I’m too Busy to Wash my Hands!

By Francine L. Shaw

This is part two of a four-part series on building a food safety culture in your establishment by Francine L. Shaw, president, Food Safety Training Solutions, Inc.

Several years ago, I walked into a kitchen to conduct an audit. The head chef had five pairs of single-use gloves layered on his hands. When I questioned his behavior, he pointed to the sink and stated, “Ma’am, the sink is way over there. I don’t have time to walk that far every time I need to wash my hands!”

I couldn’t believe it. I’m sad to say that I’ve actually seen many people—including professionally trained kitchen staff—practice this erroneous behavior.

Oftentimes during kitchen inspections, trainings and audits, I tell foodservice employees to change their single-use gloves and wash their hands. I also explain that single-use gloves are only effective when used properly: one pair at a time, with proper handwashing each time they’re changed.

I’ve witnessed restaurant employees wear and not change their single-use gloves when opening cooler doors, checking cellphones, touching their hair or face, handling money, or touching other objects, such as doorknobs, menus, garbage bags, etc. These are all examples of classic cross-contamination, yet they happen daily because employees either don’t realize the danger or don’t feel they have time to wash their hands.

Handwashing with soap stops spread of disease & saves more lives than vaccine or medical…

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Handwashing with soap stops the spread of disease and can save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention. Each year, 19 million people get food poisoning due to improper handwashing. Improper handwashing can lead to each of the Big 6 Foodborne Illnesses:

1. Hepatitis A virus
2. Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC)
3. Norovirus
4. Salmonella Typhi
5. Salmonella Non-Typhoidal (NTS)
6. Shigella

Not to mention Staphylococcus aureus and more. Again, simple mistakes like a lack of handwashing or improper use of single-use gloves can sicken or even kill your guests and potentially destroy your brand.

Everyone assumes tragedies happen to the other guy. Well, what if the other guy is you? A foodborne illness or outbreak can destroy your company’s reputation, result in lawsuits and potentially put you out of business.

#Norovirus affects 1 in 15 ppl and is 100% preventable. Retweet to help prevent. @FSTS3787 #ACFChefs

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Norovirus is the most common foodborne illness. It affects 1 in 15 people (approximately 20 million Americans) and causes 570 to 800 deaths annually. Norovirus is 100% preventable. On average, each of us gets Norovirus five times during our lifetime, leading to horrible gastrointestinal distress. If an employee neglects to wash their hands after using the restroom, one gram of fecal matter on the hands can host 1,000,000,000,000 germs! Norovirus is highly contagious and easily spreadable from dirty hands to food and other surfaces. Therefore, norovirus is a huge threat within the food service industry.

Several recent studies indicate that employees come to work even when they’re sick and 70% of infected workers cause about 70% of reported norovirus outbreaks. It takes as few as 18 norovirus cells to cause illness and there is no cure. Hand sanitizers do not prevent norovirus. The only way to prevent norovirus is to wash your hands regularly and properly.

Hand sanitizers do not prevent #norovirus, only handwashing does. @FSTS3787 #ACFChefs

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Norovirus can persist for days and even weeks on surfaces. Cold, moist conditions help it survive even longer. On hard surfaces, such as faucets, counters and door handles, the virus can survive up to 12 hours. On soft surfaces, such as carpet, norovirus can thrive up to 12 days. Some studies say the virus can persist even longer.

To help prevent norovirus, don’t allow employees to work while they are vomiting or have diarrhea, and then not for at least 24 hours after these symptoms stop.

Follow these steps to reduce the risk of any outbreak:

1. Wash hands with soap and hot water (a minimum of 100 degrees);
2. Apply soap;
3. Scrub hands well, including in between fingers and under fingernails;
4. Rinse under clean running water;
5. Dry with clean, single-use towel;
6. Turn faucet off with towel;
7. Use towel to open door;
8. Wash hands again when you return to your work station; and
9. Implement a double handwashing policy. Wash your hands once in the restroom and again when returning to the work station.

The average door handle has about 360 types of bacteria on it? @fsts3787 #ACFChefs

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Make sure good hygiene is part of your food safety culture. Proper and regular handwashing can significantly help prevent food safety incidents and outbreaks, so make sure that your employees are washing their hands!

If it Can Happen to Chipotle, It Can Happen to You.

Originally published in the December issue of Total Food Service Magazine.

If you work in the food service industry, you’re likely aware that fast casual chain, Chipotle, has experienced three foodborne illness outbreaks in the past three months. Since August, there have been reports of Norovirus, Salmonella, and E.coli – 3 of the “BIG 6” reportable foodborne illnesses.

