Food Poisoning: Responding to a Complaint
In our first blog we covered background on investigations of foodborne illnesses. The SafeBites webinar on October 21st will discuss the process more thoroughly. If you haven’t already registered, registration is still open! In this blog, we offer some suggestions on responding to a direct complaint from a customer who thinks they got sick from eating at your foodservice. Responding to anonymous postings on social media is a whole other subject!
Long before you ever receive that call or email from a guest who thinks the food they consumed at your operation made them sick, obtain or prepare an intake form to guide the conversation with the customer. Most health inspectors or restaurant associations have a form that foodservice managers can use to collect information. Ideally, a designated staff member is charged with this responsibility to ensure continuity with those involved in the incident, as well as consistent actions and messages. It is helpful if this person has a good working relationship with the health inspector, as some of the information taken may be useful in an investigation of widespread outbreaks.
Long before you ever receive that call or email from a guest who thinks the food they consumed at your operation made them sick, obtain or prepare an intake form to guide the conversation with the customer.
Recognize the person calling may be upset, so stay calm and request the information that will help pin point the potential problem. Ask them their name and contact information; when they ate at the location (date and time); what they ate and drank; number in their party; what food they suspect caused their illness; symptoms experienced and duration; medical treatment obtained; and name of healthcare provider. If they are still experiencing symptoms, tell them to obtain a stool sample.
Thank them for the contact and promise to investigate. Then do so and follow up after the investigation is completed! Check with staff working the day of the reported incident to see if any were feeling ill. Check storage and production records to ensure there was no temperature abuse of any food. If possible, isolate the suspected food item. Check purchasing records to determine source of the food. If there are multiple calls with similar symptoms and circumstances, contact the local health inspector. It is much better to work with them as an ally, rather than them coming in as your adversary. In many cases, the health department can get a head start on testing samples if you are working closely with them to mitigate the problem and ensure public health. The operation’s legal consultant and insurance agent should also be informed of the situation.
Having the records available assists the management team in demonstrating that reasonable care was taken through the flow of food within the operation to control for any risks. The “paper trail” documents that reasonable care actions were communicated to staff (through SOPs and other written procedures) and were taken, as evidenced by cooking and storage logs. Without such documentation, reconstruction of what actually occurred gets blurry. An organization with written documentation has a good foundation because expectations are identified and clearly communicated.
Following the internal investigation, should it be found that this was an isolated incident that happened weeks ago and the individual calling did not seek medical treatment, the operation might still wish to provide some type of complimentary service as a token of the customer’s loyalty, without admitting to any wrong doing. All actions taken should be noted on the complaint form and kept with other records. Risk nothing!
Getting Started with Building the Infrastructure
Hopefully in our first January blog, we convinced you of the importance of establishing an infrastructure within your operation to support a safe food culture. So, how does one go about doing this? Well, like any major project, break it into small bites. In our opinion, having a written guide for employees that documents expectations related to food safety basics of employee health and hygiene, temperature controls, and cleaning and sanitizing is the first step. Having this documentation serves as a reference for training and helps fulfill the mission of most foodservice operators which is to serve safe, quality food.
Food Safety Resolutions for the New Year
Finally, 2020 is in our rearview mirror and we can all turn the page to 2021! Resolutions for the new year might be more of the same from prior years (lose weight, exercise more, less screen time, etc.) OR you may have identified new practices to implement in your operation. If the latter, likely goals included some practices related to food safety – especially given the turmoil of 2020 and heightened concern by customers. It is our philosophy that attention to safe food handling practices is a win-win for any operation because of the direct relationship between food safety and food quality, which in turn leads to customer satisfaction. This past year has also demonstrated that attention to safety can affect the bottom line. Thus, the topic of our first SafeBites webinar for 2021 is on the topic of the return on investment of food safety, it is scheduled for January 20, so register now and please plan to attend.
To Toss or Not to Toss? That is the question.
Our first blog for the month emphasized the basic safe food practices needed to keep you and your guests healthy (and happy!), especially during these times of COVID. The impact of foodborne illness can range from an uncomfortable few days to hospitalization or death. Foodborne illness IS preventable and the steps taken to keep food safe also maintain quality of food, and ultimately profitability. Think of attention to food safety as part of quality control and a win-win business strategy. Knowledge about food safety can be helpful when controlling costs as making wise decisions when determining the fate of unserved food can affect the bottom line.
Holiday Food Safety Controls
In case you have not noticed - the holidays are here! We have seen store decorations up since mid-September and early bird deals advertised for several weeks, stretching the typical Black Friday deals throughout the month as retailers strive to ensure market share, while following increasingly stringent mandates for physical distancing
