Food Safety Classes and Food Safety Month

Food Safety Classes and Food Safety Month

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September is National Food Safety Month, and this makes for the perfect time to brush up on what you have learned in your food safety classes and go out of your way to make sure your facility is in top shape. It can also provide an opportunity to enlighten your guests to the steps you take to keep pathogens from reaching their plate.

Food Safety Classes and Food Safety Month

Promoting Food Safety Month During September

While we should remain vigilant throughout the year, setting aside one month to assess and address food safety in your facility is a great idea. This could be the perfect time to perform a mock health inspection so you can see if there are any gaps in your staff knowledge and performance. If you find any issues, conducting a few group food safety classes with your employees will get everyone on the same page and increase food safety awareness.

This also provides you with an opportunity to clue your guests in on some food safety procedures. A detailed handwashing sign in your public washroom, a card on the table informing them of your table sanitation process or even an extra sheet in your menu with a daily food safety tip they can apply at home in honor of food safety month can impress upon your clientele how much you value their health.

You should also take the time to identify key members of your team that are ready for the responsibilities of a certified food manager. It never hurts to have multiple employees certified in the event of the absence of your current certified manager.

ServSafe has provided tools and worksheets for you and your staff to review over the coming month to improve your food handling practices. Do you participate in Food Safety Month?

Minnesota Food Managers and Sourcing Wild Mushrooms

The Minnesota Food Managers and Sourcing Wild Mushrooms

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The Minnesota Food Code is changing, and it’s not only going to affect the day-to-day duties of Minnesota food managers, but also change how they source and serve certain ingredients. One ingredient that is specifically targeted by upcoming regulation changes are wild mushrooms.

Minnesota Food Manager and Sourcing Wild Mushrooms

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Wild Mushrooms and Minnesota Food Managers

Before we begin our discussion, it’s important to understand the difference between wild mushrooms and other mushrooms. Most food managers source their mushrooms from major food service suppliers. These mushrooms are cultivated in facilities that fall under the jurisdiction of the appropriate local food regulatory agency. Some of these mushrooms can be the same species as those harvested in the wild, but are produced by food processing facilities. True wild mushrooms, however, come from the great outdoors and must be individually inspected by a verified expert in the field of mushroom identification.

Under proposed rule changes, food managers must keep a closer eye on where their mushrooms are coming from. Once these regulations go into effect, mushrooms must come from “registered harvesters or inspected food processing plants.” These new restrictions add an extra layer of food-safety by requiring licensed harvesters to take added responsibility for their product.

If your menu includes ingredients sourced from wild mushroom harvesters, make sure that your supplier is properly registered. This may help ensure that your product is safe and provide the health department more information in the event of food-borne illness as a result of tainted mushrooms.

Also included in this proposal is the requirement that facilities serving wild harvested mushrooms place a notice on their menus that mushrooms served were harvested at a site that has not been inspected. While your harvester may be fully registered, this notice is required to make consumers aware that their food has not passed the official inspections required for mushrooms produced in other facilities.

Do you serve wild mushrooms in your restaurant? If so, how do you feel about these new rule changes?

ServSafe Food Managers and Proposed Changes to Handwashing Stations

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As we covered in a previous article, the Department of Health has proposed a few changes to the current health code to take effect sometime in the near future. Quite a few of these changes require ServSafe food managers to make changes to how they operate their kitchens and train their employees. This week, we’d like to take a look at the proposal to alter some of the requirements for employee handwashing stations.

ServSafe Food Managers and Proposed Changes to Handwashing Stations

Image credit: Public Health Image Library

Preparing for Changes to Regulations for Handwashing Stations

From a quick glance, we notice a few things in this proposal that ServSafe food managers should note:

  • Fingernail brushes will no longer be required
  • Heated-air or air-knife hand dryers will be allows at handwashing stations in kitchen areas
  • Handwashing signage at employee handwashing stations will be required rather than voluntary

Of these three changes, we note that only one of them involves taking away the requirement of a convenient handwashing tool. Once these changes go into effect, a nailbrush will no longer be required at your handwashing station. The reason behind this decision comes from the fact that while a clean nailbrush can be a great tool in sanitation, one that is not cleaned regularly can actually spread bacteria from one hand to another. If your nailbrush receives constant use without proper cleaning and replacement, you may be promoting a health hazard rather than preventing one.

While fairly common in restrooms, forced-air hand dryers rarely are seen in the kitchen. These new handwashing stations guidelines will allow for air-knife and heated-air hand dryers in kitchen areas. These hand dryers provide an economical solution over single-use paper towels, but they should be sanitized periodically to maintain a germ free drying solution. If your forced-air hand dryer contains an air filter, make sure to replace it regularly.

Finally, up until now handwashing signage at employee handwashing stations has been voluntary. The new rules require a handwashing procedure poster at each handwashing sink. This offers a visual reminder to your staff to wash regularly and properly.

Over the coming months, we will be diving into many of the new proposed rule changes. How do you feel about the proposed regulations concerning handwashing stations?

Taking a Break from Online Food Safe Training to Enjoy the Minnesota State Fair

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August is upon us, and that means it is time for our yearly tradition of sneaking out of the classroom and checking out the sights, sounds and smells of the Minnesota State Fair. Every year at the fair seems to get bigger and better, whether you’re there to take in your favorite bands on the Grandstand Stage, view blue-ribbon winning livestock or find out which unique food items will be served deep fried from local vendors. In order to take a brief break from online food safe training, we’d like to share what we’re looking forward to this year.

food on a stick minnesota state fair

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

What We’re Looking Forward to at this Year’s Minnesota State Fair

Minnesota has a rich and storied agricultural tradition, and this should be on display in force at this year’s state fair. Local ranchers will display their best beef and dairy cattle, while horse clubs will display their riding prowess during several events. Smaller barnyard creatures are always a favorite of young and old alike, and this year should be no exception as there is bound to be award winning animals of every kind.

We’d of course be lying if we weren’t looking forward to new offerings from local food and beverage vendors. This year, the fair is promoting many new food vendors serving their unique cuisine. While there are way too many new foods advertised for us to mention here, some items we look forward to sampling include:

  • General Tso Chicken Tacos
  • Deep Fried Irish Tater Kegs
  • Nordic Waffles
  • Just about anything served on a stick

Of course, no trip through food vendor row would be complete without a cold, frosty beverage, and this year’s options look promising with 27 new beer and specialty beverages debuting at this year’s Minnesota State Fair. With so many tempting food and beverage items, we’ll have to make sure not to fill up too much before hitting the thrill rides in Adventure Park.

We love our annual trip to the fair. What’s your favorite attraction?