Christine Dantz, Author at Safe Food For Thought

February 21, 2017February 15, 2017

ServSafe Class Guide to Decide When to Salvage or Discard

Discard or Salvage: A ServSafe Class Guide

Although we always hope that disaster never strikes, occasions may happen over the course of a food manager’s career when they have to deal with a fire, a burst water pipe or another event that damages their facility. Occasionally, the topic comes up in a ServSafe class, and a student inevitably asks if there is any way to save product in these situations.

Discard or Salvage: A ServSafe Class Guide

There are a few different situations that can cause harm to food products. A fire can cause heat or smoke damage, water line leaks can create rust and sewage back-ups can infect food product, but does that mean that whenever there an incident occurs you must discard your entire inventory?

The following list clarifies unsalvageable items:

Fresh produce, proteins and dairy that comes in contact with water, smoke or sewage
Food in soft packaging such as cardboard
Dry goods such as flour and spices
Charred, rusted, swollen or leaking canned goods
Single service items such as plates and utensils

If the incident has occurred in your refrigerator, discard all items that have stayed at temperatures above 41 degrees for four hours. If any item has an unusual smell, texture or color, play it safe and throw it out. You also cannot salvage any previously frozen item that has thawed for two or more hours.

If you have any doubts whatsoever, don’t take any chances and discard items that may have come into contact with smoke or sewage.

The damage from a fire or sewage backup may not necessarily cause a total loss. A few items are salvageable under certain conditions. You can save sealed frozen foods that haven’t fallen below 41 degrees. Undamaged cans and bottles that have not suffered any damage due to heat require sanitation after the incident. In this instance, remove all paper labels and relabel the goods in permanent marker. If you have product in an area unaffected by the incident, inspect it for damage before deciding whether to save it or throw it away.

If a fire or sewage leak occurs in your facility, seek the advice of the local health department. They will easily clarify salvage rules, and they will provide on-site assistance to help you keep your existing product safe.

Fire, water and sewage catastrophes happen more often that we would like. Are there any unique disaster scenarios you’d like to see us cover in an upcoming article?

February 15, 2017February 15, 2017

How to Become Food Safety Certified in MN

In a recent article, we covered what types of businesses need to be aware of food manager certification rules in Minnesota. If you have opened a new food business or read our blog and discovered that you need to have an employee certified, we’re ready to let you know how to go about the process of being compliant with state regulations.

How to Become Food Safety Certified

You first need to decide which employee to designate as your food manager. You should select your kitchen manager, head chef or floor manager. Whoever you choose, they must be a full-time employee who controls food preparation at your outlet.

You must next select which certification your manager will obtain. The state of Minnesota accepts the following courses:

ServSafe
Certified Food Safety Manager
Certified Professional Food Manager
Learn2Serve Food Protection Manager

Before signing up for any classes or certification exams, check with the owner of your business to see if they require specific training courses. Many national and regional chains restrict which certifications they like their managers to obtain.

Many of these classes and food safety certification exams can be taken online or in instructor-led sessions. While online classes offer convenience, in-person training gives students the opportunity to engage with an instructor and have questions answered right away.

Finally, apply for the correct paperwork with the health department. It is not enough to pass an online food manager certificate exam. You must apply for certification with the state. The Minnesota Department of Health provides access to these applications online.

Once you receive your certification from the proper authorities, you must post it in a visible and easily accessible location.

Whether you are a first time manager or you need to renew your food manager certification, we can help provide the proper class for any jurisdiction in Minnesota. If you have any questions about certification that we did not cover or would like to know how to become food safety certified, please visit our homepage for more information.

February 7, 2017February 13, 2017

Valentine’s Day Survival for Food Safety Certified Professionals

How Food Safety Certified Professionals Can Survive Valentines Day

Valentine’s Day is one of the most important holidays on the food service calendar for food safety certified professionals. Reservation sheets are full, chefs have the opportunity to show off their most creative specials and each member on staff prepares to be at the top of their game to impress each couple that walks through the doors. This can be a fun day, but it is also one that puts a lot of stress on team members and can be physically and mentally draining.

by phovoir – yayimages.com

How Food Safety Certified Professionals Can Survive Valentine’s Day

Survival on the busiest of days means preparing for the night ahead. Having your prep stations fully stocked, your menu tried and tested and each server trained on their duties will help smooth out Valentine’s Day dinner service. We’ve heard that many busy restaurants sample out their special menus to their service staff so they not only know how to describe each dish, but know how it tastes. This will help them fully answer any guest’s questions about your restaurant’s cuisine. This will also save valuable time if the server does not have to retreat to the kitchen to get menu clarification before taking a guest’s order.

Having your line well stocked will also relieve stress in the kitchen. Nothing bogs down service like prepping on the fly with a full dining room. If your prep cooks and line cooks know exactly how much of each item that is required, they can sail through service with little issue.

One thing that helps keep stress levels low and frustration at a minimum is taking care of your staff’s health. Recommend a limit on caffeinated beverages. Caffeine raises blood pressure and can lead to short tempers if not kept in check. Adding a few extra water breaks into the schedule will keep your team hydrated and productive.

Finally, leaving early can sap your team’s morale. We know food safety certified professionals work as hard as anybody, but if you stick around to help your team clean up at the end of the night, it will keep their spirits high and earn you big time points with your line cooks and dish washing staff. This can do nothing but pay off in the long run.

Valentine’s Day ranks up there as one of the days when restaurants put on their best show. Are there any other special holidays where you strive to put on your best performance?

January 30, 2017January 30, 2017

Food Training Course Discussion on Sell-By and Use-By Dates

While we specialize in food training courses and online HAACP classes, we also monitor food industry news that affects general consumers as well. We recently came across a discussion concerning a USDA suggestion that food should be labeled with a best-by date rather than a sell-by date. According to the USDA, sell-by dates create confusion among consumers, and they estimate that nearly 30 percent of food waste from consumers and retailers arises from products that are labeled with a sell-by date.

Food Training Courses and Sell-By Dates

During our study on this subject, we found some pros and cons of labeling product with a best-by date rather than a sell-by date. Many foods such as canned items, pasteurized products and dried fruits have a much longer shelf life than many raw or freshly prepared items. If you have ever taken the time to investigate the sell-by dates on canned goods, you will notice dates that are months or even years into the future. With dates so far ahead of the present, predicting exactly when it will no longer be fit for human consumption is nearly impossible.

We do not believe the USDA’s attention to this subject will focus on long-term sell-by dates, but rather that of proteins and packaged foods that spoil in a short period of time. This presents unique difficulties for companies that process meat, seafood and other proteins. If the USDA does recommend that use-by dates be included on labels, butchers, distribution facilities and seafood harvesters must now decide how long the consumer has to eat or cook the product that they buy.

One thing we would like to see if this becomes the standard is some guidelines from the USDA as to how producers of these kinds of foods can accurately predict a date by which a product must be used. There are many factors that go into how fast food spoils. A refrigeration temperature variation of a few degrees changes how long proteins remain safe to eat, especially sensitive seafood items. The way a grocer stores food can affect raw meat and produce and of course there is no way for food manufacturers to guess how a consumer will handle their food once they have purchased their groceries.

This may be a step in the right direction to reduce the amount of food that consumers waste, but it also brings up concerns as to how food training courses can teach producers can accurately label their product. If you have an opinion on this issue, feel free to leave your comments below.