This has been a real crisis for Chipotle. Including all three outbreaks, 44 restaurants were closed in three states, and hundreds of people became ill. To recover from just one food poisoning incident is challenging enough - many brands never do – but to recover from three incidents will be even more difficult. 

Remember Chi-Chi’s? Chi-Chi's was named "America's Favorite Mexican Restaurant" eight years in a row.  However, one of the worst Hepatitis A outbreaks to ever take place in the U.S. food service industry occurred at a Chi-Chi's in the Pittsburgh, PA area, where four people died and 660 people contracted the virus in 2003.  The incident was eventually traced to green onions at the Chi-Chi's at Beaver Valley Mall in Monaca, PA. Not even a year later, Chi-Chi’s closed its doors. Thankfully, there haven’t been any deaths in the Chipotle outbreak, but three outbreaks in as many months means rebuilding brand confidence is going to be very challenging.

If you’re in the food service industry, it’s time for you to pause and seriously think about your business. Every organization must create policies and procedures, and also make certain that they are being followed. All of the knowledge in the world doesn’t do a bit of good if it’s not applied.

We have an obligation to our guests to be certain that the products we’re serving are purchased from reputable suppliers. Whether you’re buying these products from a national corporation or have made the decision to support local farmers, the food MUST be safe.  What policies do you have in place to be certain that your suppliers are providing you with the safest products possible? I can assure you Chipotle absolutely has strong food safety policies and procedures in place, and their corporate office carefully researches their suppliers. After all, their slogan is “food with integrity”.  

How do you reduce the risks of making your guests ill?

• Purchase from approved reputable suppliers.
• Require your suppliers to have HACCP (Hazzard Analysis and Critical Control Point) plans.  Obtain copies of their documentation for your records.

• Require all management personnel to obtain a Food Manager’s Certification.
• Make certain that everyone on your staff washes their hands appropriately, with soap and hot water, using single-use towels to dry them.
• Keep hot food hot and cold food cold or don’t keep it.
• Food thermometers must be easily accessible – not locked in the office – and should be used to monitor the temperature of food.
• Food thermometers should be calibrated daily at a minimum; I recommend once a shift (and when they are new, prior to their initial use and also if they are dropped).
• Take the temperatures of products upon delivery. If food products are unsafe when they arrive, there is nothing you can do to make them safe later.
• TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN and TRAIN some more. When you have well-trained staff, there’s a much higher chance that they’ll properly prepare the food, which will make your establishment safer and more profitable.  This will also lower your risks for liability, a ruined reputation and other negative fall-out from a foodborne illness incident.

These foodborne illnesses have caused Chipotle’s stock to plunge – only a few days after their biggest gain in four years.  And, of course, its reputation has taken a nosedive, as well, thanks to ongoing negative media stories, which have been running nationwide.  How did this happen to such a reputable company, one who was has grown at a remarkable pace over the past several years? Obviously something is awry.

If multiple foodborne illness incidents can happen to a national brand as reputable as Chipotle, with plentiful resources at their fingertips, it can happen to you, too.  The risks are real in every kitchen, regardless of genre. One mistake and your reputation - and your livelihood - could be over forever. Remember, foodborne illnesses are 100% preventable, so prevent them from happening in your restaurant!

Francine L. Shaw is President of Food Safety Training Solutions, Inc., which offers a robust roster of services, including food safety training, food safety auditing, food allergy training, responsible alcohol service training, writing HACCP plans and more. The Food Safety Training Solutions team has more than100 combined years of industry experience in restaurants, casinos, and convenience stores. The company has helped numerous clients, including McDonald’s, Subway, Marriott, Domino’s, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America, Dairy Queen, and Omni Hotel and Resorts, prevent foodborne illnesses. Additionally, they work with restaurants of all sizes, schools, medical facilities, convenience stores, hotels and casinos.

Reduce Up to 99% of Present Pathogens on Your Next Grocery Day

During the 1990’s grocery stores began offering reusable bags in an effort to reduce the environmental costs of plastic and paper grocery bags. The trend caught on and many Americans enjoy the benefits of using them. While ecologically friendly, many people are unaware of the physical dangers of reusable grocery bags if not properly washed. Reusable bags are often made of various plastics, canvas, or woven synthetic fibers - all of which can transfer harmful bacteria to contents if they not properly cleaned and maintained.

These bags are typically taken to the market time after time filled with everything from raw beef and poultry to ready-to-eat foods such as heads of lettuce or apples. Washing the reusable bags after use can eliminate harmful pathogens such as E.coli or Salmonella by 99.9% according to *STOP Foodborne Illness.

The Breakdown

• Reusable grocery bags are bags made of plastic, canvas, or woven synthetic fibers.

