Category: Certified Food Manager MN

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Valuable Health Advice For Tired CFPMs

Food management professionals take on a lot of responsibility, often to the detriment of their own well-being. We have critical health advice to help hardworking, dedicated CFPMs moderate stress levels and provide the healthy energy needed to survive the day.

Valuable Health Advice For Tired CFPMs
photo credit: www.teoti.com

Certified Food Protection Manager’s Guide to Staying Healthy on the Job

  • Eat healthy on the job
  • Make an effort to take a break
  • Replace coffee or soda with water

Maintaining a healthy diet at work can be difficult, especially for busy food industry workers. Often, the most convenient options for a quick bite are not healthy. During their snack and lunch breaks, workers frequently consume unhealthy leftovers from deep-fried dishes, yesterday’s specials, or low-quality cuts of meat instead of choosing fresh fruits or light salads, which are the healthier choices. Consuming these foods alone can cause a dip in energy levels, leading to a lack of focus and motivation. Pack fresh fruit or snacks for quick, healthy meals.

Certified food protection managers in food production facilities and restaurants often work through their allotted break times. While we understand that there is always something that needs to be done and that certified food protection managers have many responsibilities, taking ten minutes to pause, breathe, and refresh your mind will be beneficial in the long run. It’s important to remind yourself that you have trained your staff well, and you can trust that your operation will not collapse if you step away for a few minutes.

Drink Water

Overloading on coffee or soda can elevate your heart rate and lead to anxiety. When you consume multiple cups of coffee or soda during a shift, there will always be the inevitable caffeine and sugar crash that can only be avoided by grabbing another cup before it hits. We suggest that you balance out your caffeine fix by consuming plenty of water. Water will keep you better hydrated than coffee or sugary drinks and help provide the natural energy to get you through your shift.

While not every CFPM’s daily routine is the same, most have dedication and the drive to succeed in common. Don’t let that drive cause you to ignore your physical and mental health on the job. You can decrease stress, increase energy levels, and keep your facility running smoothly and safely by taking small steps.

Leave a comment! How do your co-workers picture you? How do you moderate stress levels? What tips do you have for staying healthy while at work?

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Confidential Tips For Certified Food Managers Launching A New Facility

certified food manager staffing a new location

Your business is booming, and you’ve decided that you’re ready to expand. You have your new facility leased or purchased, with equipment installed. Now, all you need is staff to begin operations. But what is the best way to staff a second outlet without too many complications? While there are many theories on this subject, we have a few tips for certified food managers to help launch a new facility.

certified food manager staffing a new restaurant
Image credit: neydt via 123rf

Keys That Certified Food Managers Can Use When Staffing a New Restaurant

We think three essential staffing procedures should be in play before you open a second outlet.

  • Management dedicated to the new site
  • A quality mix of new and transferred staff members
  • Quality training system in place

All too often, we see restaurants expand and expect their chef, certified food manager, and front-of-the-house managers to take on a more significant role during the transition. We feel that this is a mistake. Experienced management personnel can be temporarily transferred, but each location should have a qualified manager on duty.

Current state regulations require that each outlet have a certified food manager. Certain jurisdictions may also need a qualified manager to be on-site during all hours of operation. It may be prudent to check with your local health department to ensure your new facility has the appropriate certified management coverage.

Besides transferring management personnel, moving a few essential kitchen, production, or service staff members to the new location can give your new facility an edge in experience and open up opportunities to train new staff at your current location. This process also provides an opportunity to evaluate current employees who may deserve promotion.

A Detailed Training Plan

The third item on our list should be obvious, but many times, training is overlooked during expansion. Management and staff often become accustomed to their current facility’s routine and neglect to establish comprehensive training protocols at the new site. Having a member of your food management team design a detailed training plan will inevitably lead to success, and incorporating site-specific training procedures should never be left on the back burner.

With a well-thought-out strategy, you could be looking at even more success in the future. Even the largest chain had to endure the initial growing pains to become what it is today.

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Top 10 Certified Food Manager New Year’s Resolutions

New Years Resolutions for Certified Food Managers

Let’s shift our focus to the new year after cleaning the champagne glasses, wrapping up the college bowl games of New Year’s, and sweeping up the streamers. Hopefully, every certified food manager will resolve to be diligent regarding safety this year, but we have ten specific resolutions that are high on our priority list.

