Despite Gallup Polls, the US Does Have the Safest Food Supply in the World
As I settled into work one morning last week, a headline popped up on my computer noting that confidence in the government’s ability to ensure food safety is at a record low in the United States. To be honest, even though the Boar’s Head Listeria Outbreak that I discussed in my last blog post [...]
Navigating the Latest Listeria Outbreak…again
Welcome to Food Safety Education Month! Late last month in my blog we talked about this once-a-year time to focus on educating your employees and amping up your food safety plan for the next year. But as we end out the summer, we find ourselves in the midst of a large-scale foodborne illness outbreak. [...]
Evaluating Food Safety
One of the suggestions I made in the last blog was to assess the food safety culture in your organization by observing the food handling techniques of workers. Let’s explore that some more. You can do an overall assessment or you can hone in on specific areas of the operation, such as production or cleaning practices. Remember, when the environmental health inspector visits your operation, he/she just gets a snapshot of what is going on in your operation on that particular day at that specific time. You are there nearly every day, so you have a much better understanding on what really happens in your operation.
Produce Safety: Special Considerations
In our last blog, I talked about general produce safety. Today, I want to talk about some special products—melons, tomatoes, leafy greens, and sprouts. These are all foods that have a history of bacterial contamination leading to foodborne illness. I also want to discuss salad bars because they have some special risks.
Fresh and Tasty Produce, but are there Food Safety Concerns?
One of the best things about the middle of summer is the wonderful variety of tasty fresh produce that is available. I hope you are enjoying the fruits of the harvest because it has great flavor and provides us with a variety of important vitamins, minerals, and fiber needed to maintain good health.
SafeBites Time and Temperature Control: Why & When
Hi Everyone – Cathy here. Having written the SafeFood Blog for Iowa State University for over ten years, I am happy to have the opportunity to work with FoodHandler in my retirement. Jeannie and I share with FoodHandler a passion for making sure food served is safe.
