Christine Dantz, Author at Safe Food For Thought

December 11, 2018December 11, 2018

The Food Safety Problem with Romaine Lettuce

November has come and gone, and with it another major food safety problem with Romaine lettuce causing an illness hazard and sickening your guests. This week, we’d like to look at some of the potential causes of these outbreaks, and how good food safety training helps prevent sickening your guests with contaminated lettuce.

Hints On How To Prevent A Food Safety Problem with Romaine Lettuce

Like most vegetables, romaine lettuce grows in the dirt, and as we all know, dirt is dirty. Soil contains all sorts of bacteria and contaminates, it is home is insects and snails, and it can be further contaminated by fertilizers and other outside sources. Even the water that farmers use to water their crops can be contaminated with bacteria that can be harmful to people who consume the final product.

Some farms that grow our produce also house livestock. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that manure can spread from one section of the farm to another on a worker’s boots or the tread of a tractor tire. As you can imagine, there are infinite possibilities as to how romaine lettuce becomes a health hazard, but what can we do about it?

Unfortunately, keeping the food from becoming contaminated on the farm is outside of the scope of what we do as a food safety training provider, however, we can help you take steps to keep lettuce in your restaurant clean and free from contaminates. Here are a few steps you should take:

Inspect lettuce upon delivery
Wash lettuce thoroughly
Be alert for recalls
Dispose of potentially contaminated romaine lettuce

A close inspection of your lettuce will reveal how much soil has been shipped with your product or if bugs and snails have tagged along for the ride. If you feel that your lettuce isn’t up to food safety standards, don’t be afraid to reject the shipment.

It’s not just a food safety problem with Romaine, all fresh produce should be washed thoroughly before serving, but lettuces such as romaine need extra attention. There’s a reason that you hear about more food poising cases from lettuce than potatoes. Potatoes and many other fruits and vegetables have one continuous outside surface, so a quick wash gets rid of more bacteria than a quick wash of a head of lettuce. We suggest washing your lettuce after taking the leaves off of the head in order to rinse areas that won’t be cleaned if the head is washed whole.

Finally, be aware of recalls and dispose of compromised lettuce. Taking a hit on food cost is a much better option that sickening your guests.

Did your business suffer from that latest recall of romaine lettuce?

December 3, 2018November 12, 2018

Update MN Food Code Effective Date for ServSafe Food Managers

Over the past few months, we’ve previewed some of the coming changes to the MN Food Code, but up until recently, we have yet to have a firm date for when these changes will take effect. According to a September release of the Minnesota State Register, an official publication of the state of Minnesota’s Executive Branch, we finally have a date when the new food code amendments will be enacted.

Effective January 1, 2019, the proposed amendments to the MN Food Code replace the code we have been using for many years. According to the introduction of the proposal, the reason for the changes in our 20-year old food code was to “continue a shift toward food sanitation and safety measures critical to preventing foodborne disease.”

There are several other justifications for updating the food code, including shifting away from the specific kinds of materials and equipment can used during production and re-emphasizing hygiene, sanitation and proper temperature control. In short, some of the changes to the code give ServSafe food managers more freedom in the equipment they use while at the same time giving them more responsibility for training, monitoring and correcting sanitation and food preparation methods.

What do these changes mean for Minnesota ServSafe food managers? First, many of the changes in the food code involve the language of the code itself. A few sections, such as the responsibilities of the food manager, have been reworded in a manner that eliminates some confusion. Some of these changes, such as equipment regulations, give you more freedom to run your business without being over restricted.

At Safe Food Training, we’ve been discussing some of the top changes to the code, and will continue to delve deeper in the coming months. Are there any issues you’d like us to look into?

November 26, 2018November 12, 2018

Food Safety Training and Non-Continuous Cooking

In our research into upcoming MN food code changes, we’ve noted a new addition; non-continuous cooking. This means that as long as certain parameters are met, you can halt the cooking process for certain items and finish at a later time. Many risks exist when cooking is halted, so this week we’d like to discuss how to safely prepare food using this method.

A Non-Continuous Cooking Food Safety Training Guide

We must first point out that in order to prepare raw animal foods using a non-continuous cooking method, you must have a well-documented written procedure and obtain approval from your local health department. You should provide safe food training to your staff on this process and develop written instructions that include the following information:

Initial Cooking Time
Cooling Method
Storing Procedure
Reheating Method

If you do not plan on cooking raw animal product all the way to the appropriate temperature, you can only halt the process if the initial cooking time is under 60 minutes. After 60 minutes, you must continue the cooking process until an acceptable internal temperature has been reached.

Once you halt the cooking process, you must bring the internal temperature down to 41-degrees as soon as possible. This will prevent undercooked meat product from resting at temperatures known to speed up the growth of potentially dangerous bacteria. Once cooled, the par-cooked product must remain under proper refrigeration.

Finally, when it comes time to finish the cooking process, remember that your product must be fully cooked to the proper temperature.

It’s important to stress and repeat that if you plan on using this method for any raw animal product, you must have well-documented plan and regulatory approval.

Once this new MN food code rule goes into effect, we’ll monitor enforcement and provide more food safe training on this topic in the future. How do you feel about the allowance for non-continuous cooking?

November 19, 2018November 12, 2018

Online Food Training for Special Food Preparation Processes

Sometimes there are food preparation processes that are not covered by online food training or specifically detailed under Minnesota food code regulations. So what should a food safety manager do if they cannot find a specific guideline for their unique food preparation technique?

Unique Food Preparation Processes

If you have a food preparation process that you’re unsure about or cannot find any rule that addresses your situation, you may be required to obtain a variance from your local health inspector. There are too many cooking and storing processes to name in one article, but some situations that may require a variance include:

Smoking or Curing
Sprouting Seeds or Beans
Preserving
Custom Animal Processing
Reduced Oxygen Packaging

These five items are just examples of food preparation techniques that may require a variance from the health department. If your methods are not covered under the health code, or if you’re unsure, we advise you to contact your local health department.

Using the health department as a resource in situations of uncertainty helps keep the food you serve safe. Online food training and thumbing through the food code is a great start, but it’s best not to proceed until you ensure that your process produces safe to eat foods.

Obtaining a variance from the department of health is not as complicated as you may think. A local health inspector will need to come to your facility and observe your food preparation method. This is a great opportunity to discuss your cooking methods and potentially learn safer ways to prepare your food under these special circumstances. During the health inspector’s observation, they will let you know whether or not they approve of your methods. If they decide not to grant your procedure a variance, ask questions and seek advice from these professionals on how to prepare these items safely.

Do you have a cooking procedure/food preparation processes that does not seem to fall under standard health code rules?