Food Safety Blog and CFPM Resource Hub

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.

January 24, 2017January 8, 2017

Norovirus and Online ServSafe Training

The Norovirus is covered thoroughly in online ServSafe training, it sickens more people each year than any other food-borne illness cause. Since this virus mainly spreads through contact with an infected food worker rather than a natural occurrence in food product, there are numerous challenges in preventing it from contaminating prepared food product.

Online ServSafe Training Guide to the Norovirus

The most common source of the Norovirus comes from human contact or the failure to properly sanitize work stations after use. The usual ways that this pathogen comes into contact with food includes:

Contact with microscopic traces of infected blood, vomit, or other bodily excretion
Contact with contaminated surfaces
Contact with saliva or unwashed hands of an infected person

There are two lessons that are covered in our online training that should be apparent from looking at these regular causes of the Norovirus. First, do not work while sick. The chances of spreading the Norovirus increase when ill workers handle food product. The possibility also exists that your staff could still spread the virus after symptoms have dissipated. The Norovirus hangs around in the infected people’s blood and digestive systems for a few days after they have appeared to have recovered, so it may be necessary to take a few extra sick days after contracting this illness.

The second important lesson to learn is one that should be practiced even if there is little chance of spreading the Norovirus. Hand washing must be done diligently and properly after using the restroom, eating, smoking or participating in any activity that causes you to touch your mouth or other unsanitary areas of your body. Steps also should be taken to see that there is no barehanded contact with food product. Make sure that you have plenty of utensils and food-service gloves available so that potentially infected hands stay away from your product.

While the main causes of Norovirus poisoning come from human contamination, our online ServSafe guide would be incomplete if we did not mention potential hazards in food before it reaches your facility. There is a chance that an infected farmer or other worker could handle raw fruits and vegetables before they reach your business. In this case, you must make sure that all raw produce is properly washed and stored. Shellfish can also naturally absorb the Norovirus from the water that they are harvested from, especially in the warmer months of the year. Shellfish should be prepared properly and care should be taken to reduce the risk of cross-contamination with other food product.

January 17, 2017January 8, 2017

Certified Food Managers and Customer Rewards

Repeat customers keep restaurants and other food producers in business. During a break at one of our certified food manager exam sessions, we engaged in an interesting conversation with the supervisor at a small restaurant about the challenges of utilizing a customer reward program similar to the ones that larger companies use. We thought that it would be interesting to explore some options that smaller companies have to give their returning guests a little something extra.

Certified Food Managers and Customer Loyalty Programs

There are definitely some difficulties involved when trying to compete with major franchises customer loyalty programs. The biggest obstacle being that big corporations have the infrastructure, the manpower and the finances to hire employees dedicated to the process of keeping customers returning to their stores and restaurants. Small business owners have no need to despair, however, there are numerous things that they can do to keep guests coming back.

A small business’ biggest advantage over large corporations is a familiarity factor. Many times regular guests and business owners know each other by name, and having a smaller staff allows your customers and employees to create a relationship based on seeing a familiar face each time they visit your restaurant. Training your employees to recognize returning guests and learn their names can go a long ways towards keeping them coming back as opposed to a loyalty card and the lack of being recognized when they visit large franchises.

Just because your guests know who you are and are greeted personally by staff each time they visit does not mean that you cannot give them something extra for frequenting your establishment. We’ve come up with a few ideas that can reward your regular customers for their business:

Punch cards
Free item on birthdays and holidays
Coupons only available to members of an e-mail club
Discounts on certain menu items for frequent guests

These are just a few suggestions, and you can get as creative as possible to make it fun for guests to return. Customers spend their money in restaurants that treat them right, but with so many great restaurants in our state it sometimes takes something a little extra to draw them back time and time again. Do you have any special programs for your regular guests?

January 10, 2017January 8, 2017

Food Code Questions After Online Food Safety Certification

Our online food safety certification courses cover everything that students must know in order to obtain their food manager certificates, but who do they turn to when something comes up that they either do not recall or they find themselves in a situation that was not covered in the course? While we attempt to make sure that you leave our training with everything that you need to know, there can always be gaps in even the most well prepared training courses.

Answers to Food Code Questions after Online Food Safety Certification

Fortunately, we live in the digital age where information is readily available from our PCs, smartphones and iPads, but if we have learned anything about the World Wide Web, it is that many resources lead you in the wrong direction. A popular quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln says it all; “Not everything that you read on the internet is true.” Where do you find reliable sources when you have food safety questions that you need answered right away?
We have compiled a short list of official websites that will give you a good start into your research:

In our opinion, these three sites are invaluable resources for those looking for information not contained in online food safety certification courses. We recommend starting with The Minnesota Food Code. This is the official website for the Minnesota Department of Health and contains links to both the complete food code and food, beverage and hospitality regulations. Some cities and counties have passed rules that are stricter than the food code that governs the state, so when in doubt give your local health department a call for clarification. They will be able to give you a definitive answer on nearly any topic.

We also feel like taking an instructor led food safety certification course grants the opportunity for students to ask more questions and engage in topics that are not covered in online resources. If you and your staff are inquisitive by nature, we recommend you consider taking one of our food safety classes where you have the opportunity to learn from an educated instructor.

We like to do whatever we can to make food safety certification obtainable. If you have any special requirements, just contact us and we will be happy to help.