Christine Dantz, Author at Safe Food For Thought

July 19, 2016

Supplement to ServSafe MN Classes: Restaurant Fire Hazards

Supplement to ServSafe MN Classes Post-Fire Solid Fuel Appliance

In our ServSafe MN classes we spend half a day discussing how to safely prepare and serve food to customers. But owners and food service managers must consider more than just food safety to protect employees and customers.

This is the third in a series of blogs that look specifically at one of the hazards that Scott Futrell, a local fire protection consultant, has provided to assist you in protecting your customers, employees and business.

Fire safety in your restaurant kitchen with solid-fuel burning appliances

(This is NOT covered in ServSafe MN classes or the certification exam)

Solid fuel burning appliances create grease-laden creosote. The flash point and autoignition temperatures of wood tar creosote is surprisingly low. All it takes to ignite creosote in hoods, filters, and ducts is a spark, burning ember, or flame. Unfortunately all of these igniters are present in the solid-fuel cooking that raises the creosote temperature to 165°F. Creosote’s autoignition point is the same as paper. This temperature is significantly lower than the auto-ignition temperature of the grease that increases the potential hazard. Even worse the combination of creosote and grease in exhaust hood plenums and ducts can be easier to ignite than grease alone, and can burn hotter.

Cooking of any type has inherent risks. Solid fuel appliances dial up the threat with the addition of highly combustible materials. Restaurants that use these methods generate a large amount of heat and grease, especially when cooking meat. Grease accumulation will make for a dangerous environment, if ductwork isn’t properly installed or maintained.

Some restaurants don’t fully extinguish the fires in solid fuel appliances to minimize reheating. Wood fire pizza ovens operate between 500 and 600°F. Restaurants often keep these appliances smoldering through the night in order to keep the stone warm when not in use. Leaving a fire in the appliance while unattended overnight dramatically increases the risk for businesses.

Carbon-monoxide dangers associated with solid-fuel burning appliances

(This material is informational only- NOT part of ServSafe MN classes or certification exam)

Solid fuel appliances also create the potential for increased carbon monoxide levels within the restaurant. The building’s ventilation system must deliver make-up or replacement air from the outside to resupply oxygen used by solid fuel appliances. Make-up air is also important in ensuring that smoke and exhaust drafts up the chimney, not out into the kitchen and dining areas.

Many restaurant owners do not understand the additional venting considerations or active maintenance requirements it takes to safely install and use solid fuel appliances. This puts their employees, customers and business at risk.

What can you do to protect your customers, employees and your facility investment?

(These recommendations are NOT part of ServSafe MN classes or certification exam)

Check the design and installation of the exhaust systems for solid fuel appliances to be sure they are in compliance with codes and standards. More on this in a future edition.
Remove ash once per day and spray it with water before storing it in a covered metal container (container should not exceed 20 gallons in capacity). Regularly remove ash from the building and place in a dumpster or container located at least 10 feet away from the building.

If you have any questions about fire safety in the food preparation environment that you would like Scott to discuss leave a comment.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Scott A. Futrell, PE, FSFPE, CFPS, SET, CFEI, is a fire protection consultant with Futrell Fire Consult & Design, Inc., in Osseo, Minnesota. He can be reached by e-mail at: scottf@ffcdi.com, or visit www.ffcdi.com.

June 27, 2016June 29, 2016

Minnesota Food Safety Managers Alert: For Restaurant Fire Hazards

Minnesota Certified Food Managers Alert watch for Kitchen Hood with Black Steel Pipe

As Minnesota food safety managers we are trained to create a safe eating experience for our guests. Delivering food safe for human consumption includes many variables. Sometimes overlooked are the grease and creosote cleaning and fire protection requirements in the commercial hoods above the cook line. As owners and managers we can do a variety of things to improve the safety for our staff and guests as well as protecting our business. That’s why Safe Food Training has asked, Scott Futrell, a local fire protection consultant to discuss some of the fire safety issues owners and managers should consider. This is the second in a series of blogs that will explore fire safety in the food preparation environment.

Fire safety in your kitchen and your restaurant

In our last issue we looked into the statistics both nationwide and in Minnesota relating to fires in eating and drinking establishments. We can reduce the odds of a fire impacting our business if we frequently and routinely do several things.

It is very important that grease and creosote, if you use solid-fuel burning appliances is kept off of and out of the hood, filters, plenums, ducts, fans and fire protection nozzles. Yes the nozzles. But more on that later on. The hoods, filters, plenums, ducts, and fans are required to be cleaned to bare metal semi-annually for most of you. Sometimes more frequently and sometimes annually. Many of you do the filters (weekly) and the exposed surfaces (daily), but how can you do that effectively when the piping isn’t stainless steel? See Figure 1. Minnesota Statute: 4626.0495 4-101.111 Non-food-contact surfaces.

What can Minnesota Food Safety Managers do to protect your investment or your facility?

Minnesota Food Safety Managers Watch for Grease in Plenum — Grease in Plenum
Figure 2

Do you ever look behind the filters and into the exhaust ductwork? A spark, a flare up, or a grill cleaning fire that is too hot can ignite the grease that builds up causing a fire and a loss. See Figure 2 for the grease that remained the day after the professional cleaning and yes, the cleaner left their flashlight in there.

