Keep your Minnesota kitchen compliant. We track the latest food recalls and safety alerts so you can pull bad products fast and protect your customers.
Boar’s Head Cheese Recall: Why Traceability is Your Kitchen’s Best Defense
Have you checked the recall list this week?
The Boar’s Head cheese recall involves specific lots of Pecorino Romano cheese (both grated and in wedges) because of potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. Even though there have been no confirmed illnesses, the FDA classified this as a Class I recall because there is a reasonable probability that using the product could cause serious health consequences. If you’re managing a kitchen in Minnesota, you must immediately check your inventory for the affected lot codes and review your traceability procedures.
It’s Not Just the Deli Meat
If you’re like most food managers in Minnesota, you probably remember the massive deli meat recall earlier this year. But this latest alert proves a critical point: contamination can happen anywhere in the supply chain.
This time, it isn’t the liverwurst. It’s the Pecorino Romano.
Boar’s Head is in the news again!
Specifically, the recall affects:
- Boar’s Head Grated Pecorino Romano (6 oz jars and foodservice bags)
- Boar’s Head Pecorino Romano Wedges (7 oz)
- Note: This recall also affects other brands produced by the same supplier, including Locatelli and Ambriola.
If you’ve got these in your cooler, don’t serve them. Check the UPCs and sell-by dates against the official FDA notice immediately.
The "Peaches" Connection: Why It Could Be Anything
Checking recalls is a vital part of keeping your kitchen and patrons safe!
You’re probably thinking, “We don’t use Boar’s Head cheese, so we’re safe.” That’s a dangerous mindset.
Remember the peaches?
In late 2025, Moonlight Companies recalled yellow and white peaches because of Listeria. Back in 2020, a similar situation with Wawona peaches sickened 23 Minnesotans with Salmonella.
The lesson is simple: Whether it’s a processed dairy product like grated cheese or raw agricultural commodities like fresh peaches, the risk is always present. You can’t inspect Listeria out of a cheese wedge with the naked eye—it can survive and grow at temperatures as low as 31.3°F. You can only defend against it with traceability.
Traceability: Your Only Real Defense
When a recall hits, there are two types of kitchens:
- The Panic Kitchen: They scramble through the walk-in for 3 to 4 hours, tossing anything that “looks like” the recalled item, wasting hundreds of dollars and potentially missing the actual contaminated batch.
- The Proactive Kitchen: They pull up their invoices and receiving logs. Within 5 minutes, they know exactly when the product arrived, which lot it was, and whether it’s still in the building.
Reactive vs. Proactive Safety Procedures
Feature | The Panic Kitchen (Reactive) | The Proactive Kitchen (Safe Food Training) |
Response Time | 4+ Hours (searching physically) | < 10 Minutes (checking records) |
Waste | High (tossing safe product “just in case”) | Low (only tossing affected lots) |
Inventory Method | Visual checks only | First-In, First-Out (FIFO) & Lot Logging |
Confidence | “I think we got it all.” | “I know we’re safe.” |
3 Steps to Take Today
If you haven’t updated your receiving procedures lately, do it now.
- Log Your Lots: When high-risk items (deli meats, soft cheeses, leafy greens) arrive, write the Lot ID on your receiving log.
- Keep Invoices Accessible: Don’t just bury them in the office. If a recall alert drops during the dinner rush, your chef needs to see those dates immediately.
- Train Your Team: Does your prep cook know what a “Julian Date” is? If not, it’s time for a refresher.
Building Trust Beyond Compliance
We know how hard you work to put great food on the table. Recalls are frustrating because they feel out of your control, but how you handle them is 100% in your control. When you can look a health inspector—or a customer—in the eye and say, “We checked our lots, and we’re clear,” that isn’t just following the rules. That’s building trust. And in Minnesota, trust is everything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Recalls can be confusing, and it is natural to have questions about how they impact your certification and daily operations. Here are answers to some of the most common questions we hear from Minnesota food professionals.
Traceability is vital in any recall.
Q: Will this course fulfill Minnesota's food license requirements?
A: Absolutely. Our 8-hour food licensing course specifically aligns with and meets Minnesota’s official food safety standards, including handling recalls and traceability.
Q: How often must I complete continuing education to maintain my food safety certification in Minnesota?
A: In Minnesota, you must renew your certified food protection manager license by completing continuing education every 3 years. Staying current helps you stay on top of new risks like these.
Q: How does Safe Food Training support clients beyond the initial course?
A: We’re committed to building and maintaining relationships. We provide ongoing support through renewal reminders and as a reliable resource during confusing recalls like this.
