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Specialized Process Approved By MN Health Department

How To Get A Specialized Process Approved By The MN Health Department

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During in-person certified food protection manager training, we get the opportunity to discuss food safety issues that are unique to our students’ businesses. On occasion, we have students looking for clarity on specific food preparation methods that may not directly be covered by the Minnesota food code. If there the code lacks guidelines that specifically address a certain cooking process does that mean that there are no rules or that that process is not allowed? The answer isn’t always that simple, so let’s take a look at how certified food protection managers can evaluate and get MN Department of Health approval for specialized processes not directly covered by the food code.

Specialized Process Approved By MN Health Department
Image credit: Malu Zhao via Flickr

Tips For Certified Food Protection Managers Using Specialized Processes Not Covered By MN Department of Health Food Code

When we refer to specialized processes, we’re talking about cooking and curing methods beyond the basics. Some specialized processes we’re asked about include:

  • Fermentation and Canning
  • Curing Meats
  • Reduced Oxygen Packaging
  • Operating a Live Shellfish Tank

All four of these specialized processes and others not outlined by the current Minnesota Department of Health food code require a written hazard analysis and critical control point plan (HAACP) and a variance approved by the health department. Without this variance, your business could fail a health inspection if you do not have an approved HAACP in place.

Fermentation and canning require a variance because they involve preservation processes that utilize additives such as vinegar or fermenting product outside of approved temperatures. Some examples include kimchi, jams and pickled items. Curing meats involves adding nitrates and other preservatives to create charcuterie, salami, jerky and other preserved items. These processes are not regulated by the current heath code and would be outlined as violations if not approved by your local health department.

The rules surrounding reduced oxygen cooking and packaging processes such as sous vide, vacuum packaging and other modified oxygen processes are also not clearly outlined and require special guidance from the health department. Some seafood restaurants may choose to keep live shellfish on display in a tank where customers can choose their meals, while it may not seem like a large risk, these types of display aquariums that contain servable product must be also approved.

Obtaining a variance isn’t as difficult as it may seem. Most health inspectors are willing to work with certified food protection managers in order to keep food safe and allow for creativity. Before applying for a variance make sure your consider a written plan that includes:

  • A food safety hazard analysis
  • Critical control points
  • Limits for preventative measures
  • Monitoring procedures
  • Corrective actions during monitoring
  • Effective record keeping protocol
  • Procedures to ensure the HAACP is working

If you have any trouble constructing a HAACP plan, it may be wise to consult with your local health inspector to ensure that your procedures are keeping your specialized processes safe .

Do you use Special preparation procedures not outlined by the Minnesota food code that may need MN Health Department approval?

Certified Food Protection Managers can Improve Morale

How Certified Food Protection Managers can Improve Morale in the New Year

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It’s been a tough couple of years for the food industry. Many have lost their jobs due to the pandemic and some have moved to other sectors leaving a strain on food business to find adequate staffing. With food service workers taking on longer hours or working in short staffed kitchens, it may be hard to keep a high level of morale in your establishment. Let’s look at a few ways certified food protection managers can improve morale and keep your employees happy under stressful circumstances.

How Certified Food Protection Managers can Improve Morale by visiting another restaurant or lounge for games, darts, pool or simply hanging out as a team.
Image credit: pxhere

Tips for Certified Food Protection Managers to Improve Morale

Most of our nation’s food businesses are struggling to hire and maintain employees due to a number of issues as a result of the recent pandemic, and Minnesota is no exception. Food cost is on the rise, many customers are still avoiding public settings and profit margins are falling for the average food business, so many eating establishments are struggling with morale issue at every level. Just what can certified food protection managers do to improve the morale in the work environment?

There’s a few very simple thing managers can do to boost the morale of overworked employees or those that simply cannot find enough hours:

  • Shift meals
  • Extended break times
  • Fun group activities before or after shifts
  • Vouchers for family discounts on meals

Hungry employees are generally unhappy employees, especially when under the duress of a long or short-staffed shift. Providing a staff meal can go a long way to keeping your staffs stomachs full and morale high. Shift meals can also often help with reducing waste. Serving outgoing specials or menu items to the staff will keep product from rotting in the walk-in or ending up in the dumpster. There are also many cost effective meals you can exclusively provide to your staff that won’t take a toll on food costs using common ingredients already in your inventory. We’ve also seen many restaurants extend in-person dining coupons or family discounts to their employees to give them an opportunity to visit when they’re off the clock and support their place of business.

