1 in 6 American’s Get Food Poisoning Annually, Don’t Become a Statistic!

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.

Please download the free handwashing PDF.

Don't Let Foodborne Illness Crash Your Bash

As a time-honored tradition of summer, there will be no shortage of July 4^th cookouts this weekend. Friends and families will get together to mingle and have a great time. Don’t let foodborne illness crash your party – hot temps can cause bacteria to multiply at an alarming rate. Undetectable by taste, sight or smell, bacteria can thrive on foods left unrefrigerated, causing flu-like symptoms. 

Here are a few guidelines for a safe and healthy outing this weekend:

CLEAN

No chef would cook in a dirty kitchen, so why shouldn’t you start with a clean slate? Wash prep areas with warm, soapy water before any food prep begins, and after any raw foods touch any surface. Have everyone preparing food wash hands with soap under warm water for at least 20 seconds.

SEPARATE

Take extra care to make sure raw meats and poultry from cross-contaminating vegetables and cooked foods. Use different cutting boards and knives to prep meats and veggies - raw meat and juice can contain harmful bacteria.

COOK

No grill master should be without a food thermometer. Proper heating temps can kill foodborne bacteria. Don’t let color fool you – it is not a reliable indicator of doneness. Meat and poultry cooked on a grill can brown quickly and appear done on the outside, but still may not have reached a safe internal temperature. Placing the thermometer in the thickest part of the meat gives an accurate reading of internal temperature. After reaching this temperature, thick cuts of beef, lamb or chicken should rest for three minutes before carving and consuming. The juices will redistribute throughout the meat and it will prevent it from going all over the place.  Place all meats on a clean platter – not on the dish that held raw product. Juices left on the plate from raw meat can contaminate safely cooked food.

Here is a list of safe internal temperatures:

CHILL

A major challenge of any outdoor event is keeping hot food hot and cold food cold. All too often food is left to sit out while guests munch over the course of a few hours. Bacteria thrive between 40°F and 140°F. To keep growth at bay, keep hot food on the grill and cold food in cooler or over ice. Never let perishable food sit out for more than two hours. If temps are higher than 90°F, food should be put away after an hour. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers and discard food that has been out too long.

With a little preparation and care, you can stay safe and prevent illness. The staff at Food Safety Training Solutions wishes you a wonderful 4^th of July weekend!

Trouble In Paradise

With the anticipation and planning that goes into a vacation, a traveler’s worst nightmare is to become sick away from home. You have been looking forward to it for months, you are all packed, board the plane, register at the hotel and do some sightseeing. After dinner that night, you begin to experience the telltale signs of gastro-distress. Norovirus is a small virus that is highly contagious between humans, acquired by ingesting small amounts of feces or fluids that can contaminate food or water during handling and processing.

Norovirus is the most common cause of gastroenteritis in the U.S., with infected people usually experiencing vomiting, watery diarrhea, or both. Some people may call this the stomach flu, but it is unrelated to the influenza virus. Of the 21 million cases of infection in the U.S., a quarter of them are related to foodborne illness. Outbreaks happen year-round, but occur more often in the winter months.

While there is no specific treatment, it is important for infected people to stay well hydrated. Lasting two to three days, it usually resolves by itself. However, complications from dehydration can be dangerous for young children and the elderly. Because of the highly contagious nature of the virus, it is critical for caretakers to wash their hands whenever they come into contact with the infected person or their environment. Proper hand hygiene can minimize outbreaks from happening in the first place, especially in hospitals and nursing homes.

With a short incubation period, most people start feeling symptoms within a day of ingesting contaminated food or water, including abdominal cramping, stomach pain, and a general feeling of tiredness, headache, and muscle aches. People are usually thirsty but may have trouble keeping fluids down. If they are unable to replace their fluids and develop signs of dehydration, they need to seek medical care.

Traveling to far away places and staying healthy requires planning, preparation and vigilance. Before you go, it may be a good idea to research where to find medical care in the event of an illness. If traveling to an undeveloped country, avoid drinking tap water (including ice). Safe beverages include boiled or bottled water, for example. Safe foods include thoroughly cooked fruits, vegetables and meats, or fruits with a thick covering (like bananas) that have been washed in safe water and that you peel yourself. If you do get sick, it is important to stay hydrated. With preparation and vigilance, you can see the world and enjoy it too.

