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Minnesota Certified Food Managers Alert: For Restaurant Fire Hazards

Minnesota Certified Food Managers Alert: For Restaurant Fire Hazards

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Minnesota Certified Food Managers Alert: For Restaurant Fire Hazards

Image credit: Futrell Fire Consult & Design, Inc. – This fire in a Minnesota restaurant started during the cooking process in the cook line under the exhaust hood. The suppression system failed to suppress the fire, but the manual pull station was not used by the occupants. The fire burned through the roof and the roof collapsed.

As MN food safety managers we are trained to create a safe eating experience for our guests. In the strictest sense, that means delivering food safe for human consumption. But sometimes we become so focused on one issue that we don’t see the 246 ton fire breathing dragon in the room! As owners and managers of a public gathering place we have additional safety responsibilities to both guests and employees. That’s why Safe Food Training has asked, Scott Futrell, a local fire protection consultant to discuss some of the fire safety issues owners and managers should consider. This is the first in a series of blogs that will explore fire safety in the food preparation environment.

 

 

Don’t overlook fire safety in your kitchen and restaurant.

 

According to the National Fire Protection Association, between 2006 and 2010, fire departments in the United States responded to an average of 7640 structure fires per year in eating and drinking establishments.  That is almost twenty-one fires every day.  Annually these fires cause two civilian deaths, 115 civilian injuries and $246,000,000 in direct property damage.  That does not include business interruption losses.  Fifty-seven percent of these fires involve cooking equipment.  Seventy-one percent of the fires remain relatively small and the failure to properly clean was a factor in twenty-one percent of the fires.1

 

In Minnesota, in 2014, 166 structure fires in Public Assembly Properties were reported and 44% of those were in the kitchen/cooking area.2

 

What can you do to protect your investment or your facility?

 

In future blogs we’ll explore these general topics in more detail.

• Keep equipment free of grease build up. • Ensure creosote is completely removed from the exhaust system. • Never store combustible materials near cooking equipment. • Always operate your exhaust system whenever the appliances are pre-heating, heating, cooking, or cooling. • Never operate filter-equipped exhaust systems without the filters in place.

 

If you have any questions about fire safety in the food preparation environment that you would like Scott to discuss leave a comment.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Scott A. Futrell, PE, FSFPE, CFPS, SET, CFEI, is a fire protection consultant with Futrell Fire Consult & Design, Inc., in Osseo, Minnesota and has over 40 years’ experience designing, specifying, and investigating fire protection system related losses. He is a Fellow in the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, co-author of “Designers Guide to Automatic Sprinkler Systems”, and can be reached by e-mail at: scottf@ffcdi.com, or visit www.ffcdi.com.

 

[1] Ben Evarts, National Fire Protection Association, Structure Fires in Eating and Drinking Establishments, November 2012.

2 State Fire Marshal, Fire in Minnesota 2014

 

Food Manager Certification MN and Summer Produce Storage

Food Manager Certification MN and Summer Produce Storage

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Food Manager Certification MN and Summer Produce Storage

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With the rising temperatures of late spring and summer, the potential for your room-temperature produce to spoil increases. In food manager certification MN classes, we often discuss the dangers of rotting food. Rotting produce attracts pests, can cause bacteria to grow on countertops and in storage containers and can create a cross-contamination hazard.

 

Food Manager Certification MN and Summer Produce Storage

 

When we ask our students which fresh produce items spoil the quickest in the summer, the list is always pretty close to the same. Some of the most frequent offenders include:

  • Bananas
  • Avocados
  • Tomatoes

 

Bananas and avocados are generally stored at room temperature because they are produce items that need to ripen before consumed. The idea that bananas and avocados store best at room temperature has led many to believe that they can never be refrigerated. The colder temperatures that prevent these produce items from ripening can also slow the process of over ripening. A simple way to extend the life of these items is to simply wait for them to ripen to your liking and then place them in your produce cooler.

 

Tomatoes can often be difficult to store in the summer time. The ideal temperature for tomato storage is usually between 50 and 60 degrees. As anyone who works in food service knows, finding a storage space kept at this temperature is nearly impossible.

 

Many chefs insist that tomatoes lose their flavor under refrigeration and it’s better to allow them to expire rather than destroy their natural tastes. If you’re a budget conscious operation, however, this may not be an alternative that you’re willing to face.

 

Tomatoes are harvested like bananas. They are picked several days before they have ripened and are allowed to mature at room temperature. While there may be some truth to the idea that tomatoes lose their flavor when refrigerated, they will maintain their crispness at a lower temperature and you will have less waste if you store them in the refrigerator. If you’re insistent that tomatoes can never be refrigerated, then we suggest that you only purchase only enough to fill your needs during the summer months. We have also heard that several experienced chefs employ the use of a wine refrigerator or wine cellar that is temperature controlled to extend the life of their tomatoes without sacrificing their flavor.