It may also be a good idea to schedule optional group activities with your staff before or after work shifts. Not only will these activities help with team building, but they’ll also boost morale as a whole among your staff. Try visiting another restaurant or lounge for games, darts, pool or simply hanging out as a team.

Certified food protection managers at understaffed kitchens may want to consider improving morale by extending break times by a few minutes or scheduling an extra 10 minutes for stressed and exhausted workers to step away from the line for a few moments. It doesn’t have to be much, but a few extra minutes can work wonders.

Do you have other suggestions for ways certified food protection managers can improve morale in your kitchen during trying times?

The Latest Food Safety Training On Hair Coverings

The Latest Food Safety Training On Hair Coverings

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Kitchens and food production facility managers perform an essential role in monitoring employee health and hygiene. Making sure staff stay home when they’re sick, wash their hands regularly and adhere to all personal health rules are important, but oftentimes the rules behind hair coverings can be lax, overlooked or misunderstood. In order to properly provide food safety training in your establishment concerning hair coverings, we’d like to provide a precise breakdown of the Minnesota food code regulations on the subject.

The Latest Food Safety Training On Hair Coverings
Image credit: nvxier via Pixabay

Proper Food Safety Training for Wearing Hair Coverings in the Kitchen

According to the food code, any employee working in a food production establishment must wear a hair restraint that prevents hair from coming into contact with food product. Allowed hair restraints include:

  • Hair nets
  • Hats
  • Beard and moustache nets
  • Clothing that covers body hair

While hair nets are acceptable, hats have become a very popular head covering in the food industry. Paper chef hats, linen baker’s hats and baseball caps are all acceptable types of head coverings to restrain hair. Chef and baker’s caps can add a touch of class or professionalism if members of your kitchen staff can be seen by guests, and baseball caps can be comfortable and embroidered with your business’s logo to give some uniformity to your team. In your establishment’s food safety training, make sure that you note that employees with longer hair should style their hair in a way to be completely restrained by their hair covering. Sometimes simply wearing a hat is not quite enough to prevent hair from touching food product or preparation surfaces.

As you can see by our list, food safety training for hair restraints includes much more than just the top of the head. If you have employees who sport facial hair, they should wear a specially designed hair net that restrains facial hair. You should also ensure that employees wear appropriate clothing to cover body hair. Make sure that there are no open shirts or tank tops worn in the kitchen that could expose body hair.

There are a few situations in which hair coverings are not required. Many service staff are exempt from this rule. Waitstaff, hosts and hostesses, bussers and counter attendants who only serve beverages or prepackaged items do not have to don head coverings.

Finally, we’ve been asked from time to time whether bald kitchen workers require a head covering. For consistancy in your food safety training policy, we recommend that all personnel in the kitchen abide by the head covering rule even those who shave their head.

Does your establishment’s food safety training have a uniform head covering rule in place at your business?

Private Onsite Food Safety Management Training Revisited

Private Onsite Food Safety Management Training Revisited

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For the past year and a half, food production businesses have relied on online food safety management classes as a primary source of training. Now that we can return to normal activities, we’re seeing food safety manager candidates return to the classroom and the opportunity to bring certification classes to your local food business can be expanded through private onsite food safety management training.

Private Onsite Food Safety Management Training Revisited

Private Food Safety Management Training Onsite

While making sure you have certified food protection manager coverage for your facility via online or classroom training meets the standards and provides a wealth of knowledge to students who take the courses, many food businesses can gain even more benefits through a customized food safety management class. Some perks include:

  • Training multiple CFPMs at the same time
  • Saves travel time by having the course at your location
  • Scheduling on your time
  • Unique training tailored to your business

Convenience is one of the biggest benefits of customized training. If you can provide the site for food safety management training, the staff that attends will know the location well and you’ll be able to schedule around their training accordingly. With remote classes, you may have to work around an already set class schedule, limiting your flexibility to send employees who require certification. Onsite customized food management training works on your timetable giving you the scheduling advantage.

At an in-person food training session, you learn everything you need to know to pass the certification test to become a CFPM and keep the food you serve safe, but a customized training session can offer a more directed training session. With a customized training session, your staff will not only be able to pass the certified food protection manager exam, but they’ll also learn how to directly apply the knowledge they’ve learned to the type of food business you operate.

Finally, private food safety management training offers large food businesses the opportunity to prepare multiple candidates for the CFPM exam. If you have multiple locations or require several CFPMs, an onsite class can train them all at the same time.

Are you interested in private food safety management training at your facility? Get more about Safe Food Training customized training classes here.