One area of food protection and food safety that often gets overlooked is delivery. Food should always be stored properly even when being delivered. All the same protections should be in place such as holding temperature, separating raw from ready-to-eat foods, and using containers that protect the food from insects or rodents. Food is delivered in many ways. Larger organizations have commissaries that produce food and then send it out to other locations using trucks, suppliers deliver large amounts of food to many restaurants all day, and many restaurants deliver meals right to customers' doorsteps. In each of these cases, the deliverer should be taking proper steps to ensure the food is … [Read more...]
A Restaurant Manager’s Guide to Passing a Health Inspection
Passing a health inspection can be very difficult and may sometimes seem impossible, but policies and procedures can be put in place to help any manager handle a surprise health inspection. Employees have already been trained on keeping track of temperatures, wearing gloves, washing hands and managing their drinks according to the 2009 FDA Food Code, but what can a manager do to make sure these procedures are followed when an inspector shows up? First and foremost, it's extremely important that a manager walk through with the inspector. All employees should be trained that when an inspector arrives, the manager needs to be notified immediately. A manager should accompany the inspector so … [Read more...]
Pesticides and Food
Every year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases its annual report on the "Dirty Dozen." The report outlines information on pesticides and food, specifically the fruits and vegetables that contain the highest levels of pesticides. Not only are the worst 12 ranked, but the cleanest 15 are also ranked. This report causes us to answer the question, Are the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables worth exposing ourselves to harmful pesticides? Also, is "organic" really better since pesticides aren't used? Often in food protection we talk about threats to food safety associated with foodborne illness, but misuse of pesticides can be just as deadly. Pesticides are used to … [Read more...]
Social Media Extortion: Foodborne Illness Edition
Everyone's familiar with the old way of foodborne illness extortion—"You made me sick so give me money or I'll call the health department!" This worked quite well in persuading some managers to give up at least free gift certificates. Now there's a new form of extortion happening by way of social media. The Red Rabbit Kitchen and Bar in Sacramento, California, was faced with this reality. The owners were contacted by a customer who claimed he became ill by eating in their restaurant. The customer demanded $100, and if they didn't pay up, he would post a bad review on the popular restaurant review site Yelp. If you aren't familiar with Yelp, it's a site that allows users to post reviews … [Read more...]
Food Safety Starts with Smart Restaurant Kitchen Design
Designing restaurant kitchens can be very complicated. There are many factors to be considered when planning where to put equipment and what materials to use. Health departments require detailed documents showing the site plan, floor plan, equipment layout and plumbing/mechanical/finish schedules even before any construction begins. These plans should be developed with food safety in mind. The information in this post can be used as a general guide to help new restaurateurs understand health regulations when designing their kitchens. Site Plan A site plan should show the facility and surrounding areas such as parking, storm drains and garbage areas. Most operators want the option to spray … [Read more...]
Dennis Keith has been working as a restaurant and food safety professional for more than 20 years.