Sae Food Return to MN State Fair

A Safe Food Return To The Unique MN State Fair

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One of the events we missed most due to the COVID-19 crisis was the annual Minnesota State Fair. Now that we seem to have the pandemic under control, we’re excited to see that we’ll be able to once again enjoy the food, the livestock and attractions of this event. Let’s take a look at some of the confirmed safe food activities that will be returning to this years MN State Fair.

Safe Food return to MN State Fair
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Safe Food Activities of the 2021 Minnesota State Fair

Appropriately dubbed “The Great Minnesota Get-Together,” we finally get to enjoy concerts at the grandstands once again in person. Some highlights of the fair’s concert series at the grandstand stage include:

  • The Doobie Brothers
  • TLC and Shaggy with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
  • George Thorogood and the Destroyers
  • Tim McGraw

Besides concerts, there’s also plenty of rides for the young and the young at heart, art shows, animals and competitions, but we’re excited to see what new foods we can find as well as enjoy some of our old favorites.

Looking over the list of vendors, we see plenty of fair safe foods to please any craving. A few items were ready to try include:

  • Vietnamese Sausages
  • Deep Fried Bison Ravioli
  • Fudge Dipped Fruits
  • Waffle Burgers

Besides these safe foods, there will be plenty of refreshing beverages ranging from Cucumber Jalapeño Limeade and specialty beers found only at the state fair.

It’s been nearly two years since we last saw each other at the fair. Will you be enjoying the safe foods at this year’s state fair?

Important Food Safety Training for Off-Site Catering

Important Food Safety Training for Off-Site Catering

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The food and beverage industry has suffered greatly over the past year, but the catering industry has taken a substantial hit due to the limits on social gatherings. Now that the StaySafe MN guidance is beginning to allow more participants at social events, the demand for catering services is beginning to increase. With the pressure to maintain COVID-19 prevention protocols and adhere to food safety training in order to keep guests safe at catered events, it may be useful to take a look at the safe way to cater an off-site event.

Important Food Safety Training for Off-Site Catering
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Food Safety Training for Remote Catering Events

Coronavirus occupancy rules cause the biggest confusion for caterers providing services away from their kitchen. The proprietor of the venue should be accountable for capacity limits, but your catering staff must also be included in the numbers in order to remain in compliance. At the time of writing, there are two capacity standards; indoor and outdoor. Up to 50 attendees can occupy an outdoor event, while indoor events are limited to 15. This means that you may be required to limit the staff on hand in order for the venue to meet these numbers. When planning a catering event, make sure that you consult current StaySafeMN guidelines and coordinate with the venue to ensure you can adequately schedule your staff.

Besides COVID protocols, caterers must follow proper catering food safety guidelines. Many of these guidelines line up with what you’ve learned during food safety training. All food at catered events must:

Time and temperature control go a long way to preventing a foodborne illness outbreak, so make sure that you check your equipment to make sure it is capable of keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Also, take the time to check the internal temperature of all cooked foods to verify they’ve been cooked properly.

There may be times when an off-site catering client suggests they will supply the food product for the event as a cost-saving measure. Unfortunately, you may not be able to verify whether or not they are purchasing ingredients from an approved source. We suggest working with catering clients to purchase all ingredients from your normal suppliers.

Do you have a catering business that’s finally starting to see more clients? Have you taken time to refresh your staff food safety training for off-site catering?

Foodborne Illness Prevention

Revealing New Studies On Foodborne Illness Prevention

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With an increased emphasis on sanitation due to the global pandemic, many have speculated that these regulations have had an impact on other types of illness. We recently came across an article stipulating that foodborne illnesses are down due to coronavirus countermeasures. While the studies referenced were performed in Australia and Europe, we see a direct correlation between food safety training, COVID-19 measures and foodborne illness prevention.

Revealing New Studies On Foodborne Illness Prevention
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How Coronavirus Measures have Impacted Foodborne Illness Prevention

The study conducted by the Australian Government is rather extensive, so we’ll briefly break down their findings.

The Australian study showed a rather large reduction of foodborne illness cases, especially when it came to the norovirus. Norovirus outbreaks are among the most common foodborne illness issues worldwide. This study shows norovirus cases were drastically reduced, almost 80-percent less than the previous year when compared to e.Coli and salmonella, which were reduced by approximately 50 percent. European studies have also suggested that norovirus rates lowered significantly over the past year.

We can speculate that reduced restaurant patronage contributed to the reduction of foodborne illness cases, but when you consider that the spread of norovirus is easily controlled through a food safety training emphasis on sanitation and handwashing, we can account for the vastly differing percentage when compared to e.Coli and salmonella, two bacteria that can also be spread through contaminated product.

We hope to be out of the water soon when it comes to dealing with COVID-19, but if we continue to emphasize good handwashing and sanitation, maybe we can keep the momentum going on preventing other illnesses that can be stopped by good food safety training.

How To Guide For CFPMs Returning To In-Person Training

How To Guide For CFPMs Returning To In-Person Training Starting Jan 20

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Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions to indoor gatherings have created great challenges for effective Minnesota certified food protection manager’s (CFPMs) training. Food protection management certification is essential to the advancement of food safety and the protection of those who visit restaurants, cafeterias and other food preparation businesses.

Over the past few months, future CFPMs and those seeking training before renewal have had to rely on online food safety management training with in-person sessions on hiatus. While online food safety training qualifies for certification, nothing quite beats a classroom setting with a food safety expert available to engage with students, answer questions and cover topics that are specifically relevant to students attending the class. There is hope on the horizon for in-person food safety training, so let’s take a look at how future students can prepare for the return of in-person CFPM classes.

How To Guide For CFPMs Returning To In-Person Training
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Preparation Guide for Returning to In-Person CFPMs Training Classes

Safe Food Training is excited to announce, we have moved our return to in-person certified food protection manager training in the classroom to Jan 20. The in-person classes will follow the CDC guidelines for group meetings, we’ll require masks and seating will be spaced at least 6 feet apart. We’re enthusiastically preparing for a return to personally engaging with students and providing the training necessary to prevent foodborne illness.

If it’s been a while since you’ve attended a CFPM training class, there are a few things you can do to get the most of your experience:

  • Write down questions you may have
  • Review Minnesota Food Code Fact Sheets
  • Think of unique food safety scenarios specific to your food business
  • Peruse the training materials ahead of time

If you take the time to review these steps, you’ll come to class ready to engage with some knowledge of the subject matter. Being prepared to interact with trainers and fellow students will help ingrain food safety principles in your mind and leave you confident when it comes time to take your certified food manager exam. You’ll also leave with a better understanding of how to keep your food safe and promote a healthy environment for your guests.

Are you excited to return to in-person classroom training for certified food protection managers?