• Beginning in the 1990’s, supermarkets began offering reusable grocery bags in an effort to reduce the environmental costs of plastic and paper grocery bags.

• Reusable grocery bags tend to go unwashed after carrying raw meat products and have been linked to an increase in E. coli infections.

• By washing reusable bags either by hand or in a washing machine after use, present pathogens can be eliminated by 99.9%.

This principal also applies to other areas that will come into contact with your food. Lunch boxes, for example, should also be washed after every use. Another common mistake is to wash poultry in the kitchen sink, spreading harmful bacteria to large areas around and in the sink - potentially causing contamination. There is no need to rinse your poultry. When poultry is cooked to a temperature of 165⁰F or higher, the bacteria is reduced to levels that make the poultry safe to consume.

A few food safety tips for a healthy home:

·       The temperature of the refrigerator in your kitchen should be kept at 37⁰F-38⁰F. This will keep your cold food temperatures around the recommended 41⁰F or below. 

·       After you open a product, such as lunchmeat or potato salad, be certain to store it for seven days or less. The day you open the product is counted as day one. After seven days the potential exists for enough bacteria growth to make you ill. If the temperature of your refrigeration unit is off by even one or two degrees it is going to affect the safety of your food.

·       Clean the aerator on your kitchen faucet. Your spigot in your kitchen is typically the dirtiest in the house. Is this where you rinse fill your mop bucket AND rinse your vegetables? YUCK!

·       Don’t use sponges in your kitchen, as they harbor potentially harmful bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella.

*STOP Foodborne Illness is a national nonprofit public health organization dedicated to the prevention of illness and death from foodborne illness by advocating for sound public policy, building public awareness, and assisting those impacted by foodborne illness.

STOP’s Stance

• STOP believes that reusable grocery bags are not a problem in themselves; it is the lack of consumer education on how to properly use them that causes foodborne illness.

• STOP encourages educating consumers on the risks of spreading pathogens through reusable bags and producing reusable bags with a clearly visible message and instructions to wash reusable bags after each use. This simple act could greatly reduce the illnesses spread through bags while maintaining the environmental agenda.

Back to School: 4 Ways to Pack a Safe Lunch for Your Child

It’s the beginning of August and it won’t be long until the wheels on the bus go round and round. That means that millions of parents across the country will begin to pack their children’s lunches. Whether it’s a shiny new Paw Patrol carrier, a character from Frozen, or a brown paper bag doesn’t matter. What is important is the safety of the food inside.

There are approximately 48 million foodborne illnesses in this country every year; that’s 1 in 6 Americans, add to that 128,000 serious cases that require hospitalization and 5,000 deaths. Those little darlings carrying those shiny new lunch boxes are among the most susceptible. It is believed that a large percentage of these illnesses are caused at home. Foodborne illnesses are 100% preventable. It is your responsibility to protect our youth and make certain their food stays safe until it’s consumed.

Many of these illnesses occur because someone didn’t wash their hands properly, didn’t cook the food thoroughly, contaminated equipment was used, products were purchased from unsafe sources or food wasn’t held at the proper temperature.

I recently read an article that stated the following:

In a recent study, lunches of 235 children were checked with at least one perishable food item 90 minutes prior to lunch. The results were astounding:

· 39% of lunches had no ice packs

· 45.1% of lunches had at least one ice pack

·  88.2% of lunches were found to be at a hazardous temperature

· 1.6% of perishable items checked were found to be at unsafe temperature.

This means that most children are eating food that is unsafe (at least according to this study).

Do you know what time your child eats lunch? What temperature is your lunch when you consume its contents? So, what’s a person to do? 

Make certain the food is not contaminated when it is initially packed.

· Wash your hands.

· Clean counter tops.

· Clean utensils, dishes, and anything else that’s going to touch food, including the lunch box.

Keep cold food cold.

Cold food needs to be kept at 41°F or lower:

· Use a cold pack.

· Freeze water, juice, and milk

· Keep packed snacks chilled in refrigerator overnight.

· Freeze items such as grapes, carrots, celery, sweet bread, cubed cheese, etc.

Keep hot food hot.

Hot food needs to be held at 135°F or higher:

· Put all hot foods and beverages in a thermos.

· Pour hot water in thermos prior to filling with food contents.

· Separate cold food from hot food.

Keep cold food COLD and hot food HOT. Every kitchen should have a calibrated thermometer.

What not to pack.

Stay away from proteins and carbohydrates, i.e. meats, pasta, potatoes, including chicken salad, potato salad, macaroni salad, egg salad, etc. These items pose a risk in anyone’s packed lunch.

So, wash your hands and pack those lunches with confidence!