Be Prepared! Is YOUR Foodservice Ready to Respond to an Emergency?

The last few months, we have been thinking a lot about emergency or disaster situations. While both of us are “half glass full” type of people, we do recognize the value of having a plan just in case! One only has to see the news to become aware that Mother Nature can, on occasion, be cruel (Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Earthquakes, oh my!). Add in situations created by humans (fires, broken water mains, etc.) and it is clear that odds are something can cause a disruption in your foodservice operation. So, being prepared (just like a Boy Scout) is the right thing to do. 

In the first blog for this month, we will provide an overview of how to get prepared. Our second blog will cover some action steps in responding to specific types of emergencies. 

We finished out the 2019 SafeBites™ Webinar series on this very topic–being prepared for emergency situations. You can watch the archived version here.

One theme of the presentation was to be prepared! This means identifying what type of emergencies could affect your operation, and establishing a communication and action plan should these occur. We strongly encourage close collaboration with your local health inspector—that individual has great expertise to assist you in developing a good plan and will give final approval to your plan. Your state agencies and federal government offices have LOTS of resources available to assist in developing an emergency preparedness plan specific for your operation. For instance, a foodservice located in Iowa has a pretty small chance of experiencing a hurricane while one in Florida is not likely to have a blizzard! But all foodservices, located anywhere, have a chance that there will be disruption in utility services or that there will be an incident involving bodily fluids (vomitus or blood). In fact, recent versions of the Food Code require foodservices to have written plans to address both of these scenarios. Health inspectors can guide your operation’s actions so that you are compliant with local codes, should this situation occur.

The value of having a written plan is that it provides guidance to all staff members. While the person in charge likely has in their head what should be done if a certain event were to occur, it would be very difficult to communicate that to everyone in sufficient detail in order to achieve a satisfactory outcome. Former CEO Lee Iacoccaonce said, “A plan is not a plan until it is on paper – it is just an idea”. 

There are multiple resources available to assist in writing the plans. Templates from Iowa State University and government agencies are available.

The emergency plan should support the foodservice’s food safety plan. For instance, a standard operating procedure (or SOP) in the food safety plan outlining what to do if there is disruption of potable water provides guidance to staff in the case of an emergency.

In the webinar, we also discussed the importance of making the plan known to staff through training and conducting of mock drills. Readers of a certain age may remember bomb drills in school during the Cold War while all of us have been in a fire drill or two (or many more!). The purpose of drills is to exercise the appropriate actions to take so that our reactions are familiar, if not routine. 

A closing question to ask yourself is “Does my operation have written guidance on who should act, what actions should be taken, and when these should take place if an emergency situation were to occur?” Those of you familiar with the Lion King will remember the song – Be Prepared. Being prepared is a way to lower risks of injury, illness, and loss. Being prepared is being proactive. Risk Nothing! 

Welcome to National Food Safety Education Month!

In September of each year, we not only have the opportunity to celebrate Labor Day, but we also welcome National Food Safety Education Month! It is this time of the year when it is important to remember that Foodborne illnesses are still a major concern in the United States, although I am guessing many Americans don’t think about the safety of the food they eat as they go throughout their daily lives.  The statistics show one in every six Americans will suffer from a foodborne illness each year, for a total of about 48 million cases each year.

Protecting Fresh Produce Post-Harvest, Integral to Safe Food

During the height of the summer, at least in the Midwest, farmers markets are in full swing and fresh produce is plentiful. Every backyard gardener is reaping the benefits of their work, with bountiful harvests of tomatoes and cucumbers. Everyone seems to have a neighbor who is trying to pawn off his or her over-production of cucumbers or summer squash during this time of year.  When picking up that produce at the farmer’s market or from your neighbor down the street, have you ever given any thought to the microbial safety of it?  Honestly, even in my position, it certainly is NOT the first thing that comes to my mind.  But, earlier this month, I came across a news story out of Wisconsin discussing a Salmonella outbreak associated with shelled peas sold at a local farmers market. Who would have thought shelled peas would be impacted?  The story noted, and it served as a great reminder, that most outbreaks associated with Salmonella in produce are due to mistakes made in handling or transportation of produce after harvesting.

Properly Cleaning and Sanitizing: The Right Chemical Mix to Maintain Ultimate Effectiveness

A few weeks ago, my family and I had the pleasure of setting sail on a cruise vacation. It is truly one of the only ways that I find that I am able to unplug from work and relax for a small spell. However, as I walked around the ship in our post-COVID world, I couldn’t help but admire all the extra cleaning steps the staff were undertaking to keep us all as safe as possible while in the middle of the ocean with 3,000 other vacationers. All of this cleaning and sanitizing had me thinking about how we each clean and sanitize our own operations and which chemicals we chose to use.