September is National Food Safety Month: The Future of Food Safety
Each September we recognize the importance of food safety every day in our operations by celebrating National Food Safety Month. This year’s theme, The Future of Food Safety, emphasizes the changing environment in which foodservice operates. Each week of September has a unique focus:
- Regulation Changes—Staying compliant with new regulations
- Suppliers—Best practices for receiving food
- Consumers—Responding to new trends and technologies
- Employees—Their role in ensuring food safety
Go to www.foodsafetyfocus.com to download resources related to these four focus areas.
At FoodHandler, we believe that food safety should be the focus in foodservice operations every day. This month our blog presents ideas for creating a positive food safety culture, which we believe forms the foundation for a strong food safety program. We are pleased to provide on-going support for operators through webinars, blogs, signage, logs, and other resources. Let us know how we can support you—
The Future of Food Safety is important for all of us. Do something extra this month to focus on food safety—provide a training session, use a table tent to communicate to customers your concern for food safety—let your imagination run wild!
Food Defense Plan Resources – at just the right price…
Earlier in the month, I discussed the importance of having a solid food defense plan in place for your foodservice operation. Even if the first version of your plan is not perfect, it is a start. Having plans down on paper will force you to think through the process and ensure the vulnerable points where opportunities exist for possible contamination within the operation are mitigated.
Don’t Turn a Blind Eye to Your Food Defense Practices
Late last week, as I mindlessly scrolled through Twitter, I ran across a Tweet suggesting the #IceCreamChallenge from summer 2019 was the real cause of the Coronavirus spread. Of course, the Tweet was made tongue in cheek, but it did cause me to reflect on that challenge, which had a short life on social media in the summer of 2019.
Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes: Serious Threats to the Safety of Food
Earlier in the month, I mentioned the top microbial enemies we all face in foodservice operations, E. coli, Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes. While we discussed E. coli and Campylobacter, we did not get around to discussing Salmonella or Listeria monocytogenes.
E. coli, Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes…oh my!
Last month, I blogged a bit about the human factor in food safety. In the foodservice management realm, I do think the human factor is our biggest challenge, day in, day out. While the human factor is a major contributor to most foodborne illness outbreaks, we can’t forget about the microbial enemy we face on a daily basis.
