Food Safety Blog and CFPM Resource Hub

May 15, 2023May 15, 2023

Going Beyond Unbelievably Simple Food Safety Storage Regulations

Proper storage of all types of food products, whether raw meats, dairy, produce, or fully prepared foods, is essential in any segment of the food service industry. Improperly stored food can lead to loss of profits due to waste, and wasted time while employees search for product. Food safety training addresses the storage regulations issue, we’ll explore other storage solutions as well.

Image credit: stu_spivack via Flickr

Meat storage tends to be the most misunderstood and poorly implemented procedure when it comes to food storage. We know that raw meat should always be stored below cooked product, but according to MN food safety certification regulations, raw meats should be separated during storage and production. One way to safely store raw products and prevent cross-contamination is to make sure that products with the highest cooking temperatures are stored on lower shelves than those with lower temperatures. If raw meats were to be stored on the same rack, a properly organized refrigerator should look like this in descending order.

Raw steaks and full cuts of beef (145 degrees minimum)
Raw ground beef (155 degrees)
Raw poultry (165 degrees)

You will notice that we have not included seafood on our list. Even though seafood has a minimum cooking temperature of 145 degrees, we recommend separating it further from all other product. We feel that this is an important safety precaution to protect those who have allergies to seafood and shellfish.

The optimal way to achieve proper storage is to have dedicated areas for meat, dairy, and produce. Larger outlets such as large-scale food manufacturing plants can easily achieve this by using multiple refrigeration units. Many restaurants, hotels, and smaller institutional facilities do not have this luxury, so diligence is important.

Tips for Food Safety Managers Streamlining Food Storage

The first tip to ensure proper food storage is to label everything. Food should be labeled and dated when received or prepared. This is the obvious first step and is required to know for food safety certification in MN, but it is helpful to take labeling one step further than the minimum storage regulations.

Label the sections, shelves, and empty spaces in your refrigerators. This will ensure that employees will be able to see where each type of product is allowed to be stored, and will prevent the confusion of a constantly changing storage system.

Another tip is to store produce and meat as far away from each other as possible. In many cases, this can be achieved by splitting refrigeration space in half. One side of a walk-in refrigerator will contain produce, the other meat products. Two separate refrigerators would be the ideal storage solution, but this is not always achievable. In cramped quarters, the labeling of all available space will streamline your storage process.

Implementing proper food safety storage regulations appear simple on paper, but implementing an organized system is well worth the vigilance.

May 8, 2023May 8, 2023

The Truth About Temperature Control For Food Safety Certification MN

Temperature Control For Food Safety Certification Boiling Water Method

Temperature Control and Food Safety Certification MN

In order to obtain Food Safety Certification in MN, one key is to understand how to control the temperature of cooked foods, and the proper cooking temperatures for raw foods. Grasping these concepts is not only necessary in order to gain your food manager certification, but also to prevent foodborne illness and ensure quality.

Proper Temperature Checking Technique

Simply inserting your probe thermometer into a cooked meat item will not always give you an accurate temperature result. There are certain things that you should be aware of to ensure proper control when checking the temperature of prepared food items:

To check the temperature of beef, lamb, and pork roasts, you need to check the thickest portion.
Avoid contact between your probe thermometer and any bones
To check the chicken, probe on the thickest part of the breast.
It is recommended that thin food be checked with a thermocouple-style thermometer
Stir hot and cold soups, sauces, and other liquids before checking them.

Food Safety Certification Tips For Calibrating Your Probe Thermometer

No matter how often you check the temperature of your temperature-controlled items, you will not receive accurate results if you are using a probe thermometer that is not properly calibrated. Health inspectors will calibrate their thermometers before every inspection. Likewise, food safety certification-aware kitchen staff should also recalibrate often to assure accurate temperature control. Thermometers should be calibrated before their first use after they have been dropped, or after they have gone from one temperature extreme to the other. There are two methods to properly calibrate a probe thermometer.

Boiling method

Bring water to a boil
Once your water has reached a boil, insert your thermometer
Adjust your probe to read 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ice-water method
Fill a container with crushed ice and then add water
Wait five minutes in order for your ice water’s temperature to stabilize
Insert your thermometer into the center of your ice water, making sure the probe does not touch the side or bottom of your container
Adjust the probe to read 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ice Water Method

Ice-water method
Fill a container with crushed ice and then add water
Wait five minutes in order for your ice water’s temperature to stabilize
Insert your thermometer into the center of your ice water, making sure the probe does not touch the side or bottom of your container
Adjust the probe to read 32 degrees Fahrenheit

The ice-water method is the safest and most accurate method. The Food Safety Certification MN training should cover these tips and other temperature control information in depth to ensure understanding.