 

Do you have any tips and tricks for storing produce that doesn’t thrive at high or low temperatures? If so, feel free share them in the comments section below.

The Food Safety Modernization Act and Food Manager Certification MN

The Food Safety Modernization Act and Food Manager Certification MN

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The Food Safety Modernization Act and Food Manager Certification MN

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Over the past few years of providing MN food manager certification training courses, we’ve received numerous questions about how the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) affects certain local businesses. While the rules tend to be a bit murky and may require some sifting through legal jargon, we’ve decided to take a closer look at who is affected by the FSMA.

Food Manager Certification MN and the Food Safety Modernization Act

In 2010 the US Congress enacted the FSMA to help prevent major food poisoning outbreaks from occurring. The act targets major produce growers, food processors and pet-food manufacturers. It is our understanding that most retail businesses such as restaurants, grocery stores or other outlets that do not process or supply large quantities of product to consumers are not subject to these regulations.

The FSMA’s major concern is with the food supply in our country rather than with the retail sale of prepared goods. The target businesses of the FSMA include major produce growers who average over 25,000 dollars in sales per year, large processing plants of food for human and pet consumption and the importers of raw foods. To put it simply, most of the food service professionals who come to us for training need not worry about the FSMA. If you’re a supervisor at a restaurant, owner of retail store or manager at the cafeteria at an assisted living facility, the FSMA regulations have little to no effect on your operation.

If you’re a farmer, producer of large quantities of food product or a supplier of raw food product to restaurants or processing facilities, then the rules become a little more complex. In the act, congress decided to exempt certain types of small-scale farms and raw food suppliers. Your farm or operation may be exempt if you:

  • Sell less than 25,000 dollars’ worth of product per year
  • Specialize in produce that is rarely served raw
  • Only produce goods for personal or farm consumption
  • Only grow food grains

If you are a farmer or produce grower, we suggest you browse Oregon State University’s detailed synopsis on how the FSMA applies to the farming industry.

If you produce large quantities of raw food for human or pet consumption, we strongly urge you to contact your local health department or the FDA to confirm if your business needs to be compliant with FSMA regulations. There are too many qualifying factors and exemptions for us to make a qualified analysis as to which businesses must follow FSMA regulations.

With legislation like the FSMA granting the FDA more authority over our food supply, we’d like to know how you feel about government’s role in overseeing food production. Do you think that we need more or less regulation at the local, state or federal levels?

Balancing a CFPM Career and Personal Life

Balancing a MN Certified Food Manager Career and Personal Life

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Balancing a MN Certified Food Manager Career and Personal LifeThe life of a MN certified food manager can be a stressful and time consuming one. This becomes more evident and taxing around holidays like Valentine’s Day when a multitude of happy couples flood their favorite restaurants and food service workers put in long hours making sure every guest has the best experience possible. We’ve often heard it said that restaurant management is a single person’s game, but we feel that you should be able to enjoy your career and have a life beyond the kitchen.

 

Balancing a Career as a MN Certified Food Manager and a Personal Life

A quick Google search on divorce rates in the food industry will reveal that bartenders, chefs and restaurant managers all rank in the 25 worse professions for relationships according to numerous sources. While we offer food safety training not couples counseling, we do engage in conversations during breaks from classes and after testing sessions. We feel that there should be a chance for both a successful career and a healthy relationship, and we have a few ideas that have been shared by some professionals that we have talked to who have been able to achieve a successful balance.

  • Go out of your way to make time for a personal life outside of work
  • Trust your staff to get the job done in your absence.
  • Choose non-peak dates for special occasions

 

It may sound impossible, but if you want to keep a healthy balance in your professional and personal life, you must make time for both. Hearing stories of an 80-hour work weeks makes us cringe. If you’re looking for ways to trim your hours so that you can spend more time at home, you may want to rely on your staff to take on some extra responsibilities. If you’ve trained your employees well, you should have no problem trusting them to handle more responsibilities in your absence. Train your sous chef to take on some ordering or inventory duties, count on an assistant manager to help with scheduling or train a trusted employee to receive and stock your weekly supplies.

 

For our last tip, we’d like to offer an alternative to celebrating events such as Valentine’s Day on the same day as everyone else. Don’t feel tied down to what the calendar says. Many restaurant professionals celebrate Valentine’s Day on a day before or after the holiday and go to their favorite restaurants during the week rather than on hectic weekends.

 

Maybe you’re one of our readers who is a MN certified food manager that has been able to balance a home and professional life. We’d love for you to leave your tips in the comments section below.