The Day After...

Well, for those of you that are wondering...today was much better in my "food safety world".  No expired products in the meeting room.  Lunch was delivered 10 minutes early.  And, the room was a bit warmer.  Halleluiah!  I had almost 50 students each of the past two days, they were great!  I still wonder, how someone in the hospitality business can make so many errors in one day?  I didn't even see the Sales Manager or the General Manager and this is a major account for them.  I really think an apology was in order.  Odds are we won't go back to this facility.  I wonder if they'll notice?

Oh well, we live and learn.  On to my next issue...I'm supposed to be on a flight from BWI to Tennessee tomorrow for a class in Memphis on Friday.  They've already cancelled the first flight and booked me on another...arriving much later.  I guess we'll see what happens.  If we get the snow they're predicting...I doubt the airlines are going to fly anywhere!  It'll be the first time I've missed a scheduled training in eight years.   I really don't want that to happen.

Check out my Facebook page to learn how to keep your food safe if the power goes out...https://www.facebook.com/FoodSafetyTrainingSolutions

Stay safe and warm!

REALLY? Expired Product In A Food Safety Class???

Oh my, how time flies!  And, what a day I've had...Teaching a private food safety certification class today in PA.  A full class - over 40 participants.  Hotel meeting room is frigid, students had on their coats, a few had on mittens, their noses were red.  Creamers had an expiration date of November 2013 - did they not know this was a food safety certification class...I go to the front desk, inform them of the issue and ask them to turn up the heat.  For a few minutes, the room warms up, yay!  Wait, don't get too excited - it shuts off - out come the coats and the mittens again...how can I focus? How can they focus?!  Once again, I go to the front desk and tell them we're freezing.  Ahhh, a few more minutes of warmth.  The creamers have been replaced with product that is in code.  Is it lunch time yet?  No not yet.  Once again, freezing.  Lunch is to be delivered at noon.  I pop in a video, at 12:05 it's finished.  Hmmm, the front desk must have forgotten to let me know that lunch has arrived.  I send everyone to the lobby for lunch...If I don't give the break now, I will be in violation of the required break policy...Uh oh, there's NO LUNCH!  %#!, this can't be.  Front desk calls the restaurant, driver is making deliveries - should be here anytime.  A few minutes go by, five, ten, twenty minutes, I'm getting evil glances.  UGH, what am I going to do?  We call the restaurant, once again we are informed that they are on their way. It's been 30 minutes, still no lunch...again, this is a food safety class - is lunch in a cooler or on the back seat of a heated car.  Let's get class started again so we don't fall behind.  One o'clock comes and goes...I can't focus.  Where the hell is their lunch???  Front desk makes another call, they'll be here in one minute.  Another five, ten, fifteen minutes still no lunch...OMG, I can't believe this!  Finally, an hour and forty minutes late - lunch arrives!  Room is still cold and we're out of coffee...will this day ever end?!  I cut my class a break, it's been a rough day.  I let them leave early.  Can't wait to get to my room to crank up the heat.  I don't think I'll ever be warm again! 

The heat in my room won't go over 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  I know that seems reasonable but you don't understand how cold I am.

Tomorrow, I think I'll suggest the hotel manager sit in on the class; for two reasons, understanding importance of keeping product rotated and so he can venture out of his office to see how flippin' cold that meeting room is....wish me luck!

A Matter Of Public Record...

Today began yet another week in the food service industry.   I spent 20+ years in food service, scrubbing walls, floors, drains, and even the thresholds and door jams at the entrances/exit doors of the building.  I thought this is what good managers were SUPPOSED to do.  My employees had names for me (I'm certain) when I pulled out the toothbrushes and said, "Well, we're not busy today so we need to clean!".  We even scrubbed the grout with toothbrushes!  I can't imagine any inspector coming into my facility and telling me it was filthy and needed to be cleaned.  I would have been mortified.  I don't want to even think about how many managers I have said just that to in the past week.

How many of you know that health inspections are public record?  In most states you can go online and check out the scores of your favorite restaurants....reward those that are doing a good job by frequenting their facilities.  If they're not doing a good job, well - I'll let you make that decision on your own!