May 2, 2023May 2, 2023

WHY MN FOOD CODE REQUIRES RAW EGGS TO BE REFRIGERATED?

In every restaurant and nearly every home in the United States, raw eggs are stored under refrigeration at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. According to the MN food code and food safety training courses, refrigerating raw eggs prevents Salmonella. Salmonella is a food-borne gastrointestinal illness that affects a reported 42,000 Americans each year. This number is certainly higher due to many mild cases which go unreported. Businesses that sell or cook eggs for public consumption must refrigerate them in an effort to prevent outbreaks of this type of foodborne illness.

Why The United Kingdom Does Not Refrigerate Raw Eggs

Many travelers to the United Kingdom, and many other parts of the world, often notice that people do not refrigerate raw eggs and store them at room temperature most often. This has puzzled many individuals who were taught that eggs should always be refrigerated. The answer to this question lies in a brief explanation of the differences in egg production and distribution between the United States and Great Britain.

The different philosophy of egg storage between the two countries is due to the difference in production standards. In the United States, farmers wash and sanitize eggs post-harvest. Correspondingly, Great Britain’s regulations dictate that eggs must remain dry throughout production and distribution. Rinsing eggs destroys the thin natural protective layer, known as the cuticle, which can prevent contaminants from entering the egg.

In the United Kingdom, a majority of egg producers vaccinate their egg-laying hens in an effort to prevent disease. Here in the United States, we use this process minimally.

According to an article written for www.foodsafetynews.com, these practices have “reduced the incidence of Salmonella illnesses in Britain from 14,771 reported cases in 1997 to 581 cases in 2009.” The entire foodsafeteynews.com article can be found here.

MN Food Code Approach To Serving Raw Eggs

In order to complete food manager certification in MN, knowledge of preventing food-borne illness is a must. Salmonella is a common food-borne illness that can potentially be deadly but is also easily preventable. There are a few MN food code statutes to keep in mind when dealing with raw eggs that can prevent the spread of this illness.

Refrigerate eggs using temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit,
Throw away broken eggs to avoid contamination easily
Clean dirty eggs before use
When you need a large quantity, use pasteurized liquid eggs instead of raw shell eggs

The two MN food code statutes that pertain to eggs appear:

April 24, 2023April 24, 2023

Who Should Immediately Obtain A Food Protection Manager Certification?

who should obtain food protection manager certification

Most establishments that process or serve food must have an in-house leader with food manager certification MN. Although regulations require this certification, they do not specify which manager in the company should obtain a food protection manager certification.

We feel that to get the most value out of food protection manager certification, it is essential to make sure that a person who directly oversees and manages food production is certified. In many smaller food service establishments, such as restaurants, it is not uncommon for the owner to be certified. This is only a good idea if the owner is under constant supervision of his kitchen. Many restaurant owners spend more time supervising the floor and taking care of guests than overseeing the day-to-day operations of the kitchen staff. If this is the case, you should consider your Chef, Sous Chef, or kitchen manager for certification.

In large-scale establishments, we suggest an overseer of production gain food protection manager certification. They will have a much easier time dealing with food safety issues than a manager who spends little time supervising production. If you are coordinating multiple locations, keep in mind that there must be one certified manager at each location.

There are some jurisdictions in the state that require that there is a certified person present whenever the business is operating. For those businesses, it is important to have several key people certified so that there is always coverage.

Role of the Certified Food Protection Manager

When selecting a candidate to be a CFPM, it is important to take into consideration the duties expected of them and their role in your establishment. Keep the following duties in mind when you determine who you will have certified.

Your certified manager should be in a position to:

Identify potential food safety hazards in the workplace
Develop procedures to reduce the potential for foodborne illness
Coordinate food safety training for employees
Ensure there is a Person in Charge (PIC)
Correct procedures and habits as necessary to protect consumers
Inspecting daily operations periodically ensures proper following of food handling policies.

When selecting a leader to obtain a food protection manager certification, it is essential to ensure that their position will allow them the opportunity and ability to fulfill all of these duties. For more information on these regulations, the official fact sheet can be obtained from the Minnesota Department of Health.

Safe Food Training has scheduled classes at convenient locations around the Twin Cities and central MN. It’s quick and easy to register an individual or several employees to take the training and exam. Register early, to assure the availability of the date and location you want.