Christine Dantz, Author at Safe Food For Thought

July 12, 2021July 10, 2021

Expert Food Safety Tips For The Return Of Food Truck Festivals

After a year of restrictions, the activities our area is famous for are returning and Minnesota residents are eager to resume their summer adventures. Events like Minnesota Food Truck Festival are coming back after being cancelled in 2020, and we can’t be more exited. With an estimated 50 vendors, live music, games and other activities, you may want to mark your calendars on July 17th in St. Paul and August 12st in Anoka for these events. If you’re a food truck owner, it’s probably been a while since you’ve had these kind of opportunities, so it’s helpful to review a few food safety training protocols for food trucks.

Food Safety Tips For The Return Of Food Truck Festivals — Image credit: City of Anoka

Food Truck Food Safety Training for Large Events

Food truck operators face unique challenges when it comes to food safety due to the nature of their business. Food truck kitchens are smaller, must rely on outside sources for water and other utilities and must operate with limited staff due to the cramped kitchen space. Here are our top three food safety risks food truck owners must monitor:

Handwashing capabilities
Cross-contamination potential
Time and temperature control

Many food trucks don’t have an unlimited supply of water built in, so operators should find locations with an onsite water supply for handwashing. Fortunately, most sites that host food trucks will have water access available. Just remember that your location must have hot water available in order to ensure properly washed hands. Depending on the volume of business, some jurisdictions allow an onboard water tank to be used as a water supply. If your truck has that capability, be sure to test your supply to ensure it’s hot enough to ensure clean hands. Remember that every time you change gloves or touch raw foods, you need to wash your hands properly.

Due to the limited storage, there is ample potential for cross contamination. In order to prevent foodborne illness from cross contamination, we suggest using separate cold storage for raw product, produce and ready-to-eat-foods.

Finally, many food truck operators hot hold certain items in order to improve efficiency. Food safety managers who operate food trucks should periodically review proper time and temperature control with any employees working in their food truck.

Do you operate a food truck or plan on attending a food truck festival this summer?

July 7, 2021July 12, 2021

Advice For Food Safety Managers Re Startling Norovirus Rise In MN

Advise for Food Safety Managers re Startling Rise in MN Norovirus Infection Rate

In our daily research on current food safety risks and outbreaks, we came across an article outlining a recent rise in norovirus infections in Minnesota. Norovirus spreads extremely easily and causes vomiting, diarrhea and other stomach issues. Even though it’s easily spread, it’s also easy to combat with simple food safety measures. Let’s take a look at how food safety managers can do their part to help control norovirus spread.

Controlling the Norovirus Outbreak in Minnesota

Over the course of the past year, business has been down in the food service sector, but now that things are beginning to open, our restaurants are once again nearing capacity increasing the risk of foodborne illnesses like norovirus. Fortunately, norovirus can be controlled using basic sanitation methods and monitoring employee hygiene. The simplest way to stop the spread of norovirus includes the following simple food safety steps:

Reinforce handwashing procedures
Avoid bare-hand contact with ready to eat foods
Never work when sick

The good news is that these norovirus infection issues have been reinforced due to COVID-19 prevention, but as our restaurants begin to get busier and food service workers face more hectic shifts, we cannot become lax with these basic food safety management protocols or we’ll face more foodborne illness outbreaks such as the current rise in norovirus in our state. Remember to take the time to wash your hands often, wear food-service gloves or tongs when handling food and stay home when under the weather.

Have you taken steps to review basic food safety procedures as business begins to pick up?

June 28, 2021May 30, 2021

Really Astonishing Food Safety Training Refresher For Cooking Outdoors

Food safety training refresher for outdoor events

With summer around the corner, some eating establishments are beginning to plan outdoor events such as barbecues, mobile kitchens and backyard catering, but you should be aware that the health department requires the same food safety training standards whether you’re cooking inside or outside. There are quite a few challenges when taking the kitchen to the great outdoors, so we created a food safety training refresher for your use.

Food Safety Training Refresher For Cooking Outdoors — Image credit: Cristina Alexe via 123rf

Food Safety Training Review for Outdoor Cooking Events

When planning an outdoor event with live cooking stations, you should brush-up your food safety training and make sure that you have the capabilities to follow proper food safety training for:

Sanitation
Handwashing
Temperature control

Since you’re away from your kitchen, you’ll need to take steps to ensure you have an approved sanitizer solution on hand for preparation surfaces and cooking utensils. Not only should you have a bucket of sanitizer solution handy, you should take precautions to refresh your sanitizer solution occasionally. This could be a spare brought from your main facility, or if you’re close enough to your kitchen a replacement could be brought to your outdoor kitchen occasionally.

Another food safety training reminder is setting up an outdoor handwashing station, which is also required if you’re actively cooking and preparing food away from your kitchen. Unlike providing a sanitizer solution, a handwashing station will take a little bit more of an investment. Simply sanitizing hands or wearing gloves will not effectively prevent the transmission of foodborne pathogens from handling raw ingredients. There are a few styles of mobile handwashing stations available, so contact your equipment supplier to find one that is best suited for your setup.

Finally, cold foods will need to be kept cold and hot foods will need to be kept hot. If you’re cooking proteins such as hamburgers, chicken or bratwurst, they must be kept cold until they hit the grill. Make sure that you have a cooler box or ice bath that can maintain a temperature below 41-degrees or have a supply of fresh product brought out to your cooking stations periodically.

Are you planning on setting up an outdoor kitchen to attract customers this summer? Have you scheduled a food safety training refresher for your staff?

June 21, 2021May 30, 2021

How to Serve Expectant Mothers Utilizing Food Manager Safety Standards

During a recent food manager safety training and certification class, we were having a discussion on cooking temperatures and time control and how you must include a menu advisory should customers wish to order undercooked proteins such as over-easy eggs or a medium-rare steak. It just so happened that we had an expectant mother attending the session, and she brought up the point that pregnant women need to follow stricter food safety standards when it comes to the foods they consume. With that in mind, it’s important to take a look at food manager safety standards in the event you have a pregnant guest who has questions concerning your menu items.

Food Manager Safety and Pregnant Women

Bacteria and pathogens that may not affect the mother may have dire consequences to the young life growing inside her. This is why you must be careful when preparing food for women that may be pregnant.

All food prepared for expectant mothers must be served hot enough to have killed common pathogens. Undercooked proteins could still contain bacteria. Fish is a great source of protein for a growing baby, but can contain parasites, bacteria or viruses, so food manager safety standards recommend special caution to ensure all seafood is cooked thoroughly. Sushi, sashimi, ceviche and raw shellfish should never be served to pregnant guests.

Some foods commonly thought of as ready to eat may not be safe for pregnant mothers and their future child. Cured deli meats, lox, smoked fish and jerky may pose some sort of health risk due to not being fully heated during the curing process.

Certain dairy products also pose a threat. Food manager safety standards suggest CFPMs be aware that soft cheeses like gorgonzola, brie or feta can spread small amounts of salmonella, E.coli or campylobacter to a growing fetus. Any unpasteurized dairy products can cause harm and should never make their way to a pregnant mother’s plate.

Finally, undercooked eggs also could contain salmonella that might endanger a developing child. Besides the obvious undercooked eggs, there are quite a few common menu items that contain undercooked eggs.

Caesar salad dressing and other creamy dressings
Hollandaise sauce
Custards

When serving products that contain eggs, assume any items that do not reach 155-degrees during the cooking process as unsafe for expectant mothers.

Do you feel prepared to serve expectant mothers according to food manager safely standards when they choose your establishment?