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.
We suggest working on one section at a time. For instance, gather materials currently used with staff that address employee health and hygiene measures. Take a look at existing written information given to employees and be sure it is consistent with the Food Code regulations in your state. Ideally the written information contains the “who, what, when, where, how, and why”, although not necessarily in that order. Adults want to know the rationale behind specific instructions – that is the why. Does the operations currently have a written standard operating procedure or SOP about handwashing? This is a key basic practice and while it might be easy to “pooh pooh” the need for one, it is necessary to not assume everyone washes their hands when and how they should. Maybe the current communication strategy is posting of signage. If the signage includes the key elements of an SOP, that is ok! Here is one example available through Iowa State University Extension.
…logs provide proof that measurable benchmarks were met. These can be a valuable defense should there be a complaint…or even a lawsuit.
Details of an SOP include what needs to be done (handwashing), why it matters (prevention of contamination), who these pertain to (everyone!), and how to complete (soap, water, 20 seconds) along with when it needs to be done (between clean/dirty and raw/ready to eat) as these specifics avoid confusion.
The good news is that there are many SOP templates available in the public domain that address food safety basics. You might start with developing SOPs that focus on employee health and hygiene; temperature controls for food during receiving, storage, transport, preparation and service; and cleaning and sanitizing (both manual and machine practices). Iowa State University’s Food Safety Project offers these free of charge in a downloadable Word format for Assisted Living, Child Care, Schools, and Restaurants. An operator could start with these and customize for their specific foodservice, such as adding the operation’s logo or adding additional practices. Other written guidance, such as an Employee Handbook template and Cleaning and Sanitizing Guide are also available for download.
Another piece of infrastructure is a record-keeping system. Records provide documentation that food safety practices were followed. Logs are one record-keeping tool. Logs are the document where employees note that specific actions were taken, or metrics met. For instance, a cooking log, where chef’s record end point cooking temperatures of temperature controlled for safety foods, or a service log documents that hot foods were served hot (above 135°F) and cold foods were served cold (below 41°F.). Refrigerator storage logs (often posted on the exterior door of the walk-in) provide at least a daily record that internal temperatures of the unit kept cold foods below 41°F. In essence, the logs provide proof that measurable benchmarks were met. These can be a valuable defense should there be a complaint from someone, or even a lawsuit. Sample logs are available in the Annex of the Food Code.
Once you get the basic written infrastructure completed (SOPs, written communications to employees, and logs), it is important to communicate this with employees, stressing that these are the expectations for this operation. Because some people learn best by reading, some by hearing, some by story-telling, and some by doing, mix it up when in-services are held. There are many online modules and videos available that can be interspersed into the training. FoodHandler has some great videos on handwashing and glove use that can be freely downloaded. A benefit of the training is that it helps build a sense of belonging. Some tips for training were presented at the end of the September 2020 SafeBites webinar, so check that out as a starting point. For those who remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a sense of belonging is part of the search for fulfillment. Many foodservice operators consider their teams as family. Shared experiences like training that reflect best practices also instill a sense of community – these reduce turnover and risk! Risk Nothing!
Food Safety Considerations for the “New Way” of Dining, Part II – Back-of-house
In our first blog this month, we discussed the importance of front-of-house practices as we emerge from the pandemic this summer and into fall. Making your guests feel safe will be an important point as we welcome them back to our establishment. The safer they feel, the more likely they are to revisit and this could, in turn, be a competitive advantage for your business.
Food Safety Considerations for the “New Way” of Dining
Spring is my favorite time of year, as we head out of the winter months, welcome warmer weather, and increase the daylight hours. As such, we turnover a new leaf and welcome new life as our grass, trees, and perennials come out of dormancy. This year as the Coronavirus vaccine continues its roll out and we welcome a third vaccine onto the market this morning, perhaps this spring we are turning over a ‘new leaf’ in a much more profound way, as we see light at the end of the Coronavirus tunnel.
Developing Good Food Safety Habits
Good habits and habit development are something that has fascinated me for several years. If you’ve attended any the training programs or presentations that my colleagues and I have conducted through our Center for Food Safety in Child Nutrition Programs, you’ve likely heard me opine about the importance of habits and how habits are created. Many times, in foodservice operations we wonder why our staff don’t follow the food safety practices we have established in our operation. Perhaps they don’t wash their hands when they are required, perhaps they just don’t use the proper method of handwashing, or perhaps we find that they don’t complete our HACCP logs as often as our program dictates should occur. And while we can stomp our feet and say “it is their job, they should just do it”, it really isn’t that simple. We can’t order people to change, although if we could, business and human resources would be so much simpler.
Getting Your Playbook for Food Safety Organized
As anyone who has ever worked in a foodservice operation knows, from the time food is received in your establishment to the time it is served to your customers, following proper food safety practices is crucial. What many don’t often think about is this time really should extend from the time the manager places their orders with their suppliers (including which purveyors you utilize), through the time the food is consumed – even if that consumption occurs off your premises and days after the original order was picked up by the guest. This is something that has certainly been highlighted by the pandemic as customers across the nation are utilizing take-out, curbside to go, and third-party delivery options more so now than ever before.
