Christine Dantz, Author at Safe Food For Thought

November 29, 2016December 8, 2016

ServSafe Training Guide to Salmonella

Last month we discussed the dangers of Listeria poisoning that has been linked to numerous recalls and food-borne illness outbreaks. This month we’d like to take a closer look into what ServSafe training says about another major contributor to product recalls and illnesses linked to contaminated food products.

ServSafe Training and Salmonella

Salmonella can be a tricky contaminant to control because there are misconceptions as to how many food products can be affected by the bacterium. We all know that serving raw chicken or eggs causes illnesses due to Salmonella, but many food service professionals do not know that Salmonella also exists in:

• Melons
• Alfalfa sprouts
• Raw nuts
• Unpasteurized cheese

The connection between Salmonella and melons exists on its exterior and not in the meat of the melon. Melons can become contaminated from the bacterium that occurs in the soil that it is grown in, and many fertilizers contain chicken manure in which trace amounts of the bacterium are found if it hasn’t been sterilized properly. Before serving melons, it is important to wash the outsides carefully before slicing. The contamination of the meat of the melon occurs when a knife comes into contact with the Salmonella on the surface and infects the melon as the knife passes through. While all melons potentially contain Salmonella, the ridged surface of the cantaloupe can cause crevices for the bacterium to hide. Alfalfa sprouts are also contaminated by the same process, so extra care should be taken to wash them thoroughly.

While many restaurants do not serve raw nuts, certain prepared product manufacturers utilize them as an ingredient in their product. If you process any type of raw nut, be very careful to sanitize any surface they come into contact with in order to prevent cross contamination with your finished product.

Last month we discussed the connection between raw dairy and Listeria. Raw dairy and unpasteurized cheeses also potentially contain Salmonella, so we advise against serving raw dairy products to your guests.

Finally, while it is unpleasant to think about, it is important to recognize the symptoms of a guest who has eaten food tainted with Salmonella. Salmonella symptoms can occur as soon as 12 hours after consuming tainted product and can take as long as 72 hours to manifest. Symptoms include:

• Abdominal cramps
• Fever
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea

We hope that our discussions concerning the common causes of food poisoning has been helpful in allowing you to keep your food as safe as possible. Next month we’ll continue our series with a discussion on STEC toxins and e-Coli.

November 22, 2016December 31, 2016

Food Safety Training and the First Thanksgiving

November has arrived once again, and that means that we take a few days off from coordinating online food safety training and administering certified food manager exams to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families and loved ones. But before we sit down to our turkey and stuffing, our sweet potatoes with marshmallows, our cranberry sauce and our pumpkin pie, we thought it would be fun to take a look at the feast the Pilgrims celebrated back in 1621.

Food Safety Training and the History of Thanksgiving

The menu for our traditional Thanksgiving has been passed down from generation to generation without fail, but many of us would be surprised as to just how different the menu was on that very first Thanksgiving Day. In fact, our current Thanksgiving menu differs greatly with the food consumed by the Pilgrims and the local Wampanoag tribe during their harvest celebration.

While wild turkeys were plentiful in 1600’s New England, the only proteins mentioned in the writings of the Pilgrim’s chronicler are five deer that were gifted to the settlers by their Wampanoag guests. According to historians, some of the other proteins the Pilgrims may have consumed included:

• Wild birds such as geese and swans
• Mussels and clams
• Eel and other native fish
• Lobsters

In fact, some experts claim that the settlers subsisted on a diet high in the easily harvested mussels and other shellfish that could be obtained without expending the excess energy and resources that game hunting would require.

If turkey wasn’t the main course of the first Thanksgiving, can we still count on them serving stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie on the side? At this point of the Pilgrims adventure, they had yet had the time to plant and harvest grain, and they had been too long out of England for any flour to remain to make stuffing or even pie crusts for traditional pumpkin pies. Cranberries were plentiful in the region, but without a source of sugar they were hardly consumed due to the incredibly tart taste. Squash such as pumpkins were available, but they were more than likely roasted over the coals of a fire and eaten with nuts and local berries.