Image credit: ferli via 123rf

Specific Resolutions for Certified Food Managers

1: Use your food thermometer in all situations. To ensure that all foods remain safe for consumption, it is important to keep them out of the danger zone regardless of whether they are hot-held, chilled, or ready-to-serve.

2: Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly before serving. Potential food-borne illness hazards can still affect raw and room temperature-served foods.

3: Cool hot foods safely and as quickly as possible. Cooling soups, roasts, and other hot foods properly is essential. They need to get below dangerous temperatures as fast as possible.

4: Wash your hands. It is crucial to emphasize that after handling raw food, changing gloves, eating, smoking, or using the bathroom, you must wash your hands for 20 seconds with plenty of soap and hot water.

5. Don’t work while sick. If you are sick, it’s possible to spread your illness to your customers. If you’re exhibiting disease symptoms, take time off, rest, and get better.

6: Make sure your refrigeration is working correctly. Buy and install a thermometer for each unit in your facility. Sometimes, the difference between 39 and 42 degrees is impossible to determine using human senses, but bacteria will undoubtedly know the difference.

7: Rotate your inventory correctly. Don’t let old or expired foods make their way into your preparation areas. Ensure all your stock is labeled and rotated to ensure that potentially spoiled product is never served to your customers.

But Wait There’s More!

8: Make sure cloths are clean and free of contaminants. It’s no use cleaning your workspace with a soiled cleaning cloth. This can have adverse effects and even create hazards. Keep cleaning utensils clean!

9: Be diligent! Don’t ignore potential hazards with the excuse that you’ll “deal with it later.” Take care of them right away.

10: Promote food safety. Be an educator. Train each staff member on the proper routine to ensure safe food handling for their station. A well-taught employee will be a diligent one.

We hope every certified food manager who has completed food safety certification in MN will take these ten resolutions to heart, and strive to make 2024 safe from food-borne illness.

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The Ulitmate Wild Game Feed Advice For Certified Food Managers

Wild Game Feed Advice For Certified Food Managers

If it’s hunting season, then the Minnesota tradition of wild game feeds cannot be far behind. Many nonprofit organizations use the events to raise money for their causes and activities. Here’s what certified food managers need to know about cooking at wild game feeds.

Wild Game Feed Advice For Certified Food Managers
Image Credit: Brothers Meat & Seafood in Maple Grove, MN

Certified Food Managers Running Wild Game Feeds For Non-Profits

In Minnesota, only nonprofit organizations can hold wild game dinners. These groups rely on donations from hunters. Meats may include deer, elk, bear, and wild boar. Wild game also includes pheasant, duck, goose, and wild turkey. Fishermen donate salmon and trout. To receive pure game, it is necessary that:

  • No sausage or ground venison is included
  • Only legally hunted or fished game is included
  • The hunter eviscerates the game within two hours of harvesting

Receipts


A receipt with the names and addresses of the donor and recipient must accompany the donated game. Other pertinent information includes the vehicle’s license plate used at the hunt and a description of the gift, including numbers and species.

Storing Wild Game


Planning for wild game feeds begins months ahead of time. It’s essential to store the meat safely until it’s cooked. Check how the hunter has stored the harvest before bringing it to the event organizers.

Food Preparation


Often, volunteers will cook the donated wild game. They’ll use traditional family recipes, incorporate the game into a casserole or taco filling, or try various ways to create something new. All standard food safety requirements apply. Wild game must always be cooked to a temperature of at least 165 degrees.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)


CWD is of particular concern when preparing deer or elk. CWD is a fatal disease affecting deer and elk’s brain and nervous system. Abnormally shaped proteins, called prions, are the cause. Prions have not been detected in muscle meat. There is no proof that humans can contract CWD. Nevertheless, the Minnesota Department of Health suggests that individuals should only prepare boneless cuts of venison. The backbone should never be split during venison processing.

Sanitation


Finally, keeping wild game separate from other foods during food preparation is important. The Minnesota Department of Health requires certified food managers to prepare a written statement of sanitation procedures used at every wild game feed event.

Food managers need to be knowledgeable of many different issues and topics to ensure the safety of their operations and qualify for food safety certification MN. Safe Food Training courses prepare you to pass the certification exam and run safe events like wild game feeds.