Ultimate Tips On Menu Advisories For Food Safety Managers

Ultimate Tips On Menu Advisories For Food Safety Managers

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For quite some time, it’s been standard procedure for Minnesota food safety managers to include a customer advisory notice on their menus to alert guests that some items may contain protein ingredients that can be prepared raw or undercooked. Some items that must be labeled are fairly obvious, but there are a few scenarios that may slip by without notice when menus are being designed. In order to make sure that food safety managers understand exactly what should receive a menu advisory, it’s important to explore some menu items that may be overlooked.

Ultimate Tips On Menu Advisories For Food Safety Managers

Guidence for Food Safety Managers on Customer Menu Advisories for Undercooked Proteins

Just to quickly review, any item on your menu that contains proteins that can be ordered raw or undercooked must be marked with an advisory in some way. This can be done individually with each menu item or linked by an asterisk to an advisory somewhere on the same menu page. For example:

  • Oysters on the half shell* (raw oysters)
  • Prime Rib*
  • *May contain raw or undercooked ingredients. Consuming raw or undercooked meats may pose a health risk.

There are a number of feasible ways for food safety managers to properly label menu advisories as outlined by the Minnesota Department of Health. Common ingredients that must be labeled are:

  • Beef
  • Poultry
  • Shellfish
  • Fish
  • Eggs

Some of these are obvious, while many times one ingredient in particular is overlooked by food safety managers and not included on menu advisories. Many items that include eggs are often unmarked. These forgotten products are usually desserts or menu items that are topped with sauces or dressings containing egg ingredients.

If you serve a Caesar salad or other salad dressing that contains egg products, even if they are pasteurized, you must include an advisory. The same goes for desserts containing eggs that are not cooked to 145 degrees. This includes custards, tiramisu, creme brule and many other common desserts. Also be wary of sauces such as aioli, bearnaise and hollandaise. Egg based sauces must also receive a notice.

Daily specials often go without the necessary consumer advisory. Specials are often communicated verbally to guests, and servers shouldn’t be burdened with the added responsibility of verbally advising customers. Even though it’s added work, we strongly recommend food safety managers use some form of printed specials menu that includes the necessary advisories.

Do you have any hidden menu items you’ve forgotten to properly label with an advisory?

ServSafe Food Manager's Guide To Pesticides On Produce

New ServSafe Food Manager’s Guide To Pesticides On Produce

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ServSafe food managers should be on the lookout for any type of hazard that could cause foodborne illness in their guests. While bacteria is one of the most common causes of illness spread in food, pesticides and chemical residues on fresh produce can also pose a hidden hazard. Is there a guide for Servsafe food managers to identify pesticides on produce, and what steps can a ServSafe food manager take to ensure their finished product is uncontaminated?

ServSafe Food Manager's Guide To Pesticides On Produce
Image credit: Adrienne LaTrice and Maggie Judson via flickr

The ServSafe Food Manager and Pesticides on Fresh Produce

While the potential exists for some pesticide contamination on all produce that arrives at your restaurant, there are some fruits and vegetables that are more prone to residual pesticides and chemicals than others. Each year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) identifies their top 15 dirty and clean produce items as far as pesticides are concerned. The 2021 dirt list includes:

  • Greens such as kale, collard greens and spinach
  • Celery
  • Strawberries and grapes
  • Peppers and Tomatoes
  • Apples, Nectarines, Cherries and Pears

If you notice the grouping of these dirty items, you’ll see there’s no common theme as to how each of these potentially contaminated ingredients is grown. We have greens grown in the ground, berries on vines, vegetables and tree fruits. With such a wide variety of fresh produce making the list, how can a ServSafe food manager ensure his produce is clean?

The first step for a ServSafe food manager is to never assume that your fresh produce is free of pesticides just because of the way it’s been packaged, especially when dealing with greens. Some greens come loose and obviously need rinsing in order to prepare for service, but even clean-looking produce in sealed bags may still be contaminated. An extra rinse won’t damage most greens, so even if the package claims to contain prewashed produce, it’s prudent to rinse before service.

This should hold true for most fresh produce, not just leafy greens. All fruits, vegetables and berries should be properly rinsed before preparation or offered fresh to customers.

The EWG also released a top 15 list of clean produce that has the lowest risk of pesticide contamination, however, low risk does not equal no risk. So wash these fruits and vegetables before service as well.

