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...]
5 Reasons Restaurants Need the Food Safety Nation Newsletter
Last week we launched the Food Safety Nation newsletter for restaurants and were pleased to see so many owners and managers signing up. Each edition will provide up-to-date and relevant articles about restaurant food safety, sustainability, technology and training. Every day restaurants go through worst-case scenarios such as outbreaks, government closures and crippling lawsuits. Each edition of the newsletter will inform subscribers of the necessary information about cases like these in order to learn from them. If you haven't subscribed yet, you should so you can start learning not only how to protect your restaurant operation but also your brand. Here are more reasons for signing up for … [Read more...]
Building a Food Safety Nation for Restaurants
Sign up below to receive the Food Safety Nation newsletter, and we'll send you the best links related to the restaurant industry. SUBSCRIBE HERE Brought to you by the creators of Respro Food Safety, Food Safety Nation is a network of restaurant professionals providing and sharing the latest in food safety and sustainability for restaurants. We will be scouring the internet every day to find expert information and important news that all restaurant operators should know. Now more than ever restaurants need to pay attention to their food safety practices and learn from past mistakes to prevent illness and protect their brands. Food Safety Nation will be creating content in an … [Read more...]
Food Safety and Energy Management
Respro is very excited to announce that we have secured the rights to sell SiteSage, an intelligent energy management system, to our customers in Utah. SiteSage is a comprehensive system produced by Powerhouse Dynamics that monitors and analyzes energy usage and provides diagnostics to monitor appliance performance and health. It identifies where and when power is used and wasted, provides targeted recommendations, and helps restaurant owners lower bills up to 30%. It allows restaurant operators to see in real time where their utility costs are and how to reduce them. In addition to real-time analytics of energy costs, SiteSage uses sensors to track cold temperatures as well as water … [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...]
Dennis Keith has been working as a restaurant and food safety professional for more than 20 years.