Category: Certified Food Protection Manager

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Easter Is Looming- Easy Tips To Prevent Food-borne Illness

prevent Food-Borne Disease at Your Easter Egg Hunt

Although the weather in the Midwest may feel like winter again, springtime has arrived, according to the calendar. This also means that Easter is fast approaching. While the Easter Bunny is busy taking an online course to become a certified food protection manager, we would like to provide you with some helpful tips to ensure the safety of your guests and avoid any food-borne illness outbreaks during your event.

Keeping Your Easter Festivities Safe from Food-Borne Illness

Easy Tips To Prevent Food-borne Illness
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The annual Easter egg hunt is one of the most exciting Easter events for the youngest enjoying the festivities. Just seeing a field full of brightly colored plastic eggs filled with candy and prizes makes every single youngster’s eyes widen with anticipation. With so many different hunts happening all across the world, the Easter Bunny is going to need some help setting them up. It is important to individually wrap every candy packed into plastic eggs to prevent the spread of food-borne illness.

Managing Outdoor Buffets And Food Stands

Serving food away from your main kitchen is common during spring and Easter events. However, it is important to remember that Minnesota’s standard food safety rules still apply even in such cases. Moreover, additional precautions and obtaining special permits may be necessary. If your restaurant or food preparation facility plans to set up a booth at an Easter festival or offer samples at a spring parade, it is advisable to consult with your local health department to determine if any special permits are necessary.

Another popular Easter tradition is attending brunch after morning church services. These brunches and buffets can attract an incredible number of guests, so it may be wise to refer back to your food manager training when planning your food production to prevent food-borne illnesses and ensure that every item you serve is safe for your guests.

Even though Easter can be a hectic time for food-service professionals, it is also a time to remember family and tradition. Outside of coordinating work events, what is your favorite Easter event or tradition now, or what special event does your family associate with the season?

Happy Easter/Passover!

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A CFPM Should NEVER Play The “Does This Smell Old?” Game”- Labeling Secrets

CFPMs keeping food safe through proper labeling

Unfortunately, employees ask their certified food protection manager this question all too often: “Does this smell OK to you?” Before you have to deal with the problem of trying to figure out how old a side of fish, a pre-made soup, or another refrigerated item is by playing the “Does this smell good?” game, CFPMs should take a moment to review proper labeling procedures.

CFPMs Keeping Food Safe Through Proper Labeling
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CFPMs Keeping Food Safe Through Proper Labeling

Three important things should be included on every item in your storage areas.

  • What the product is
  • The date product was received or made
  • Potential expiration dates

The first two items on our list are easy to determine and label, but there is no absolute expiration date. Many prepared foods containing dairy and proteins have a shorter shelf life than others. Knowing that some proteins do not necessarily begin to smell as they age is essential. We suggest determining how long you can store these items before discarding them.

Labeling is just the first step to ensure food safety. We have two other suggestions to help CFPMs prevent spoiled food from being served to your guests. First, never mix two batches of sauces, soups, or other liquids made on different dates. An older batch can contaminate a newer batch and create a hazard even though the label shows a recent creation date.

Secondly, rotation is essential. It has become an industry cliché, but FIFO, first in, first out, should be enforced in every kitchen and preparation facility. Using the oldest-dated product first will ensure that it doesn’t begin to spoil and grow dangerous bacteria.

By following these easy labeling steps, CFPMs can help keep your guests safe from food-borne illness and save your nose from having to smell another potentially rancid side of salmon or pungent sauce.

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Food Safety Certification Tested Refrigeration Maintenance Best Practices

Food safety certification refrigerator maintenance

For a manager with Food Safety Certification who deals with food products, properly running refrigeration units is key to maintaining food safety and quality. We thought it important to share a few food safety certification tips to help keep your refrigeration well-maintained and avoid repairs due to malfunctioning equipment.

Food Safety Certification refrigerator maintenance
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4 Keys To Refrigeration Maintenance For Food Safety Certified Managers

There are four things that we feel are important to examine regularly in each refrigeration unit.

  • Door seals
  • Cleanliness of drains and coils
  • Temperature
  • Excess condensation

It is important to occasionally inspect the gaskets on your refrigerator door to ensure a tight seal. It is imperative to ensure that your refrigerator seals properly when shut; failure to do so will lead to increased energy consumption as it has to work harder to maintain low temperatures. This can lead to an overworked unit and shorten its lifespan.

The cleanliness of your refrigeration units can be a factor in its performance. You should examine condensation drain pipes and outlets to ensure they are clear of debris and grime. For units with external coils, it is important to inspect and clean them regularly. Most units have coils underneath or on the back of the unit. These are two areas where dust can build up and cause your units to work harder than necessary.

One of the first signs you may have a problem with your refrigeration unit is when you notice temperature fluctuations. Another important thing to take note of is if you have had to turn down your temperature control multiple times in order to maintain proper temperature, this may be a sign that your refrigerator compressor is overtaxed.

If you notice excess condensation or dripping water coming from your refrigeration unit, it may be time to examine it. These issues can lead to larger, harder-to-repair problems.

Certified Maintenance Service

The first two issues are easily recognizable and can often be handled in-house without calling a repair service. The second two, however, may require a certified maintenance service to repair properly. It is important to keep in mind that repairing a minor problem is easier, and less costly, than a major repair or replacing an entire unit.

In the case of refrigeration malfunction, it is important to keep Food Safety Certification MN guidelines in mind if you must find an alternative storage solution.

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Norovirus Is The Largest Cause Of Food-borne Outbreaks 

Stop food-borne outbreaks

Norovirus is responsible for about 60% of the food-borne outbreaks in the US and Minnesota yearly. Symptoms include severe stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, and the onset time can be as short as a few hours. Certified food protection managers must take Norovirus seriously and understand how it spreads among people. Then, thoroughly train employees on how to protect against the spreading of Norovirus.

The Largest Cause Of Food-borne Outbreaks Can Be Caused by Nail Biting
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Preventing A Norovirus Food-borne Outbreak

The Norovirus germs of an infected person transmit norovirus through contaminated food and water and by touching contaminated surfaces. Foodborne outbreaks can occur quickly. These outbreaks happen when workers at restaurants, daycare centers, and other food-serving establishments are too casual about washing their hands. Conscientious employees often touch their eyes, noses, or mouths. They may do so without even realizing it. This can happen when they bite their nails or taste food. These actions can lead to illness.

Norovirus has no immunity; people can get sick many times over. Due to the extreme nature of the symptoms, it is very dangerous for young children and older adults, even causing death. Health experts have discovered that Norovirus is the most common of all food-borne diseases in the US.

Certified food protection manager training covers preventative measures to protect many thousands of people from this virus, keeping employees and customers healthier and safer.

Proper hand washing and overall cleanliness are the best ways to prevent a Norovirus food-borne outbreak. Many food service employees are young and inexperienced. This can result in a lack of urgency concerning health risks. Properly training and coaching employees on the importance of following correct hand washing and cleaning techniques is critical to prevent the spread of Norovirus and other foodborne illnesses.

Operating a safe and clean establishment that protects employees and customers from preventable foodborne illnesses is something to take pride in.

How often do you deliberately remind staff of proper handwashing protocol during meetings?