These days more and more outbreaks are associated with sick employees passing their illnesses to other people while at work. Having employees working while sick is one of the most reckless things any manager or owner of a food establishment can do. Sick employees can transmit illnesses to other employees or, even worse, pass them to customers. Check out what happened at an Illinois McDonald's that led to 34 cases of hepatitis A: Illinois Department of Health Links Hepatitis A Outbreak to Employee Handwashing Sick Employee Policy It is crucial that all restaurants have a solid sick employee policy. Many restaurant managers give employees two options for when employees are sick: 1) … [Read more...]
Hand Washing 101
Proper hand washing is the best defense against foodborne illness and spreading disease. There are many opportunities in a full-service restaurant for the transmission of disease when good hand washing practices are not implemented. Proper Hand Washing Procedure Food employees should wash their hands for 20 seconds using a cleaning compound in a hand wash sink in the following order: Rinse hands under clean, running warm water. Apply cleaning compound. Rub hands together vigorously for at least 10–15 seconds. Remove soil from underneath fingernails. Thoroughly rinse hands under clean, running warm water. Dry hands with a disposable drying towel or hot air. For more on … [Read more...]
Stop Bacteria Growth, Cool Hot Food Quickly
Cooling hot foods is a very important and difficult task for most restaurants. Hot foods that won’t be served right away must be rapidly cooled down and stored in a cold-holding unit below 41° Fahrenheit (F). If this process is done improperly, bacteria will grow, leading to poisoning customers who eat the contaminated food. Reheating will kill some bacteria, but other bacteria form spores and toxins that are heat stable and won’t be killed in the reheating process. Having an effective cooling process will help protect the quality of the food as well as provide a good defense against foodborne illness. Proper Cooling Times and Temperatures Food must be cooled from 140° F to 70° F in the … [Read more...]
Date Marking Keeps Food Safety in Check
Dating and labeling potentially hazardous foods is an important part of maintaining quality and preventing foodborne illness. Even if food is held at the proper temperatures, bacteria will still grow but at a lesser rate. Ready to eat/potentially hazardous foods (RTE/PHF) shouldn't be held for longer than 7 days to ensure the growth of bacteria doesn't reach dangerous levels. Date Marking is required for foods that meet the following criteria: Ready to eat Potentially hazardous Refrigerated Held for more than 24 hours Best Practices for Date Marking After food is prepared, label the container with the name of the product, the date it was made, and who prepared it. Make … [Read more...]
Fight Foodborne Illness: Know the Right Temperature
All restaurants battle with the problem of keeping food in temperature. Knowing the right temperatures for food is key in fighting foodborne illness. Temperature abuse is the most difficult problem to control in the kitchen and can have the worst consequences. All potentially hazardous foods (for example, meats, pastas, cooked foods, cut tomatoes, melons, and cut leafy greens) must not be held between 41⁰ F–135⁰ F. This is what is called the danger zone. If these foods are held in this zone, bacteria that is already present will begin to grow. This is what leads to foodborne illness. What factors are keeping you from controlling temperatures? Equipment: Old, unmaintained, broken, … [Read more...]
Reduce Your Risk of Foodborne Illness, Control Critical Violations
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Respro Food Safety Professionals is an organization of licensed health inspectors dedicated to supporting the restaurant industry in food safety education. We do this through on-site inspections, supplemental training, and food safety consulting. This blog will provide training and tips on the best practices for controlling food safety in restaurants and other food service facilities. Every day, food establishments accept and handle food items that are already contaminated with pathogens that can make your customers sick. Good management practices and policies should be in place to properly manage critical areas of your food operation. Listed below are the 10 most important areas that, if … [Read more...]
Dennis Keith has been working as a restaurant and food safety professional for more than 20 years.