The food storage and processing industry has strict regulations and guidelines to follow when it comes to maintaining a clean facility. One failed inspection can cause the entire food facility to shut down since the slightest indication of contamination of food can breed more thousands of pathogens. Different types of food facilities, like dry-food facilities, liquid-food facilities, food retail, and restaurants, breed different kinds of pests, depending on what sort of food is available for them. For this reason, it is imperative to consult a commercial pest control service that specializes in providing service to the hospitality industry for specialized services like rodent removal, … [Read more...]
Get a Restaurant Food Safety Plan in Less than 30 Minutes
Managing food safety in a restaurant can be a daunting task. Oftentimes it can be such a big job that it doesn't get done at all. Restaurants can't afford not to have a food safety plan given the amount of contaminated food delivered each day. At the very least, try to commit 30 minutes at the start of each shift for food safety. If each manager can do this, it will greatly reduce the chance for foodborne illness. If you only have 30 minutes, this is what you should focus on: 1. Check all cold-holding units. Temperature problems are a major source of foodborne illness. Verify the food is at the right temperature. If it's not, call a repair person to look at and fix the unit. Move the … [Read more...]
No Food Safety Plan Means Salmonella Could Land on Customer Plates
Salmonella is one of the most common types of food poisoning. Infection can result in diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps; however, more serious cases can lead to hospitalization, organ failure and even death. As a restaurant inspector, it never ceases to amaze me how cavalier some restaurants are with their food-handling practices. I've talked with so many owners who think foodborne illness can never happen to them despite the laundry list of critical violations they racked up on their last inspection. Unfortunately, it takes a foodborne illness outbreak that results in personal injury to their customers and lawsuits that result in paying major damages, which can often lead to closing the … [Read more...]
How an Internal Audit Will Improve Food Safety
An internal audit is necessary to ensure effective food safety plans. Many food operations are inspected by regulatory agencies yearly or quarterly to check to see that they are following proper food safety procedures. The frequencies that these establishments are inspected are essentially inadequate to preventing foodborne illness. If they were as effective as we hoped, then there wouldn't be any outbreaks, but foodborne illness outbreaks are part of our common food environment. This is a big reason driving the new FSMA regulations. Food processor businesses and retail outlets, such as restaurants, should incorporate their own internal audits or inspections to verify their food safety … [Read more...]
Why Restaurants Should Have a Consumer Advisory
Almost all full-service restaurants offer food that can be served undercooked: steak, eggs, tuna, sushi, oysters, etc. In fact, many customers prefer it. The FDA requires a consumer advisory to inform the customer of this risk. In the FDA Food Code, there are 2 points to the consumer advisory: Identifying the food items it pertains to with an asterisk Health statement The health statement should say something like this: "Thoroughly cooking foods of animal origin such as beef, eggs, fish, lamb, pork, poultry, or shellfish reduces the risk of foodborne illness. Individuals with certain health conditions may be at high risk if these foods are consumed raw or undercooked." Not … [Read more...]
HACCP Plans Are for Anyone Handling Food
When I talk to people about HACCP or ask if they have a HACCP plan, most think it only applies to large operations, but in fact anyone handling food in any way could use HACCP principles to make sure they are safely preparing food. HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points system. This system can be used at every stage in the food chain, from farms and food processors to retail outlets like supermarkets and restaurants. We could go into great detail about how large operations use HACCP starting with assembling a team, designing flow diagrams, and decision trees, but some of these principles are a bit overkill for small retail operations. Let's break this down for the … [Read more...]
Spanish Food Safety Workshops
This past year, Respro started having Spanish food safety workshops. Some would call it a "class," but there are no books, notepads, pencils or tests. It's an honest discussion of food safety topics for Spanish-speaking staff members in restaurants. After a one-hour sit-down discussion, it's common for a tour to be given with the staff and Spanish-speaking food safety professionals in their own restaurant. Open dialogue is had with staff members about their positions, discussing what food safety issues they may be faced with and how to deal with them. Many of our clients have expressed concerns with not having access to enough food safety training materials in Spanish. There are plenty … [Read more...]
Dennis Keith has been working as a restaurant and food safety professional for more than 20 years.