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 location before restaurant owners and managers are willing to make necessary lasting changes. Lately it seems that salmonella has been slipping past ignorant food handlers and right to consumers’ mouths. Many food handlers don’t understand that they probably have salmonella in their kitchens every day, and if proper food safety procedures are not followed, salmonella will end up on customer plates.

Salmonella Outbreaks Are Dangerous and Costly

Firefly and Iguana Joe’s are the most recent victims of a salmonella outbreak. Firefly’s outbreak resulted in at least 294 confirmed illnesses with a possible source being chorizo. Iguana Joe’s currently has a dozen people sick with 7 being children.

The source of the Iguana Joe’s outbreak is still unknown, but looking at their last few inspections, the source is probably the lack of basic food safety understanding by its cooks, managers and owner. When the health department started its investigation, it found 27 violations in 1 inspection. Inspectors went back the next day and found another 29 demerits. Two days later, they returned and recorded 24 demerits and discarded 45 pounds of food. Clearly, Iguana Joe’s doesn’t understand what food safety is, but the restaurant still remained open until the health department returned the next day and identified another 27 violations. Finally, the restaurant was closed. Given the complete lack respect for the food that Iguana Joe’s handles, I’m surprised it has taken this long for an outbreak to happen there. The restaurant eventually received a perfect score, prompting the health department to reopen Iguana Joe’s with no plans for a follow up.

My favorite case study of a restaurant’s complete disregard for the food it handles is Chili’s from 2003. This salmonella outbreak resulted in 300 sick people, including many Chili’s employees across multiple locations in the area. Not only were the locations closed for periods of time, but the health department also sent an invoice to Chili’s for $32,000 to reimburse them for the time and resources they used during the investigation.

Restaurant Employees Are the Last Line of Defense Against Salmonella

Restaurant food handlers and management need to respect the pathogens that they accept into their kitchens every day. They are the last line of defense from foodborne illness between the pathogens and their customers. Failing to recognize the consequences results in sick people and restaurant closures, sometimes for good.

Food safety plans should be followed and verified daily to ensure staff are on track. To not have a food safety plan is reckless and irresponsible. Restaurants can look to HACCP principles to develop a plan. All staff should be familiar with the plans, with regular training and internal audits to prove the plan is being followed.

Restaurant owners: Don’t wait until salmonella slips past your defenses before you begin to develop a plan. Don’t let your restaurant be another salmonella victim. If you need help customizing a plan that’s right for you, I’d be happy to help. Contact me at Dennis@ResproFSP.com.

If you’re looking for training on how to prevent salmonella and other foodborne illnesses, this blog has a lot of information that will help! Have a look around the Utah Food Safety Blog. Here are some links to get you started:

• How an Internal Audit Will Improve Food Safety
• Foodborne Illness Outbreaks Can Happen Anywhere
• Restaurant 911: Prevent Imminent Health Hazard Closures