ServSafe Manager Certification and Public Health

ServSafe Food Manager Certification and Public Health

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Gaining your ServSafe food manager certification qualifies you to oversee food preparation in a restaurant or production facility and it comes with an obligation to ensure that your product is safe for the consumption of the public. This responsibility to the health of your customers is unique to the food industry and at many times requires supervisors and food service workers to make sacrifices that adversely affect them in order to protect public health.

ServSafe Food Manager Certification and Public Health

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The requirement to stay home from work when sick often puts food service workers in a bind. Many other professions don’t have this restriction, allowing professionals outside of the food industry to go to work when under the weather. Food service employees must use up sick days, vacation time or forgo a day or two of pay to prevent the spread of their illness.

Evidence of food workers ignoring their health symptoms and working anyway becomes evident in news reports of Norovirus outbreaks. The Norovirus is easily spread by infected workers or exposed workers who fail to wash their hands properly. Whether it’s only one guest or several, diners who contract the Norovirus take that out into the world once they leave the eating establishment. This results in putting their friends, family and co-workers at risk of second-hand contamination.

The good news is that most supervisors take pride in their responsibilities and follow what they’ve learned during ServSafe food manager certification training. Many of them sacrifice for the greater good and stay home when ill and even days after to recover. An important key is to take care of yourself in order to reduce the chances of becoming ill and staying healthy enough to work every day.

Working with food comes with many challenges that don’t exist for most of the workforce. Are there any issues you’d like us to discuss in the future?

Online_HACCP_Training_and_Cash_Handling_Practices

Online HACCP Training and Cash Handling Practices

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As one of the leaders in online HACCP training and food safety certification industry, we like to dine out often, and we’ve noticed a trend that has caught our attention. Many local eateries are no long accepting cash as a form of payment. At first this may appear to be a way to limit lost funds by keeping all transactions digital or reduce the risk of robbery. While these are probably the most influential decisions to go cash free, we think this also helps reduce the risk of food-borne illness.

 

Online HACCP Training and Cash Handling Practices
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The Public Health Benefits of Cash Free Restaurants

Most cash in peoples wallets aren’t crisp bills fresh from the bank. It’s been around for a while and on its journey from person to person, it’s picked up a few residents, namely bacteria. There are many of the common culprits of bacterial contaminates on paper cash and coins, but the potential also exists for something more exotic to have come into contact with your money before it got to you.

We know from online HACCP training that you must wash your hands properly after handling money. This should be a given in every establishment. Handwashing has proven to be an effective way to greatly reduce the risk of contaminating food. But a few other steps could be taken to keep food safer when collecting payment from guests.

In the digital age a solution can be found around nearly any dilemma. Simply going cash free reduces contamination risks. Modern point-of-sale systems allow customers to pay without handing a credit card to a server or cashier. This reduces contact between foreign contaminates and food service workers even further.

It’s still perfectly acceptable and possible to continue accept cash. Just make sure proper handwashing techniques are taught and enforced. You may also wish to employ a designates cashier who never or rarely handles food.

What are your thoughts on establishments that no longer accept cash?

Cat Cafe and Minnesota Food Safety Certifications

Cat Cafes and Minnesota Food Safety Certifications

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Originating in Japan, cat cafes are now beginning to make their way to the United States and gain in popularity. For those unfamiliar with the concept, a cat cafe offers the opportunity to grab a beverage and a snack while playing with frisky and friendly felines. Some cafes double as adoption centers or as non-profits to raise money for animal related charities. Whenever you mix live animals and food service, the looming issue becomes what Minnesota food safety certifications are required and how do you serve food safely in a restaurant full of cats.

Cat Cafe and Minnesota Food Safety Certifications

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Food Safety Regulations for Cat Cafes

No cat cafe currently operates in Minnesota, but local entrepreneurs plan to open one in Minneapolis by the end of the year, and if it’s a success more are sure to follow.

Cats have a mind of their own, and they don’t care what food safety regulations say, they’re going to do whatever they want and go wherever they wish. A few ideas come to mind to help prevent animals from contaminating food in these establishments.

  • Separate food preparation from animals
  • Provide one area designated for eating and one for interacting with kittens
  • Serve prepackaged items and beverages that do not require on-site preparation
  • Have hand-washing sinks or sanitizer stations readily available for guests

When we talk about separating food preparation areas from animals, we mean that there should be no chance that a cat could have access to prep stations or food. This problem could be solved by having one area for food, and a completely separated space for interaction with cute, fuzzy creatures.

Another solution can simply be to serve bagged items such as chips and snacks as well as beverages in cans, bottles or cups enclosed with lids. This greatly reduces the risk of cat dander or other pet related contaminates from mixing with food.

With this craze in its infancy in the U.S., only time will tell what health risks these attractions pose and what food safety certifications and regulations will have to be followed. How do you feel about the idea of a cat cafe?

Food Saftey Certification Guide to Outdoor Weddings

Food Safety Certification and Catering Weddings

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For many caterers, business picks up when summer and wedding season arrives. One of the challenges of a wedding is that many of these events happen off-site and in unfamiliar locations. Some occur in rental halls with limited or no kitchen space and many take place in every caterer’s biggest challenge, the great outdoors. These types of events stretch catering supervisors memory of food safety certification training and require extra careful preparation.

Food Safety Certification Guide to Outdoor Weddings

Knowing your off-site venue helps you prepare for efficient and safe food service. Multiple reconnaissance trips give you insight into your challenges and help you plan accordingly. Whether transporting menu items of monitoring buffet line, you must remember certain rules to prevent food-borne illness from ruining the couple’s big day.

    • Food must be handled hands free
    • Ample utensils must be available if no dishwashing station is present
    • Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold

Any staff members preparing food must follow hand-free regulations. Having food-service gloves or serving utensils present offers a readily available solution. If there are no restroom facilities, a mobile hand washing station may be required.

Keeping hot and cold foods out of the danger zone reduces the risk of spreading contaminates. Chafing dishes or a portable warmer to keep food hot is essential, and frequently replenishing the ice keeping cold food displays below 40 degrees goes a long way towards giving guests an enjoyable experience rather resulting in memories of the sickness of the day after. If there is a passed appetizer reception, food can only be served for any hour before being replaced with fresh items.

When catering an outdoor wedding or any event, notifying guests to potential allergens such as dairy, nuts and shellfish is important. Having a menu placard in front of each dish that contains allergens alerts those who cannot consume these items to their presence.

If you’re a caterer, do you have any tips for preventing the spread of illness at large outdoor gatherings such as weddings? If so, feel free to share.