We all know that the health department tracks cases of foodborne illness reported to them by consumers who are sickened by food, but did you know that certified food protection managers are required to play an active role in the reporting of and tracking of illnesses of both guests and staff? This week, we’ll take a close look at the reporting duties of a certified food protection manager, and how tracking employee illnesses plays a vital role in keeping the public safe.
When are Certified Food Protection Managers Required to Report Illnesses?
Many certified food managers may be hesitant to inform the health department when one of their guests claims to have been sickened by the food they were served. They may think that this could instantly lead to an inspection, or even an unwarranted punishment inflicted on the establishment. Over the course of our years of food safety training, we’ve found local health inspectors are more interested in keeping the public safe and solving problems rather than punishing food production facilities. In fact, it could turn out that your establishment wasn’t responsible for poisoning a guest, but the information you provide could lead to a source in the supply chain where product may have become contaminated.
Even if it’s just one case, MN illness reporting requires certified food protection managers to contact the health department if a guest claims to have symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea. They are also required to report suspected cases of:
- E.coli
- Hepatitis A
- Norovirus
- Salmonella
- Shigella
- Parasitic Infections
Reporting these types of cases to the health department helps them establish whether or not there is a pattern or cause to look into a potential outbreak, be it in your restaurant or somewhere in the supply chain.
The same scenario is true when one of your staff becomes ill. Certified food protection manager training tells us that a record should be kept of staff illnesses. You should track which employees have called out sick with stomach ailments or who have been diagnosed with common foodborne illnesses. If a pattern emerges, there may be the need to take a look a food safety lapses that may be directly infecting your staff.
How do you handle reports of foodborne illness that may have originated at your business?