Food safety manager in medical institution

Instructive Tips For Food Safety Managers At Medical Institutions

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When it comes to food safety, it’s always important to be vigilant. Still, when you’re a food safety certified manager in a Minnesota institution that provides meal service for elderly residents, patients recovering from surgery, or those with special needs, it’s vitally important to be diligent in keeping your food safe. This week, we’d like to discuss a few extra precautions that food safety managers in medical institutions may wish to remember during their daily routine.

Tips For Food Safety Managers At Medical Institutions
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Food Safety Managers Tips for Medical Institutions

 

CFPMs in hospitals or elderly care facilities should focus on these critical issues:

  • Properly sanitize utensils and prep surfaces
  • Thoroughly wash all fruits and vegetables
  • Be vigilant about tracking guest’s allergies

Our first tip is to ensure all utensils, preparation surfaces, and serving wares are adequately sanitized. This idea may seem deeply ingrained in your daily habits since you completed your first food safety class, but it’s crucial to recognize the risks associated with careless sanitation. One such danger is over or under-mixing your sanitizer solution. The under-mixed solution can leave bacteria on surfaces that will come into contact with prepared foods. In contrast, overmixing the solution can result in patients ingesting dangerous chemicals, putting them at risk of experiencing harmful effects from bleach, ammonia solutions, or iodine. Make sure to keep sanitizer test strips readily available to test your solution regularly.

Secondly, food safety managers in medical care centers must ensure that all raw fruits and vegetables are washed thoroughly, even those claiming to be ready to serve. Fruits and vegetables can come into contact with dirt, fertilizer, and other hazards before reaching your facility. They are often stored unsealed in warehouses before transport and loosely stored when shipped. Many bagged greens such as lettuce and spinach claim to be ready to eat, but some potential for contamination does exist, and since you’re serving meals to those who have a high risk of foodborne illness, it may be wise to take the extra precaution of washing all greens.

Always Track Guests’ Allergies

Our third suggestion for food managers in medical facilities is to be extremely diligent about keeping records of their guests’ allergies. Many institutions face a high turnover rate as one patient departs and another arrives. All too often, allergy information is overlooked during these transitions. Detailed records of each guest’s personal needs will help avoid accidents. It may even be a good idea to eliminate high-risk items such as nuts and shellfish from your facility altogether.

With most safe food training focusing on the hospitality and food production industries, we’d like to know what food-safety issues arise for certified food safety managers of food service in institutions such as assisted living facilities and medical care centers. Are there any aspects that current safe food training overlooks regarding your situation?

ServSafe Sanitizer Solutions Guide That Will Make You Safe

Genuine ServSafe Sanitizer Solutions Guide That Will Make You Safe

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Your sanitizer solution is critical to ensuring food safety and preventing food-borne illness. This week, we’ll discuss how ServSafe Managers can ensure they mix and use sanitizer solutions properly for maximum effectiveness.

ServSafe MN Guide to Sanitizer Solutions
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ServSafe MN Guide to Sanitizer Solutions

The following are the three sanitizer solutions the Minnesota Food Code approves for food preparation outlets.

  • Bleach or Chlorine solution at 50 ppm for 10 seconds
  • Iodine solution at 12.4 – 25 ppm for 30 seconds
  • Quaternary ammonia solution at 200 – 400 ppm for 30 seconds

There are advantages and disadvantages to each of these three solutions. Bleach and quaternary ammonia solutions are currently the two most popular choices. Bleach is generally more affordable. However, it is easy to over-mix, creating the potential to remain on the surface of your utensils and surfaces. The chlorine residue will create a chemical contamination hazard. Quaternary ammonia solutions are more costly, but their safe concentration range is much broader. In addition, they are not as harsh on employee’s skin as chlorine solutions. Suppose you have questions about which solution is best for your facility. In that case, your local health department will usually be more than happy to recommend one and explain each product’s advantages.

Properly Mixing Your Solution

Unquestionably, the most accurate way to mix your solution is to have a service install a pump at a water source. These pumps will mix the solution into the water for you, creating a proper concentration. Many companies provide this service, and your health department should be able to direct you to one certified in your jurisdiction.

If you mix your sanitizer solutions manually, we strongly recommend using the proper test strip each time. A paper test strip will ensure you have not over- or under-mixed your chemical solution.

