Brushing up on Hygiene: Are Nail Brushes the Unsung Hero of Clean Hands?
Lauren Larson2024-06-10T14:42:43+00:00Last month, I focused the discussion within the blogs on handwashing. One aspect of handwashing that I did not cover was the use of [...]
Clean Hands, Safe Eats: Considerations to Improve Handwashing Compliance
Lauren Larson2024-05-10T19:45:15+00:00In my blog earlier this month, I discussed a bit of the art and science behind handwashing. If you are reading a blog post [...]
Clean Hands, Safe Eats: The Art and Science of Handwashing in Foodservice Operations
Lauren Larson2024-05-10T19:40:26+00:00Last week, I had the pleasure of joining one of our FoodHandler partners, Martin Bros. Distributing, for a Webinar on handwashing. During the webinar, [...]
Understanding Food Contamination in Foodservice Operations
Lauren Larson2024-04-19T13:56:10+00:00Within this blog, I’ve provided a lot of details about the finer points of food safety – from making sure your kitchen staff is [...]
Neglected Safety: CDC Report Casts Doubts on the Ability of the Foodservice Industry to Ensure Ill Workers Stay at Home
Food Safety Experts2023-06-05T19:52:32+00:00Early in June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report outlining foodborne illness outbreaks in retail foodservice establishments. The report outlined outbreaks from 25 state and local health departments from 2017 through 2019.
Does Temperature Really Matter when Washing your Hands?
Food Safety Experts2023-02-14T15:43:31+00:00In January, I reviewed the changes to the 2022 Food Code in my blog (check out Part I and Part II), and one change to the food code that I had mentioned, but didn’t discuss in-depth, was the change that lowered the water temperature a hand sink was required to produce to 85°F, as noted in Section 2-202.12 of the code. This requirement has been in place since the publishing of the 2001 Food Code, which required a water temperature of 100°F. Prior to this, 110°F was required (see the 1999 Food Code). So why the change and does water temperature when washing your hands really matter?
Hand sinks: Often Taken for Granted, but an Essential Part to Effective Hand Hygiene
Food Safety Experts2023-02-14T15:42:27+00:00Late in January, I received a question about hand sinks in a foodservice operation. The question pertained to school staff (teachers and aides) who were using a hand washing sink in the school kitchen. The question came as a matter of who was allowed access to the kitchen to use the sink, but the question itself caused me to go down a rabbit hole of requirements for hand washing sinks in foodservice operations.
Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Employee Health as we head into the Winter Months
Food Safety Experts2022-12-13T16:03:55+00:00Early this month, I ran across an article discussing an outbreak investigation in the Australian Capital Territory. The outbreak caused more than 200 people to fall ill and was one of the most widespread outbreak investigations in the history of the territory. The cause was traced back to Norovirus, a virus I am sure you have heard us opine about in this blog before.
Exclusion and Restrictions: Understanding Employee Health and the Food Code
Food Safety Experts2022-12-12T18:58:53+00:00I received a call earlier in the month from a foodservice operator who suspected that one of their employees may have fallen ill and wondered if they had to send the employee home for the day. Once I started to ask a few more questions, it became obvious that the operator wasn’t really in-tune with the food code requirements on restrictions or exclusions for employees who may not be feeling well. Given that most operations are dealing with staff shortages currently and the fact that we are about to head into the fall and winter – when we tend to see an increase in upper respiratory and other illnesses, such as the flu - it seemed like a very timely and important topic for the blog this month.
