Her name is Lola and her self-proclaimed superpower is food safety.

Store Manager Lola DiGiuseppi, #898, Vero Beach, Florida, has a contagious, upbeat spirit. She is passionate about helping her store and others in her district with all things food safety.

“Our customers trust the integrity of Publix to serve them safe food for their families,” Lola said. “Food safety is an integral part of protecting our customers and our brand.”

And it’s one of the reasons why Lola shares her passion of food safety wherever she goes.

“I’m proud of my store and associates for following good food safety practices day in and day out. More importantly, they are proud of themselves,” Lola beamed.

Developing a culture of food safety has always been a strength of Lola’s, but she recognizes it doesn’t come naturally to everyone. As the food safety advocate for her district, Lola meets with customer service and assistant store managers to help them prepare their associates for everyday good food safety practices as well as inspections. She uses games, flashcards, treasure hunts and quizzes to teach them how to share what they learn with their teams.

“Food safety is controllable, and there are a lot of fun ways to teach it,” Lola explained. “Associates want to do the right thing; you just have to show them the right way.”

In Lola’s store, she implemented a check called a 10 o’clock walk. Department managers do simple things like checking gasket cleanliness, removing out-of-date products and watching associates take temperatures to see that food is stored and maintained properly. These walks also help managers stay up to date on what to look for in other departments, not just their own.

“Food safety doesn’t have to be boring,” Lola said. “Our 10 o’clock walks show our associates we’re doing it together, and it’s actually a fun team-building exercise. Associates like it because they learn.”

Lola even made food safety pocket cards with key practices and requirements, such as the proper temperature for soup, for managers to reference. For her store, she helped make signs for each department with similar information.

Her advice to Publix associates: Have the confidence in yourself to share your strength with others for the good of Publix. And, of course, be a champion for food safety!