When using sanitizers, it is essential to change the solution often during heavy use to ensure it is still potent, store it below food preparation areas, and air-dry your surfaces before continuing work.

Finally, you should train your entire staff on properly sanitizing their workstations and regularly test your solutions to ensure you mix your chemicals safely. Proper use of sanitizers is a crucial element in serving and preparing safe-to-eat foods and is well worth reviewing even after you have gained your food manager certification in MN.

What is your perspective? How do you ensure proper workstation sanitation at your workplace?

Valuable Health Advice For Tired CFPMs

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Food management professionals take on a lot of responsibility, often to the detriment of their own well-being. We have critical health advice to help hardworking, dedicated CFPMs moderate stress levels and provide the healthy energy needed to survive the day.

Valuable Health Advice For Tired CFPMs
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Certified Food Protection Manager’s Guide to Staying Healthy on the Job

  • Eat healthy on the job
  • Make an effort to take a break
  • Replace coffee or soda with water

Maintaining a healthy diet at work can be difficult, especially for busy food industry workers. Often, the most convenient options for a quick bite are not healthy. During their snack and lunch breaks, workers frequently consume unhealthy leftovers from deep-fried dishes, yesterday’s specials, or low-quality cuts of meat instead of choosing fresh fruits or light salads, which are the healthier choices. Consuming these foods alone can cause a dip in energy levels, leading to a lack of focus and motivation. Pack fresh fruit or snacks for quick, healthy meals.

Certified food protection managers in food production facilities and restaurants often work through their allotted break times. While we understand that there is always something that needs to be done and that certified food protection managers have many responsibilities, taking ten minutes to pause, breathe, and refresh your mind will be beneficial in the long run. It’s important to remind yourself that you have trained your staff well, and you can trust that your operation will not collapse if you step away for a few minutes.

Drink Water

Overloading on coffee or soda can elevate your heart rate and lead to anxiety. When you consume multiple cups of coffee or soda during a shift, there will always be the inevitable caffeine and sugar crash that can only be avoided by grabbing another cup before it hits. We suggest that you balance out your caffeine fix by consuming plenty of water. Water will keep you better hydrated than coffee or sugary drinks and help provide the natural energy to get you through your shift.

While not every CFPM’s daily routine is the same, most have dedication and the drive to succeed in common. Don’t let that drive cause you to ignore your physical and mental health on the job. You can decrease stress, increase energy levels, and keep your facility running smoothly and safely by taking small steps.

Leave a comment! How do your co-workers picture you? How do you moderate stress levels? What tips do you have for staying healthy while at work?

certified food manager staffing a new location

Confidential Tips For Certified Food Managers Launching A New Facility

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Your business is booming, and you’ve decided that you’re ready to expand. You have your new facility leased or purchased, with equipment installed. Now, all you need is staff to begin operations. But what is the best way to staff a second outlet without too many complications? While there are many theories on this subject, we have a few tips for certified food managers to help launch a new facility.

certified food manager staffing a new restaurant
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Keys That Certified Food Managers Can Use When Staffing a New Restaurant

We think three essential staffing procedures should be in play before you open a second outlet.

  • Management dedicated to the new site
  • A quality mix of new and transferred staff members
  • Quality training system in place

All too often, we see restaurants expand and expect their chef, certified food manager, and front-of-the-house managers to take on a more significant role during the transition. We feel that this is a mistake. Experienced management personnel can be temporarily transferred, but each location should have a qualified manager on duty.

Current state regulations require that each outlet have a certified food manager. Certain jurisdictions may also need a qualified manager to be on-site during all hours of operation. It may be prudent to check with your local health department to ensure your new facility has the appropriate certified management coverage.

Besides transferring management personnel, moving a few essential kitchen, production, or service staff members to the new location can give your new facility an edge in experience and open up opportunities to train new staff at your current location. This process also provides an opportunity to evaluate current employees who may deserve promotion.

A Detailed Training Plan

The third item on our list should be obvious, but many times, training is overlooked during expansion. Management and staff often become accustomed to their current facility’s routine and neglect to establish comprehensive training protocols at the new site. Having a member of your food management team design a detailed training plan will inevitably lead to success, and incorporating site-specific training procedures should never be left on the back burner.

With a well-thought-out strategy, you could be looking at even more success in the future. Even the largest chain had to endure the initial growing pains to become what it is today.