ALEXANDRIA, VA.—Foodservice sales in convenience stores are about 23% of in-store sales, a category that continues to be a key focus area for retailers, NACS State of the Industry data indicate. The importance of food safety is paramount: Outbreaks affect not only individual brands but the entire industry.

NACS’ free webinar “The Case for Cleanliness” is now available to view on demand. Ecolab Food Safety Expert Mandy Sedlak and Richard Sterling, director of food safety for Circle K, discuss the food safety implications in an era where c-stores are transforming to meet consumers changing needs. These experts discuss the variables that impact food safety and cleanliness, how they have seen food safety taken to the next step and what solutions exist to help you and your teams build a strong and effective food safety and cleanliness culture.

At Circle K, Richard Sterling is responsible for developing and providing strategic leadership for comprehensive food safety systems, education and risk-based preventive controls in support of all stores in Canada and the U.S. Sterling is committed to insuring Circle K’s strategic goals of preventing foodborne illness and injury and protecting public health, continuously improving food safety monitoring and compliance systems and consistently achieving food safety operational excellence.

Sedlak is a senior manager of food safety and public health at EcoSure and a member of the Ecolab Global Food Safety and Public Health team. She partners with internal and external industry leaders to provide technical and strategic expertise in food safety and brand protection. She is responsible for supporting customer partnerships as they build and maintain systems, adopt best practices, mitigate risks in their day-to-day operations, work through industry challenges and help find solutions.