Do you take steps to reduce the risk of pesticides reaching your guests dining room table?

Food Safety Managers Identify Approved Food Product Sources

How can Food Safety Managers Identify Approved Food Product Sources?

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Finding suppliers with high-quality ingredients is the first step in keeping your guests safe from foodborne illnesses. In fact, it’s such an important stage in the foodborne illness prevention process, that the Minnesota food code has outlined rules defining exactly what approved food sources look like. The code outlines a few different rules based on the type of ingredient you’re bringing in to your establishment, so let’s take a closer look at how food safety managers can identify approved food sources in the state of Minnesota.

Food Safety Managers Identify Approved Food Product Sources
Image credit: Nick Saltmarsh via flickr

A Breakdown of Approved Product Sources for Food Safety Managers

Food safety managers should source their inventory from approved commercial sources under the jurisdiction of some sort of regulatory control. These sources generally fall into three categories:

  • Local, regional or international growers
  • Food manufacturing plants
  • Food distributors

Most restaurants and other eating establishments use nationally or regionally recognized distributors. As a food safety manager, you can be fairly confident that these distribution services are relying on regulated suppliers to fill their warehouses. However, some confusion can come into play when purchasing ingredients from smaller providers. If you’re dealing with suppliers directly rather than using a major distributor, how can you tell if it’s an approved source?

The Minnesota food code outlines a few special requirements for specific scenarios to be used by food safety managers.

  • Milk products must meet Grade A pasteurized standards.
  • Meat, poultry and game animals must pass USDA or Minnesota Department of Agriculture inspection.
  • Shell eggs must be clean, intact and meet grade B or better standards.
  • Liquid, frozen, dry or other egg products must be pasteurized.
  • Canned or bag sealed product must come from a licensed vendor
  • Molluscan shellfish must originate from a source on the Interstate Certified Shellfish List.
  • Wild mushrooms can only be sourced from a forager who has completed an approved mushroom identification course.

This may seem like a lot of different rules to follow, but with some common sense food safety managers should be able to source any ingredient from an appropriate source. If you’re buying wild game out of the back of a pickup truck, purchasing fish from hobbyist fishermen or sourcing wild mushrooms out of the trunk of a car in a back alley, you may not be getting your ingredients from an approved source.

Don’t be afraid to ask for proof of regulatory standards when purchasing products from smaller suppliers. Many of them will gladly share the appropriate certifications and in many cases make you aware of them on their order sheets or product guides.

Do you source all of your ingredients from approved sources?

Important Food Safety Training for Off-Site Catering

Important Food Safety Training for Off-Site Catering

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The food and beverage industry has suffered greatly over the past year, but the catering industry has taken a substantial hit due to the limits on social gatherings. Now that the StaySafe MN guidance is beginning to allow more participants at social events, the demand for catering services is beginning to increase. With the pressure to maintain COVID-19 prevention protocols and adhere to food safety training in order to keep guests safe at catered events, it may be useful to take a look at the safe way to cater an off-site event.

Important Food Safety Training for Off-Site Catering
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Food Safety Training for Remote Catering Events

Coronavirus occupancy rules cause the biggest confusion for caterers providing services away from their kitchen. The proprietor of the venue should be accountable for capacity limits, but your catering staff must also be included in the numbers in order to remain in compliance. At the time of writing, there are two capacity standards; indoor and outdoor. Up to 50 attendees can occupy an outdoor event, while indoor events are limited to 15. This means that you may be required to limit the staff on hand in order for the venue to meet these numbers. When planning a catering event, make sure that you consult current StaySafeMN guidelines and coordinate with the venue to ensure you can adequately schedule your staff.

Besides COVID protocols, caterers must follow proper catering food safety guidelines. Many of these guidelines line up with what you’ve learned during food safety training. All food at catered events must:

Time and temperature control go a long way to preventing a foodborne illness outbreak, so make sure that you check your equipment to make sure it is capable of keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Also, take the time to check the internal temperature of all cooked foods to verify they’ve been cooked properly.

There may be times when an off-site catering client suggests they will supply the food product for the event as a cost-saving measure. Unfortunately, you may not be able to verify whether or not they are purchasing ingredients from an approved source. We suggest working with catering clients to purchase all ingredients from your normal suppliers.

Do you have a catering business that’s finally starting to see more clients? Have you taken time to refresh your staff food safety training for off-site catering?