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Online Food Safety Course Guide to Restaurant Grease Traps

Online Food Safety Course Guide to Restaurant Grease Traps

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We learn in online food safety courses that grease causes health risks by attracting pests such as rodents, cockroaches and fruit flies, and greasy areas in your restaurant breed bacteria that potentially finds its way into prepared dishes. While wiping down counters and keeping grease traps empty in deep fryers and grills goes a long way towards reducing risk, there is an often overlooked part of grease control that must be taken care of.

Proper Maintenance of Restaurant Grease Traps

Many food production facilities have a grease trap located out of sight that prevents grease from entering the waste water system. It is important to make sure that it is properly cleaned and maintained. Ignoring this safety device can cause hazards such as:

  • Sewage backups
  • Slow drainage
  • Pest infestations

An improperly maintained grease trap eventually prevents wastewater from entering the sewage system. This causes your drain to run slowly, and could cause contaminated water to back up into your facility. A sewage backup digs into your profit margin as a plumber must be called in, product exposed to contaminated wastewater must be disposed of and you might be forced to close your doors while the problem is resolved.

Excess grease increases the risk that insects and other unsanitary pests find their way into your facility, and if your grease trap becomes clogged, fruit flies could propagate in your drainage system before you’re even aware of a problem.

We need to note that grease that collects in these traps must be disposed of properly. Many local sources offer grease collection services. They properly recycle collected grease for you, and some companies may even pay you for the grease you collect over time depending on the amount and quality of your grease.

Grease control is only one topic covered in an online food safety course. Are there any other topic that you’d like us to expand on in the future?

Allergy Action Plans and the ServSafe Food Manager

ServSafe Food Manager and Allergy Education

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As a ServSafe Food Manager it’s important that the staff be familiar with your allergy action plan. While most food service workers know about food allergies and feel they can accommodate customers with allergies who visit their establishment, educational gaps occur in some facilities concerning how allergies work and what to do in an emergency situation. The CDC recently conducted a study seeking to find how much restaurant staff actually knew about the topic and came up with some interesting findings.

Allergy Action Plans and the ServSafe Food Manager

One illuminating fact this study shows is that allergies are more common than many ServSafe food managers realize. One in 13 children suffers from some form of food allergy, while one in 25 adults must avoid certain foods. The severity of reaction varies from person to person, but some react by coming into contact with allergens without even ingesting the ingredient.

Since some of these reactions cause severe distress, and possibly death if emergency help does not arrive in time, having a plan in place prepares your staff to deal with guests with allergies. Some things you should teach your employees include:

  • What common allergens exist in your facility
  • Some customers cannot consume even small amount of certain items
  • How to react if a guest has a reaction

Knowledge helps keep your guests safe. Some of your patrons will not be able to consume common items such as nuts, dairy or shellfish. Teaching your cooks and service staff how these ingredients are used can help steer guests away from certain dishes.

If a guest has a reaction, get help immediately. Some reactions happen from minor contact and should not be waited out to see if the guest recovers. Call 911, and if a guest wears an allergy alert bracelet relay that information so that emergency responders can be prepared.

Integrate allergy training to make sure your staff feels confident in serving diners with allergies. Some outlets nominate one or two employees, one of them their designated ServSafe food manager, to receive extra training and pass that knowledge on to staff members and personally handle guests questions about allergens on the menu.

Do you have an allergy action plan? If so, feel free to share in the comment section below.

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ServSafe Food Safety and the Dangers of Undercooked Shellfish

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Shellfish selections tend to be plentiful on summer happy hour and appetizer menus for their versatility and fresh taste, but, with the heat of spring and summer warming the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Coast and waters in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, serving shellfish during the summer months creates a rise in the risk of spreading a food-borne illnesses due to Vibrio infections. This week, we’ll briefly discuss how to cook and store shellfish according to ServSafe food safety guidelines.

 ServSafe Food Safety and the Dangers of Undercooked Shellfish

ServSafe Food Safety and Vibrio Infections

Two closely related bacteria cause Vibrio infections. These bacteria thrive in shellfish from warmer waters and most frequently sickens people who consume contaminated raw and undercooked shellfish. The symptoms of infection include:

    • Vomiting
    • Diarrhea
    • Chills and fever
    • Skin rashes

While consuming undercooked shellfish increases the potential for spreading an infection, Vibrio bacterium also potentially spreads through contact with bare skin. These rare cases most commonly occur when raw shellfish comes into contact with a sore or open wound. Raw clams, oysters, scallops and mussels need to be handled in a hands-free manner.

When cooking shellfish, they must achieve an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Your cooked shellfish need to remain out of the danger zone after cooking, and we suggest that you serve them as soon as possible after they are prepared.

Proper storage also reduces the risk of spreading food-borne illness. ServeSafe food safety rules require shellfish to be stored below 41 degrees, and no two batches of shellfish should be stored in the same container. For example, scallops and clams cannot be stocked in the same containers prior to cooking. The same holds true with shellfish received on different dates. Combining two batches of shellfish increases the risk of spreading bacteria from one to the other.

The Minnesota Food Code also requires that tags from fresh shellfish be saved for 90 days. This requirement is in place to track down the source should an outbreak of Vibrio poisoning occur.

We love sampling shellfish from some of our talented local chefs. What are your favorite shellfish dishes?

Food Training to Prevent Knife Injuries from Avocado Prep

Food Training to Prevent Knife Injuries from Avocado Prep

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It recently came to our attention that an increased number of people are injuring themselves while cutting avocados. With summer upon us, avocados are frequenting menu items such as salads, and guacamole production is in full swing at local restaurants. We feel that food training should go beyond keeping your food safe, but also keeping your staff safe as well, so this week we explore the proper way to prepare this popular ingredient.

Safe Food Training on the Way to Cut an Avocado

The way many professionals cut and prepare an avocado poses a great risk for a sliced finger or even a puncture wound to the hand. The main reason for injury is due to the fact that most people cut an avocado while cradling it in their palm. This can cause the tip of the knife to slip through the avocado skin and slice a finger or a thumb when cutting it in half.

The most serious injuries occur when removing the pit. The common method for this procedure is holding the avocado face up and slamming the blade into the pit in order to twist it out of the center. The pit cracks if it is overripe or if too much force is used and the knife can go directly through the entire avocado and create a potentially gruesome cut.

The safe food training solution takes a few seconds more per avocado, but a few seconds versus time at the emergency room can be the best decision. It is important to rest the avocado on a cutting board rather than the palm of your hand, this way a slip up with the knife results in no physical damage to yourself. With the avocado resting on the board, grip it firmly from the side and slice from the top to bottom until you have reached the pit. Remove the knife and repeat with the other side.

Now, simply twist the two halves apart and use a paring knife to cut around the pit and take it out with a spoon. Next, remove the flesh with a spoon, and slice or dice as you see fit.

At Safe Food Training, we endeavor to provide information that keeps your food and staff safe. Are there any kitchen safety issues you’d like to see us cover?