Exceeding guests’ expectations for food quality and safety is a priority at Jack in the Box®. In 1993, we introduced a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) system for the management of food safety at all Jack in the Box restaurants. The first of its kind in our industry, this science-based food-safety-management system incorporated all phases of food handling and preparation to help ensure our guests receive a safe meal.

Our food-safety systems extend to our ingredient suppliers and distributors as well. Each must maintain a HACCP-based food-safety program to help ensure the safety of ingredients supplied to us. Our employees are required to verify their performance through on-site audits conducted by our Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance staff and/or independent third-party auditors certified in the areas of food safety and quality. Microbiological performance and product compliance to specification are constantly monitored.

The Food Safety Lab at Jack in the Box regularly samples ingredients from our suppliers, distributors and restaurants in an effort to verify compliance to product specifications, including microbiological, chemical, physical, organoleptic and visual analysis. These evaluations are intended to continually measure our food-safety systems & performance and to help ensure the quality and safety of our ingredients.

At restaurants, our food quality and safety systems are designed to verify that proper food preparation and handling procedures are taking place every shift, every day. Throughout each work shift, management personnel are required to verify that product-safety procedures are being followed. These checks assess critical items such as correct temperatures, proper use of food-preparation tools, cross-contamination prevention, and continual practice of proper employee health and hygiene. We have teamed with an independent third-party firm to conduct unannounced food-safety inspections at our restaurants throughout the year.

Our food quality and safety program has been recognized as one of the most comprehensive systems in the industry. In 2004, Jack in the Box received the Black Pearl Award from the International Association for Food Protection and the NSF International Food Safety Leadership Award for outstanding food-safety achievements.

Jack in the Box is a member of a coalition of industry members of the National Restaurant Association and the National Council of Chain Restaurants that have demonstrated a corporate commitment to food safety. We work hand in hand with state and local regulatory officials to measure how our restaurants are meeting all public health and food-safety requirements.