Whether you serve the traditional turkey and pumpkin pie, or roasted eel and baked mussels, we’d like to wish you and yours the best this Thanksgiving season. Do you serve any dishes that defy Thanksgiving traditions? We’d like to hear about your experiences in the comments section below.

November 15, 2016November 10, 2016

How MN Certified Food Managers Take Advantage of Black Friday

MN Certified Food Managers and Black Friday

Black Friday arrives at the end of the month, with the shopping frenzy approaching, we decided that it would be beneficial to discuss how MN Certified Food Managers at local restaurants and food producers can take advantage of the millions of potential guests that are out and about the day after Thanksgiving.

MN Food Safety Managers and Black Friday

We think that this day is a prime opportunity for MN Certified Food Managers to show what they can do and build their customer base. Here are a few ideas that we think can attract customers who have finished their shopping or are looking for a quick meal on the go.

Run easy to serve take-out specials
Offer free items with any order
Offer promotions based on the time of day

Many of the shoppers on Black Friday will be in a hurry and won’t want to take the time to sit down to eat breakfast or lunch. If your restaurant has hot food ready to go that your guests can order and receive without a long wait, it may attract customers who are looking for grab-and-go dining options.

Everyone loves free stuff, even if they have to buy something else to get it. We suggest offering something that is easy and affordable. Many shoppers will have already been out since midnight, and something as inexpensive as a free cup of coffee or espresso with every order will look attractive to guests looking for that extra boost to finish off their search for the best deal.

Last year, we noticed that one restaurant changed their promotions every hour. We think this is a great idea to let your guests see what is coming up, and, if they don’t have time to stop right away, it may give them an incentive to return later in the day.

Finally, don’t forget to advertise your restaurant in the days leading up to Black Friday. Social media is a great way to get the word out there. With outlets like Twitter and Facebook, MN food safety managers can plug their restaurants for free with a few creative hashtags.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen different strategies when it comes to making the most out of Black Friday. What will your business be doing to attract customers?

November 8, 2016October 12, 2016

Food Safe Training and Menu Design

After a long day of teaching food safe training classes and helping food service professionals obtain their food safety certification, we like to visit the local restaurants that many of our students represent. We often notice is that many of the restaurants we eat at seem to have incredible menu designs while others could use an adjustment or two to make them more presentable to their guests.

Food Safe Training and Menu Design

Menus not only let your guests know what dishes you offer, they have the potential to tell the story of your restaurant. We feel that a well-designed menu is like a well written novel. Your menu can display your personality, intrigue your diners and help you build a reputation. Here are some tips that we hope you find helpful when designing your next menu:

• Be clear but concise
• Be true to your theme
• Avoid clutter
• Have defined dish types

We have seen some menus that take meandering steps to describe each dish. That can confuse diners and cause them to scan over items with long descriptions. If you own a book store café or some other themed restaurant, you may take liberties here to fit your restaurant’s theme, but in many cases you will be best served to utilize simple descriptions. Many fine dining restaurants even skip the descriptions and simply list key components.

You also need to remember that it is important to be true to what you envision your theme to be. Use fonts, layouts and backgrounds that identify with your décor or the style of cuisine that you serve.

Finally, we’ve stepped into restaurants after a food safe training class and have been handed a convoluted menu with very little rhyme or reason. The fonts were elegant, the menu looked classy, but it took a while to find the type of dish that we were looking for. To avoid a cluttered menu, make sure that you group like items together. Have a section of burgers, maybe organize by food types, or even separate your dishes by the type of proteins involved. However you organize your menu, make sure that you take the time to assess whether or not it is organized in a logical and readable manner.

On a final note, with so many guests suffering from allergies and having special dietary needs, we suggest you consider finding a way to alert your guests if any item contains common allergens. We find it also helpful to see menus that identify vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options, and remember, if you serve any dishes that contain undercooked proteins or eggs, you must include a disclaimer somewhere on your menu.