By Jim Dudlicek, Director of Communications and External Affairs

The National Grocers Association (NGA) is partnering with ISSA, the Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association and the Global Risk Advisory Council (GBAC), a division of ISSA, to bring a new, comprehensive cleaning, disinfection and infection prevention program to grocery retailers. The program, called the GBAC STAR, is the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation for facilities.

NGA recently hosted a webinar with leaders from ISSA and GBAC to explain the new program and its benefits to independent grocery operators.

Discussing the details were John Barrett, ISSA’s executive director; Brant Insero, ISSA’s director of education, training, certification and standards; and Dr. Gavin Macgregor-Skinner, certified forensic operator and bioforensic restoration specialist at GBAC.

GBAC STAR accreditation means a facility has established and maintained a protocol to minimize risks associated with infectious agents like the novel coronavirus and employs highly skilled cleaning professionals who are trained for outbreak and infectious disease preparation and response.

Here are some key takeaways from the discussion:

Consumers are choosing retailers based on how safe they believe stores to be: “Consumers are more aware of processes, protocols, proper methods of cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting,” Insero said. “They’re watching every move being made in stores and they’re passing judgment immediately. More people will shop in stores that are properly cleaned and disinfected – now more than ever, that’s true.”

It’s an opportunity for grocers to lead: At the time of the webinar, no grocery retailers had yet signed up to pursue accreditation, “but the PR leverage from being first can be significant,” Barrett asserted. GBAC STAR “firsts” their respective categories include Hyatt Hotels, American Airlines, the Las Vegas Convention Center and the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.

The program is performance-based and ongoing: Certification is renewed annually and encompasses ongoing frontline training so grocers can adapt to changing conditions. “We can only imagine how different things will be a year from now,” Barrett said. “GBAC STAR is the beginning of the relationship.”

For more information and to register for the GBAC STAR program, visit https://gbac.issa.com/issa-gbac-star-facility-accreditation/

To view this complete webinar and others in the series, visit https://nga.sclivelearningcenter.com/MVSite/default.aspx