IN AN AI WORLD, ENSURE YOUR FOOD SAFETY FUNDAMENTALS ARE ESTABLISHED

In October, I talked about how you could use artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance your food safety program. And while AI and other forms of technology are revolutionizing the way we work and live, there are some things related to food safety that technology can’t do for us.  One of those things is making sure that we have a sound baseline of food safety programs in place within our businesses. With HACCP programs, we would refer to these as prerequisite programs.

At the core of every foodservice operation lies a commitment to the well-being of our guests. These prerequisite programs play a vital role in ensuring the safety and well-being of our guests and provide the framework that helps safeguard against potential hazards and upholds the highest standards of food safety. Without them in place, all other food safety programs – such as HACCP – would fail.  These steps help us establish a systematic approach to prevent, identify, and control potential hazards that could compromise the safety of the food we serve.

Among the common prerequisite programs that help build this sold foundation for food safety program to thrive are knowledge, cleaning and sanitizing, personal hygiene, maintenance, supplier control, and pest control.

THESE PREREQUISITE PROGRAMS PLAY A VITAL HEY ROLE IN ENSURING THE SAFETY AND WELL-BEING OF OUR GUESTS AND PROVIDE THE FRAMEWORK THAT HELPS SAFEGUARD AGAINST POTENTIAL HAZARDS AND UPHOLDS THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF FOOD SAFETY.

Knowledge: At the very base, in my opinion, is having basic food safety knowledge. This knowledge starts with passing a reputable food safety training program and becoming certified. If you’d like to know about the different certification programs, check out our blog from a month or two ago discussing these. Are these training programs the be-all and end-all of food safety? Of course not.  Many people have the knowledge of how to do something, but don’t do it. Everyone knows they should eat fruits and vegetables each day and exercise, does everyone do it?  No!  Most people know you should not speed.  Does everyone do it? No!  But the truth is that you can’t practice something you simply don’t know. So, it all starts with knowledge.  You must know basic food safety principles.

Cleaning and Sanitizing: Thorough and regular cleaning of food preparation surfaces, utensils, and equipment is essential to eliminate contaminants. Sanitizing further reduces the risk of harmful microorganisms, ensuring a safe environment for food handling and preparation. Have an SOP in your business and make sure your employees know how to properly do it.

Personal Hygiene: The importance of personal hygiene cannot be overstated. Proper handwashing, the proper use of gloves, and employee health monitoring contribute significantly to preventing the spread of pathogens and ensuring you are serving safe food.

Maintenance: The equipment we use in foodservice operations are, let’s just say, well used. At times, they are not so well loved. This is hard to do in some operations where you have limited staff and sometimes limited knowledge of proper maintenance but is critical in preventing potential hazards. Regular inspections and proactive maintenance practices ensure that equipment functions as intended, reducing the risk of contamination or proliferation of microorganism.

Supplier Control: The safety of the food we accept into our establishment is critical. Thus, making sure our suppliers have effective control measures in place that protects the integrity of raw materials is vital to help mitigate the risk of foodborne illness.

Pest Control: Implementing effective pest control measures, including regular inspections, proper waste disposal, and sealing entry points, safeguards the facility from contamination. Make sure employees know how vital this is and report any pest sightings.

Each and every foodservice operation will be just a bit different in terms of which programs they need. While you may not need a full-HACCP program in your foodservice operation, you do need to have the basics. Take time today to make sure your basics are in-place and that they are functioning like you think they should be.

Later this month, we will be releasing our fourth and final SafeBites Webinar for the year, “Cold and Flu: Prepare for the Season…it’s Coming!,” which will present strategies to help control the cold and flu in your business this season and protect your employees and your guests.  We hope that you will have some time this Holiday season to listen to it. If you have any food safety questions, I’m  just a quick email away and am happy to help with whatever you might be wondering about. Risk Nothing.

Is Implementing a Color-Coded Food Safety Plan Right for your Operation?

Foodborne pathogens are by far the most prevalent cause of foodborne illness in the United States and across the world.  There are 31 known agents that cause foodborne illnesses, and more that are unspecified or yet undiscovered – remember, E. Coli 0157:H7 wasn’t identified until the early-1980s. It is estimated each year, 48 million illnesses occur because of these known and unknown pathogens, resulting in over 3,000 deaths.

Maintaining your Equipment: Is it the Missing Ingredient in your Recipe for Food Safety?

Although I am no longer in day-to-day operations, between our students and foodservice lab at the university and my volunteer activities in my local church, I keep a close hand in food production. This past week, I had the opportunity to lead a group of men at our church in preparation of a luncheon for 100 women who were attending a spirituality retreat.  Over the course of the morning, I realized our main cooler in the kitchen was not functioning properly and was about 10˚F above the required temperature.  While we do have a commercial kitchen, we do not routinely log temperatures, so when the unit started to malfunction is questionable.  Even more concerning was not the lunch we were preparing for, but the dinner that was served the night before for 300+ families in the parish.

Contamination of Food: Chemicals, Pesticides, and more, Oh My!

If you have followed our blogs, you have often heard us opine about food safety-related behavior and communication, food traceability, and other overarching food safety topics.  We often don’t get into the weeds and discuss topics you may have learned about in your food safety training.  But I thought we might circle back around and dig into a few of these topics for a few blogs.  This month, I’d like to discuss food contamination, this blog will focus on chemical contamination of food and later this month, we will discuss physical contaminates.