Q: What's the primary service that Safe Food Training offers?
A: We specialize in providing personalized, 8-hour certified food protection manager licensing courses tailored for food professionals across Minnesota. We teach you the systems to handle recalls effectively.
Q: Why is staying current with food safety standards so important?
A: Upholding Minnesota’s food safety standards is critical for protecting public health. As these recalls show, ensuring your business remains compliant is the only way to protect your reputation.
Secure Your Kitchen Today
Don’t leave your kitchen’s safety to chance.
Register for an upcoming course at https://www.safefoodtraining.com, complete your food safety certification, and learn how to build a defense system that works.
When the Supply Chain Fails: The Peach Recall and Why Every Certified Food Protection Manager Must Pay Attention
The peach recall is still rolling out through related products.
As a Minnesota food safety professional, my usual focus is on in-house standards like time/temperature and hygiene. However, the recent nationwide peach recalls—initially fresh peaches from HMC Farms and Moonlight Companies due to Listeria, followed by Kroger’s “Private Selection” peach salsa recall—demonstrate the critical need for a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) to manage external threats. The salsa recall was necessary because it was made with the contaminated peaches, illustrating the “continuing fallout” and the vital lessons in traceability and supplier-level risk for all Minnesota food managers.
1. The Initial Recall: A Problem at the Source
The first recall was for the raw, agricultural product—the fresh peaches. Listeria is a bacterium found in soil, water, and animal feces, meaning contamination can happen right on the farm or in the processing plant.
This presents an immediate challenge for you, whether you are a manager, chef, or business owner.
- You cannot see the threat: Listeria doesn’t change the smell, taste, or appearance of the food. A contaminated peach looks just like a safe peach. This is why we rely on food safety systems, not our senses.
- The supplier is your first line of defense: This incident underscores the importance of using approved, reputable suppliers. Even the best suppliers can experience a recall; they must have procedures to identify and notify you immediately.
Receiving is a critical control point: Your receiving dock is more than a doorway. It’s the first checkpoint in your kitchen’s safety plan. You must train your team to check for undamaged packaging, proper temperatures (when applicable), and to know who your suppliers are.
2. The "Recall Fallout" and Your Certified Food Protection Manager Training
The secondary recall of the peach salsa is, in many ways, the more important lesson for a Certified Food Protection Manager. The salsa company didn’t necessarily do anything wrong in its own kitchen, but a contaminated ingredient it received from a supplier affected it.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Do you have a traceability plan? If you received a recall notice today for “HMC Farms Peaches,” could you—within minutes—know if you had that product? Could you check whether you used that product in a batch of house-made chutney, a dessert special, or a salad?
- Are you tracking lot codes? For many managers, the box is broken down and the invoice filed away. Best practice during a high-risk event is to maintain traceability. This can mean having a simple log or even just clipping the lot code label from a case and attaching it to your invoice.
How Fast Can You Act? A recall is a race against the clock. Your role as a CFPM is to have a plan before you need it. This includes identifying the product, segregating it (labeling it “DO NOT USE”), and communicating with staff and, if necessary, the public and your local health department.
3. The Pathogen: Why Listeria is a Unique Threat
This recall involved Listeria, not E. coli or Salmonella. For a food professional, this distinction is critical, as Listeria has a terrifying “superpower.”
- It Grows in the Cold: This is the most important fact. Unlike most bacteria that are slowed by refrigeration, Listeria monocytogenes can continue to grow and multiply at refrigerated temperatures (40°F or below).
- The Risk in Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Foods: A manager might mistakenly believe a product is “safe” once it’s in the walk-in cooler. With Listeria, that cooler can become an incubator. This makes it uniquely dangerous for ready-to-eat foods that lack a “kill step” (i.e., cooking), such as fresh salsa, deli meats, soft cheeses, and sprouts.
- It is a zero-tolerance pathogen: Because Listeria is so dangerous, especially to high-risk populations, there is a “zero-tolerance” policy for it in ready-to-eat foods. A single cell is all it takes to render a food “adulterated.” This is why you see massive recalls from a potential contamination, not just a confirmed one.
These events are clear reminders that food safety isn’t just a poster on the wall; it’s an active, daily-managed system. And you lead that system.
Build Your Expertise with Safe Food Training
Millions of peaches? What’s in your inventory?
Recalls are real-world tests of your food safety systems. As a Certified Food Protection Manager, you lead the effort to protect public health and your business’s reputation.
If you or your team need the 8-hour food licensing certification or your three-year renewal, we offer friendly, personalized, and effective training tailored for Minnesota food professionals.
