{"id":214,"date":"2026-04-14T00:28:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T00:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sustainability.pricesmart.com\/index.php\/food-products-services\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T00:29:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T00:29:03","slug":"food-products-services","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sustainability.pricesmart.com\/?page_id=214","title":{"rendered":"Food, Products & Services"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Food safety is a top priority at PriceSmart, and we have several programs in place to ensure we maintain the highest quality across our food handling and manufacturing operations.<\/p>

Our latest program includes: <\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Corporate Microbiology Program<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Our Microbiology Program plays a critical role in ensuring the safety and hygiene of food preparation areas. Conducted monthly, this program assesses the hygiene practices of our personnel and the effectiveness of our cleaning procedures. Microbiological testing is performed on surfaces and equipment in the Fresh Kitchen, meat room, rotisserie, and bakery, ensuring compliance with safety protocols and mitigating contamination risks.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Third-Party Food Safety Audits<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Each month, third-party food safety audits are conducted in various food manufacturing areas across different clubs. These audits provide an external, objective assessment of our food safety practices, ensuring ongoing compliance and identifying areas for continuous improvement.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Member\u2019s Selection Offers Customers Exceptional Value<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In keeping with our commitment to offer our customers exceptional quality at the lowest possible prices, in 2006 we created Member\u2019s Selection, our line of private label products. Member\u2019s Selection is now the top-selling brand at PriceSmart.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Reducing plastic packaging<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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We\u2019re pleased to announce that we eliminated plastic wrap on individual rolls of our Member\u2019s Selection bathroom tissue sold in Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, thereby reducing the plastic film used to package this product by more than 50%<\/b> compared to the previous packaging. This is a small but meaningful advance in reducing waste and decreasing our environmental impact. In addition, the tissue itself is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as coming from forests that are sustainably managed.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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At the end of FY2024, 286 employees had participated in seminars in eight countries; the remaining countries hosted seminars in the fall of 2024.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Keeping Things Fresh<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In FY2024, we initiated a series of seminars to bring our Fresh Food Purchasing and Operations teams together to strengthen their skills and knowledge. The seminars combine theoretical and practical training to improve standards, quality, and the presentation of products.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Making Seafood More Sustainable<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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We established a partnership with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and their Center for Marine Biodiversity & Conservation (CMBC) to help inform and develop sustainable seafood procurement practices at PriceSmart. The goals of the initiative included providing education, guidance, and technical support to PriceSmart\u2019s seafood purchasing teams, strengthening their sustainable seafood procurement practices and helping them feel empowered to assess seafood products on their sustainability.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Over the course of three years, researchers from the CMBC\u2019s Sustainable Seafood Initiative hosted eight workshops, both virtually and in-person, that focused various topics related to sustainable seafood procurement. Participants included members of our procurement team as well as staff involved with merchandising, marketing, sustainability, and OmniChannel, our online e-commerce business.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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To capture all the knowledge transmitted in these workshops, the Scripps team created a comprehensive set of procurement guidelines for our buyers to use as a reference, as well as a convenient one-page summary of key questions they should ask vendors.<\/p>

The guidelines cover a wide range of topics pertaining to both wild fisheries and captive aquaculture, the various certifications and ratings in use, and the broader socio-economic importance of sustainable seafood.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The capstone event was the final workshop, held in May 2024 in Barranquilla, Colombia. Reflecting upon their educational journey, here\u2019s what some of the\u00a0 <\/span>PriceSmart team members who participated had to say:<\/i><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\u201cThe Scripps workshops were really impactful and eye-opening. With the insights gained, we are better equipped to have more informed negotiations with our vendors, promoting practices that align with sustainability. By sustainably sourcing today, we can allow species to reproduce, habitats to flourish, and productive ecosystems to be available for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u2013 Patrina Rampersad, Corporate Seafood Buyer, U.S.A.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\u201cThis program has been an exceptional learning experience for me, as I am certain it has been for every participant of the online and in-person workshops. For the Private Label team, this partnership with Scripps\u2019 CMBC is a great example of how we\u2019re always looking for ways to improve. It\u2019s part of our core belief in continuous improvement, which is at the heart of our Member\u2019s Selection brand and everything we do at PriceSmart.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u2013 Mario Zavaleta, General Merchandise Manager, Private Label Fresh Foods and Other Business<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\u201cAttending the Sustainable Seafood Workshop in Colombia was both an eye-opening and educational experience. I gained a deeper understanding of sustainable fishing practices and the importance of preserving marine ecosystems. The workshop\u2019s insights have empowered me to make more informed decisions in my day-to-day work, ensuring that our local sourcing aligns with responsible practices that protect ocean health.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u2013 Keniesha Dunbar, Local Fresh Foods Buyer, Jamaica<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\u201cParticipating in the seminar with Scripps Institution of Oceanography and CMBC has been transformative for our seafood procurement practices. The guidance, technical insights and field visits provided not only deepened our understanding of sustainability in seafood sourcing but also empowered our purchasing team to make informed, impactful choices. This experience has strengthened our commitment to sustainable sourcing, aligning with our goals to support healthier oceans and ensure responsible choices for our Members.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u2013 Daniel Kawer, General Merchandise Manager, Local Fresh Foods, Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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We look forward to continuing to work with Scripps, CMBC, and the Sustainable Seafood Initiative to further improve the sustainability of our procurement practices, in keeping with our commitment to deliver high-quality products to our Members.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Food safety is a top priority at PriceSmart, and we have several programs in place to ensure we maintain the highest quality across our food handling and manufacturing operations. Our latest program includes: Corporate Microbiology Program Our Microbiology Program plays a critical role in ensuring the safety and hygiene of food preparation areas. Conducted monthly, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-214","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainability.pricesmart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainability.pricesmart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainability.pricesmart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sustainability.pricesmart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sustainability.pricesmart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sustainability.pricesmart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/214\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainability.pricesmart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}