As most Minnesotans are aware, it frequently snows in our state. Businesses need to take steps to clean the snow on their properties in order to allow guests to visit. While businesses that don’t serve food have numerous options. Food businesses need to be extra careful when cleaning the snow around their buildings. Let’s take a quick look at how a certified food protection manager can prevent foodborne illness hazards that might arise from snow cleanup.
The Connection Between Snow Removal and a Certified Food Protection Manager
Food protection managers should recognize that the potential for contamination in their facility may not come from the snow itself. It comes from the methods used to remove it. Salt, sand, chemical deicers and other non-shovel methods have the potential to make their way back into your facility after use on sidewalks and parking lots. Shoes, pants, long coats and even on staffs’ hands after building a snowman on their lunch break track in these snow removal contaminants. So how can we keep these chemicals out? The answer is, we can’t, at least not 100 percent of the time, but we can reduce the risks associated with them when it comes to food.
Non-Mechanical Snow Removal Solutions
Most snow removal techniques leave a residue that sticks to the bottom of shoes. Food protection managers should focus on items that are stored near ground level. Food product, utensils, plates or production implements should be stored in racks off the floor. Even boxes of to-go containers should at least be on a bottom shelf.
Deliveries can be a problem, since many food service suppliers simply drop off their shipments in a loading area in the back of the kitchen. If this is the case with your supplier, designate a place away from foot traffic and store all items as soon as possible.
If you have the opportunity to designate an employee entrance that does not open into the kitchen itself, you may wish to ask kitchen staff to use a different entrance to prevent tracking in sand or salt.
Do not wait until the end of the night to sweep and mop up high-trafficked areas. After the snow removal product has been tracked in to take care of it all at once. Direct staff to mop frequently to prevent buildup, create safer walkways and keep food safe.
How to you clear your parking lot and sidewalks for your guests in the winter?
