SHOP Success Stories
Retailers shopper card program yields purchase histories within 24 hours
During the Salmonella Carrau outbreak, we requested 12 shopper card records from the supermarket, which were all provided within 24 hours of request.
Industry records confirm ground beef purchase information
During the Salmonella Newport ground beef outbreak our agency was able to request records early on in the investigation to confirm ground beef purchase history and exposure information.
Loyalty cards trace purchase history for 92 illnesses
During the 2013 2014 Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak associated with chicken, CDPH obtained shopper purchase records for 92 cases from two grocery store chains. These records were shared with USDA-FSIS and enabled the agencies to conduct trace back on specific chicken products listed on the purchase histories and identify the source of the outbreak.
Receipt verifies consumer purchases in Listeria outbreak
In a 2011 outbreak which sickened 43 people from five states with Salmonella Enteritidis, retailer shopper card records showed that cases had common purchases of pine nuts from bulk bins. This finding ultimately led to a recall of adulterated pine nuts.
Shopper cards identify suspect food vehicle
In a 2014-2015 multi state outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes illnesses associated with commercially produced prepackaged caramel apples, one case provided an original purchase receipt that verified purchase of caramel apples prior to illness onset. This receipt helped focus that investigation and eventually led to a recall.
Retailer streamlines government requests using standardized form
Use of the store’s government shopper card purchase data request form has helped to streamline the process for obtaining shop or purchase information, eliminating the need for notarization of request by case patients.
Using shopper data can help to narrow down suspect foods
Shopper card information helped identify a suspect food vehicle in a case where the ill patients could not recall their food history.
Membership program identifies common food product among ill people
In a 2010 outbreak which sickened 272 people in 44 states with Salmonella Montevideo, retailer membership program records allowed investigators to identify salami product purchases in common amongst the cases. This finding led to a recall and further investigation at the manufacturer, where pepper was identified as the contaminated ingredient.
Novel use of EBT card leads to recall
In a 2019 multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Dublin illnesses from eight states that was linked to ground beef, one case’s Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card was used to look up and identify purchase information, which provided supporting evidence for a recall.
Loyalty purchase data for outbreak investigations has customer support
We have used loyalty data to track food product purchases by reported cases in several outbreaks. We have found the information extremely valuable in identifying potential foods that were implicated in the outbreak. We have also found that the use of loyalty or shopper card data for this purpose is well-supported by consumers.
Membership numbers assist in rapid removal of product
We were investigating a cluster of salmonella cases that reported consuming prepackaged salad mixes (slightly different descriptions) that were purchased from a common chain store. We received permission from cases to obtain their purchase records from the store and the company quickly produced those purchase records. The records identified a common brand and variety of salad mix, which allowed the store to immediately pull the product from store shelves and contact everyone who had purchased the product. This quick response undoubtedly helped prevent further illness.