On the other hand, that same grease gets into the fire suppression nozzles if the caps are off and then when the system needs to operate it can’t flow agent out of the grease plugged nozzles. See Figure 3 for a nozzle with the cap off and for a nozzle with grease caked inside of it post-fire.

Minnesota Certified Food Managers Fire Suppression Monitor Nozzels — Nozzle Missing Cap and Grease in Nozzle
Figure 3

If you have any questions about fire safety in the food preparation environment that you would like Scott to discuss leave a comment below.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Scott A. Futrell, PE, FSFPE, CFPS, SET, CFEI, is a fire protection consultant with Futrell Fire Consult & Design, Inc., in Osseo, Minnesota and has over 40 years’ experience designing, specifying, and investigating fire protection system related losses and can be reached by e-mail at: scottf@ffcdi.com, or visit www.ffcdi.com.

June 21, 2016June 16, 2016

Seasonal Staff and Food Safety Certification MN Requirements

Seasonal Staff and Food Safety Certification MN Requirement Training

by Wavebreakmedia – yayimages.com

Many restaurants and food-production facilities will take on seasonal help to assist with higher volume during the busy summer season and to account for full-time employees’ vacation requests. With so many incoming part-time staff, there are difficulties when it comes time to take care of training, orientation and food safety certification MN requirements. At Safe Food Training, we have a few tips to help transition your seasonal staff into your regular staff efficiently so that you will lose as little time as possible bringing them up to speed.

Integrating Seasonal Staff into Your Operation

From what we have heard during our interactions with local food industry professionals, we have encountered three common problems that are inherent in hiring seasonal workers.

Making sure each new hire understands company policies
Training new employees efficiently
Getting each new employee the proper food safety certification MN requirements

Many companies forgo a formal orientation session for their seasonal workers. They feel that paying them to attend an orientation seminar is unnecessary since they may only be around for a small amount of time. We disagree. We think that it is important to have everyone on the same page as far as knowing what your facility’s operating procedures are. Taking care of this in one session where all of your seasonal help is in attendance will save valuable time rather than explaining each rule as workplace situations arise.

The opposite may be true when it comes to training your new hires. Many people are hands-on learners or hands-on teachers. The nature of the food industry requires some hands-on learning in order to understand how to get things done right. Breaking down your seasonal hires into smaller groups, or even setting up one-on-one training sessions will get them up to speed much faster than large on-the-job training groups.

Finally, you will have to make sure that all of your seasonal hires have the proper food handler permits and food safety certification MN requirements. When it comes to ensuring that all of your new employees have the necessary certifications, Safe Food Training is more than happy to help. We can set up group training sessions at your restaurant, hotel or any other type of food preparation facility. We can take into account the specific nature of your business and develop a food safety certification MN course that directly addresses the unique needs of your company’s operations.

Are you a food-production business that finds it necessary to take on several seasonal staff members during the summer months? If you have any tips for your fellow food-industry professionals to help smooth the process of integrating your temporary employees, please leave them in the comments below.

June 7, 2016June 15, 2016

MN Certified Food Manager and Voluntary Flour Recalls

MN Certified Food Manager ScoopingFlour Scooping

With yet another major recall of a food production staple in the past month, this time for flour, we thought we should revisit how the MN certified food manager can keep the food safe in an industry where there are times when the safety of the food supply is uncertain.

MN Certified Food Manager and Voluntary Product Recalls

One of the unique aspects of the recall of flour produced by General Mills is that the recall is being labeled as “voluntary.” Statistics from an E.coli outbreak with cases dating back to December 2015 indicate that many of those sickened had consumed products made with certain brands of flour distributed by General Mills. There is also evidence that many of those sickened had eaten some form of raw cookie dough or uncooked product containing flour. At last report, there have been no traces of E.coli found at the processing facilities where the flour is distributed, but we still think it is wise to err on the side of caution in this case.

According to Food Safety News, this recall may extend further than just grocery stores, restaurants and retailers. Some of the potentially contaminated product may have been shipped to bulk suppliers. In order to ensure that your flour is safe to use in baked goods, we suggest you take the following steps:

Contact your supplier to see if your flour is produced by General Mills
Never serve food product that contains uncooked flour
Return or throw away any product that has been affected by the recall

Most major ingredient suppliers should know where your product comes from. Many times, major manufacturers produce the same product for retail and bulk sales under different labels. This means that there is a chance that you have a recalled product in your inventory that is packaged under a different brand name. In this case, diligence is important to ensure that you do not serve contaminated product.

Due to the nature of the way grain is harvested and flour is produced, one can never assume that it is always safe to consume. All products that contain flour should be cooked to kill any bacteria that could possibly exist. Most bread products, baked goods and sauces thickened with flour should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees or more to make sure any traces of E.coli have been destroyed.

Finally, if you do have a contaminated batch of flour that is listed in the recall notice issued by the FDA. Do not hesitate to throw it away immediately. It is better to be safe than to sicken one of your customers.