two Pizza Hut stores, which aroused widespread public attention. At present, Pizza Hut has conducted an investigation into the closure of the above-mentioned two restaurants; the Fengtai and Haidian District Market Supervision Bureaus have also filed a case for investigation of the stores involved in accordance with the law.
It is believed that with the timely investigation and investigation of relevant functional departments, the various food safety problems exposed by the two restaurants of Pizza Hut will be corrected in time, and the violations and illegal problems involved will also be punished accordingly.
For Pizza Hut itself, this is undoubtedly a wake-up call. Retrieving relevant news, this is not the first time that Pizza Hut has had similar problems. As a well-known chain restaurant brand, it has repeatedly overturned on the most basic food safety issues. Pizza Hut should really conduct a thorough self-examination and self-correction to find out the root cause of the problem and completely block the existence of the enterprise in the operation and management. Security breaches in response to public opinion concerns.
It needs to be reiterated that food safety has never been a trivial matter. One end is connected with the health and safety of the vast number of consumers, and the other end is connected with the brand image and public recognition of the company. It is the professional bottom line that practitioners must adhere to, and it is also the lifeline for the survival and development of related enterprises. When a catering company has problems with food safety, it is betting on the reputation of the company, which can easily lead to irreversible consequences.
This truth is self-evident and has long since become an industry consensus. However, when it comes to a certain restaurant or a certain store, there will always be discounts and changes in the specific operation, and there will always be “alternative solutions” that are unimpeded within a certain range in a “hidden rule” way, making the catering industry seem to always experience Can’t afford to investigate, can’t afford “serious” scrutiny.
The reason for this is that in addition to problems such as lax quality control, unscientific supply chain management, and deviations in employee education and performance appraisal systems at the operational management level, it is also related to the fact that relevant companies face a certain degree of operating pressure.
▲ The shelf life of the mushroom combination package is until July 8, but it is still in use on July 9.Photographed by the Beijing News Unannounced Investigation Team
Judging from the problems exposed by the two Pizza Hut stores this time, whether the ingredients are expired or the cooking oil has not been changed for a long time, it involves cost accounting and profit. In the first quarter of this year, Yum China, a subsidiary of Pizza Hut, stated in its financial report that the new crown epidemic caused major fluctuations in the company’s operations in the quarter and continued to have a serious impact on the second quarter. Among them, Pizza Hut’s same-store sales fell 5% year-on-year (year-on-year), and restaurant profit margins fell 4.6 percentage points to 10.7%.
Objectively speaking, since the beginning of this year, due to the repeated ups and downs of the epidemic, the entire catering industry has suffered a lot, the profits of related companies have declined, and the income of employees has decreased. Under the circumstance that the epidemic has subsided, dine-in restaurants have resumed, and business is operating as usual, companies are eager to recover their performance and have the urge to make profits. It is a normal business choice for market players.
However, in this process, if you relax food safety control, ignore relevant operating procedures, and only care about temporary profits, you will be blinded by small profits, smash your own signs, and destroy the foundation for long-term development of the company. Big, very unwise.
Especially for a chain catering company like Pizza Hut, which has a high reputation in the industry and a high degree of attention, repeated food safety problems have not only hurt its own brand image, but also dispelled the public’s trust.
It should be recognized that the exposure this time was not because the company was “unlucky” and the problem was discovered by the media. But because there are problems in the enterprise itself, even if it is not exposed by the media, employees and customers may become sentinels, and the special inspection of food safety by functional departments will greatly reduce the possibility of hidden problems. Therefore, companies who play tricks on food safety issues will sooner or later be exposed, and eventually devour their own brand reputation.
This also reminds relevant enterprises and employees again that the string of food safety cannot be relaxed for a moment. The clichés still need to be talked about and often the new ones. External supervision and regulation must always be based on one’s own “self-cleaning”. Only by holding on to the bottom line of food safety, and always putting consumer safety and health at the core, can we obtain the opportunity to “win” in market competition and achieve longterm development.
Editor / Chi Daohua
Proofreading / JaninReturn to Sohu, see more
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