Francine L. Shaw CP-FS, CFSM, FSP, FMP
Food Safety Solutions, INC | 3.2.2015
Every year in this country 48 million people get foodborne
illnesses, 128,000 individuals are hospitalized and 3,000 people die. US
Foodborne illnesses cost 15.6 billion dollars per year…that’s right, BILLION.
Yet, they’re 100% preventable. So why and how does this happen?
In most occurrences it’s really pretty basic. Here are the
statistics: improper holding temperatures (37%), poor personal hygiene (19%), cross
contamination (16%), improperly cleaning and sanitizing the dishes and utensils
(11%), purchasing products from unapproved suppliers (6%). In many cases it is
never determined where the foodborne illness originated. Of those that have
been determined: 61% ate food prepared by foodservice, 32% ate food prepared at
home, and 7% ate food that was commercially prepared i.e. tuna salad, potato
salad, etc.
So how do you know the food you are serving is safe? If you
are being proactive you really should have little doubt; but, so many are
flying by the seat of their pants. Does your facility have a HACCP (Hazard
Analysis and Critical Control Point) plan in place? Do you panic when the
health inspector walks in the door? Are you embarrassed by the results of your
most recent inspection? Do you have at least one food manager on staff? The FDA
FOOD CODE recommends you do, some states and jurisdictions mandate it while
others do not. A savvy restaurant owner would educate their staff either way.
To protect their customers, increase their bottom line and help minimize their
liability. Take your blinders off and look around your facility, does it look
clean? Not just on the surface, but the details. The threshold under the door
where your customers enter, the ceiling vents, the baseboards, is there mold in
the ice chute at the beverage bar?
Now is the time to get back to the basics. Keep HOT food HOT
and COLD food COLD. Hot food should be
held at a minimum of 135⁰F (57⁰C) and cold food should be held at a maximum of
41⁰F (5⁰C). Time and temperature play an
important role in food safety. It’s
paramount that food products are cooked
to the correct temperature and stored properly. How do you know this if you
can’t even find the thermometer; or, don’t have one? And, this is just the
beginning!
Are the employee’s washing their hands with soap? Are they
wearing gloves when necessary? Are their uniforms clean? This is all part of
personal hygiene….someone that is preparing food should never wear their apron
into the restroom because….Well, I won’t get into that here.
Education is power. Educate yourself and your team; don’t
allow yourself or your establishment to become one of the statistics in Bill
Marler’s phenomenal food poisoning litigation practice.
Handwashing with soap stops the spread of disease and can
save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention.
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