Worried About Food Safety? Why Costco Does It Best.

Costco has a lot of underrated perks, but you’re likely overlooking the biggest one of all: the fact that Costco is the safest grocery store to shop at. (Just don’t tell that to 9-year-old me who lost her mom in a Costco for approximately seven minutes and thought that she was going to die, because she probably will not believe you.) Sorry, young Lauren, but it’s the truth! Costco is safe!

Of course, the reason that Costco is the safest grocery store in America has nothing to do with children and everything to do with the way that the retailer deals with the wild world of food recalls and how its inventory is handled/produced.

Remember the havoc that ensued last year after that massive romaine epidemic, followed by a recall that felt like it lasted for weeks? (We do, because we were in the middle of eating every single salad kit in America.) If you’re not the kind of person who has the U.S. Food and Safety Inspection Services set as your homepage or gets push notifications from FoodSafetyNews.com, you might not have known that your caesar salad kit wasn’t safe to eat — unless you happened to be a Costco member.

Costco has a recall alert system, which not only notifies members about product recalls, but specifically emails members who have actually purchased the item at risk. This targeted recall system applies to more than just food, too, including gadgets, furniture, and gear. (And yes, even those water bottles that were just recalled.)

Of course, some other stores — warehouse clubs and mainstream grocery stores — do this too. Additionally, Costco apparently has an internal food safety team that actually goes out and shadows auditors who inspect various vendors. “There may be other retailers that do this some, but Costco is tops in intensity of their program,” says one auditor on Twitter. They check on suppliers, give feedback, provide trainings, and make requests! Members can rest assured that whatever item you purchase at Costco is fully vetted.

Don’t you just feel safer knowing that Costco does these two things?

Does your go-to grocery store contact you with relevant recalls, too? Weigh in below!