The Second Wave: Food Safety Myths That Deserve Your Attention
Walk into any commercial kitchen, and you’ll find hardworking staff following protocols they have learned over the years. Many are correct, but others are dangerously wrong. In our last blog, we started exploring these myths, and once I started, I couldn’t stop!
- Myth #5: Sanitizer Works Instantly
Sometimes our staff see sanitizer as a quick fix: spray, wipe, and move on. In a busy kitchen where speed matters, the assumption is that chemical contact equals instant sanitation. And while we should be happy when employees are using the sanitizer, it takes time for it to be effective.
Each type of sanitizer: chlorine-based, quaternary ammonium compounds, and iodine-based solutions, needs time in contact with the surface to be effective. Contact time will depend on the concentration of the solution. Too weak, and it’s ineffective; too strong, and it leaves toxic residues.
It is also vital to remember that sanitizers only work on clean surfaces, as soil, grease, and food debris can shield bacteria from chemical contact, thereby reducing the overall efficacy of the sanitizer.
…proper cooking can’t undo what happened when food sat in the danger zone for too long…
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· Myth #6: Food Is Safe Once It Reaches the Right Temperature
End-point cooking temperatures are heavily emphasized in food safety training, leading to the belief that hitting 165°F (or other required temperatures) is the endpoint of safety.
Proper cooking can’t undo what happened when food sat in the danger zone. Reaching the correct internal temperature kills pathogens present at that moment, but it doesn’t reverse toxin production that has already occurred due to temperature abuse. For example, Staphylococcus aureus produces heat-stable toxins when food sits in the danger zone. When cooked, the cooking process can kill the bacteria, but doesn’t destroy the toxins, which can still cause severe vomiting and illness. Similarly, Bacillus cereus forms heat-resistant spores that survive cooking. If contaminated rice sits at room temperature after cooking, spores germinate and produce toxins; reheating won’t make it safe. Proper temperature control throughout the entire food flow is critical, not just at the cooking step.
· Myth #7: Buffets and Salad Bars Are Inherently Risky but Unavoidable
Self-service operations carry an elevated risk due to customer handling, extended display times, and potential contamination from one customer to the next. Many operators simply accept violations as part of the business, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
While buffets and salad bars present challenges, proper controls make them as safe as other service styles. The primary risks include time-temperature abuse, cross-contamination from customers, and environmental contamination. The FDA Food Code outlines specific requirements for self-service operations, which, when followed, help mitigate these risks. Operators who dismiss buffet safety as impossible to control create liability and help to perpetuate this myth.
· Myth #8: You Should Wash All Produce, even if it is Pre-Washed
Some employees perpetuate the myth that you should always wash produce, even if it is pre-washed. I think this may harken back to the “we’ve always done it this way” mentality.
However, if the produce packaging notes that the product is “pre-washed,” “triple-washed,” or “ready-to-eat”, please don’t feel the need to re-wash it! If pathogens survive commercial washing during processing, your employees and processes will not reduce pathogens to safe levels through additional washing. In fact, rewashing in your operation creates a greater risk of cross-contamination than using the product straight from the package.
Food safety myths are dangerous precisely because they seem sophisticated or are accepted as “standards” in some businesses. By supporting a food-safe culture, you encourage your employees to challenge every assumption, require evidence-based practices, and never accept “we’ve always done it this way” as justification. Your operation’s success depends on eliminating not just the obvious mistakes, but also the subtle ones that hide in plain sight.
Have you observed some of these myths shared among your colleagues, or do you have stories to tell of your own? We would love to hear them! Drop me a note at foodsafety@foodhandler.com and share them with us. With your permission, I may be able to use them in a future blog. Risk Nothing.
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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.
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.