Don’t wait for a recall. Visit safefoodtraining.com to register and gain the skills to handle any food safety challenge.
Serving All Guests: A Certified Minnesota Food Manager’s Guide to Service Animal Rules
Learn the service animal rules for Minnesota food managers.
With the Labor Day weekend approaching, restaurants across Minnesota are preparing for a welcome surge of customers looking to enjoy the last days of summer. As a certified Minnesota food manager, finding the right balance to ensure a smooth and positive experience for every guest is a top priority. One situation that can cause confusion for even the most seasoned staff is navigating the rules around animals in the dining room. Understanding the clear legal distinctions between service animals and other animals is not just excellent customer service—it’s a critical part of your compliance and hospitality strategy.
Knowing the correct way to welcome a guest with a service animal while confidently upholding your establishment’s policies is key. This guide will clarify the official service animal rules so you and your team can handle any situation with professionalism and respect.
Supporting All Guests: A Commitment to Hospitality
Before diving into specific rules, it’s important to frame this issue as one of hospitality and inclusion. According to the CDC, one in four adults in the United States lives with a disability. This means a significant portion of your customer base may rely on a service animal to navigate the world. For these individuals, dining out isn’t just a meal; it’s an exercise in trusting that establishments will be accessible and welcoming. By training your team to handle these situations correctly, you are not just following the law—you are showing a large and loyal segment of your community that they are valued and respected.
The Law Is Clear: Service Animals Are Welcome
Learn the service animal rules to stay compliant with federal and state laws!
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is not a pet. Businesses serving the public must allow service animals, working animals considered medical equipment, to accompany their handlers in all areas open to customers. For a restaurant, this means the main dining room, waiting areas, and restrooms.
Understanding the legal definition of a service animal and permissible questions is crucial.
- What is a service animal? The ADA defines a service animal as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform specific tasks for a person with a disability. In some cases, a miniature horse may also qualify. The animal’s task must directly relate to the person’s disability.
- What can you ask? When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, you may only ask two questions:
- “Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?”
- “What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?”
- What is a service animal? The ADA defines a service animal as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform specific tasks for a person with a disability. In some cases, a miniature horse may also qualify. The animal’s task must directly relate to the person’s disability.
What can you NOT ask? You cannot ask about the person’s disability, require them to show medical documentation, or demand a special ID card or training certificate for the animal. You also cannot charge a fee for the service animal.
Service Animals vs. Emotional Support Animals: A Crucial Distinction
Sometimes miniature horses can serve as legal service animals.
This is where most confusion arises. While often grouped together, emotional support animals do not have the same legal protections as service animals under the ADA. You and your staff must understand the difference.
- Emotional Support Animals Are Not Service Animals: No one individually trains an emotional support, therapy, comfort, or companion animal to perform a specific job or task. Its presence provides a benefit, but it does not have the legal standing of a service animal. Therefore, the ADA does not grant them access to public places, such as restaurants.
- Your Policy Matters: You may legally prohibit emotional support animals from your dining room. This holds true even if you have a pet-friendly patio. You can enforce a “no pets” policy for animals that do not meet the ADA’s definition of a service animal.
Clear Communication is Key: Having a clear, consistent policy and training your staff to communicate it politely is crucial. A customer may not be aware of the difference, and a respectful explanation can help prevent a difficult situation from escalating.
Maintaining a Safe and Welcoming Environment for Everyone
What are the service animal rules for dining in Minnesota?
Accommodating a service animal does not mean sacrificing the safety and comfort of your other guests. The ADA outlines reasonable behavioral standards for service animals, and the handler is responsible for meeting them.
- The Handler Must Be in Control: The service animal must be under the handler’s control at all times. This usually means being on a harness, leash, or tether. The animal should be well-behaved, not barking excessively or creating a disturbance.
- When You Can Ask an Animal to Leave: You can legally ask for a service animal to be removed from the premises if it is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it, or if the animal is not housebroken.
- Serve the Handler, Not the Animal: If you justifiably remove a service animal, you must still serve the person with the disability. The goal is to address the animal’s behavior, not to refuse service to the individual.
Navigating the rules for service animals is a vital part of being a certified food manager in Minnesota. By understanding the law, training your team on the two key questions, and knowing the difference between service animals and emotional support animals, you can ensure a safe, legal, and welcoming environment for all your guests this Labor Day and beyond.
Don’t wait for a challenging situation to test your team’s knowledge. Whether you are pursuing an initial certification or need to fulfill your three-year continuing education requirements, Safe Food Training offers personalized, instructor-led options in Minnesota to ensure you and your team are prepared.
Protect your customers and your reputation by registering for a course today.