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Waiter demonstrating Servsafe sanitation post COVD-19 shutdown

COVID-19 and ServSafe Sanitation

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The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way foodservice businesses operate and will continue to change food safety procedures for the foreseeable future. Once eating establishments are finally permitted to seat guests in their dining rooms, ServSafe food managers will have to change their sanitation procedures and the way they enforce certain food handling rules after the COVID-19 shutdown. This week, we’d like to take a look at what these new sanitation procedures could look like.

ServSafe sanitation post COVID-19 shutdown

Post COVID-19 Shutdown ServSafe Sanitation Guide for Restaurant Reopening

At this time, there is no recommendation to deviate from the types of sanitizer solutions recommended in Minnesota Food Code sanitation procedures, so it’s not necessary to increase the concentration of bleach, iodine or quaternary ammonia compounds in sanitizing solutions. In fact, using a solution with higher concentrations than recommended could pose a health risk to staff and guests should excess sanitizer chemicals end up in customers’ food or create a toxic atmosphere when working in close contact with these over-powered solutions.

Whether you’re open for business as usual or your establishment is still only providing takeout service, it’s important to sanitize all surfaces regularly. The most touched surfaces should be sanitized many times a day. Make sure these frequently used surfaces are sanitized often:

  • Countertops
  • Door knobs and handles
  • Guest tables
  • Chair backs and high chairs
  • Handrails

Once we return to in-house service, we’ll have to consider many more items for sanitation to help stop a resurgence of the COVID-19 virus. While every establishment will be different, we’ve come up with a few items that aren’t normally sanitized that you may wish to include in your ServSafe sanitation training:

  • Credit cardholders
  • Touchscreens in ordering kiosks, tablets and wait stations
  • Pens used by customers to sign credit card receipts
  • Seatbacks and chair arms
  • Light switches
  • Soap dispensers
  • Other implements that may be handled or breathed on by staff or customers

We must also remember that out of the way areas should be sanitized regularly as well. Some locations may not need hourly cleaning, but regular sanitation should occur everywhere in your facility. Think of surfaces such as doors, equipment such as mixers, exteriors of refrigeration units and any other surface than may not be touched too often, but still potentially come into contact with the breath of employees and customers.

It may seem overboard to some, but ServSafe sanitation will have to take on a higher level of vigilance in the coming days once we begin to reopen our restaurants. What steps will you be taking to help prevent a resurgence of COVID-19?

COVID-19 Resources for CFPM's

COVID-19 Resources for CFPMs

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Many small businesses across the country have been hit hard by measures put into place to slow the COVID-19 outbreak, but restaurants, in particular, have taken a huge financial hit since social distancing protocols have been enacted. If you’re a small-business restaurant owner or the certified food protection manager(CFPMs ) of a small to medium sized establishment, you should familiarize yourself with some COVID-19 related resources that can help your business survive until it’s time to open up for more than just takeout service.

COVID-19 Resources for CFPMs-SBA Payment Protection Plan
Image credit: shealah_craighead via Flickr

COVID-19 Related Financial Aids for CFPMs and owners of Small Restaurants

One of the most talked about financial programs for small-businesses is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The PPP is a loan set up by the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) to not only help small businesses stay afloat but be able to pay their employees during these hard times. While there are some rules to follow, the SBA may forgive some or all of your loan balance if you keep employees on payroll for eight weeks, use the money to pay utilities, rent, mortgage interest and keep payroll funded.

There are also Non-government COVID-19 related resources for restaurant owners and CFPMs. Several companies that are making it easier, and free, for restaurants to take to-go and delivery orders as well as provide ways for potential customers to know that you’re still open for take-out and delivery.

The Ordering App is waving it’s 1.5% ordering fee until July 1.

Google is offering ad credits for small and medium-sized businesses.

Yelp is offering numerous incentives. They are offering free access to Yelp Reservations and Yelp Waitlist for three months to help smaller restaurants facilitate orders. Yelp is also offering several different options for relief from restaurateurs who either utilize Yelp Ads or are considering doing so during current stay-at-home regulations.

Chowly, a system that streamlines online ordering and POS systems, is waving all set-up fees during the pandemic.

Presto has a program to provide kiosk ordering systems free of charge. These range from tablets to table-top ordering systems and can reduce direct contact with customers ordering takeout at your facility.

Finally, the National Restaurant Association has started the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund. If you’re a certified food protection manager who has been forced to reduce employee hours or in drastic cases furlough some of your staff, you may want to point staff members who have been financially impacted to this fund. Rather than providing support to businesses, the RERF is focused on the individual hospitality workers who have sustained financial hardships.

Are there any other COVID-19 relief programs for CFPMs you think we should share with other readers?

Food Safety Indoor Farms Example

Can Indoor Farms Ease Food Safety Fears Over Romaine?

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With several outbreaks involving romaine lettuce over the past several years, food safety professionals are concerned with the availability and sustainability of leaving this ingredient on their menu. While studies have been inconclusive as to why the last outbreak occurred, we’ve heard some local industry professionals talk about a potential alternative to sourcing romaine from areas that have shown to be high risk. Can indoor farms be the solution the food safety industry is looking for?

Food Safety Indoor Farms

How Food Safety Training in Indoor Farms Reduces Pathogen Risk

While food safety in the farming industry is a little outside of our training expertise, we’ve dealt with numerous food safety managers who have considered giving up on serving romaine due to its poor track record concerning foodborne illness. The concept of indoor farming seems to have the potential for easing those fears and greatly reducing the risk of spreading salmonella and E.coli to the general public via crispy, delicious Caesar salads and other fresh dishes involving romaine lettuce.

One of the unique things about indoor hydroponic and aeroponic lettuce farming is that there is very little chance of cross-contamination. These farms grow lettuce in a sterile environment away from livestock and potentially contaminated irrigation systems.

At the present time, however, there appear to be numerous challenges for restaurateurs and other food production facilities when it comes to sourcing lettuce grown indoors and away from potential contaminates. The hydroponic industry has plenty of potential for growth, especially when it comes to farmers looking for a low-pathogen risk way to grow product which traditionally grows in the dirt, but there are very few farmers who produce enough lettuce in this manner to make headway into the national supply chain. Hydroponic and aeroponic growers tend to be smaller and local, and may not produce as much product as large outdoor farms. During our research, however, we did find a few farms in our state that utilize this method, and the future looks promising.

Would you pay more for romaine lettuce if you knew it was grown in a MN indoor farm environment with minimal risk of pathogen contamination?

Food Safety Date Labeling Example

Food Safety Guide to Proper Date Labeling

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The Minnesota food code states that all ready-to-eat foods must be labeled and dated. When the topic is brought up in our food safety training sessions, many students often share their strategies and how they make sure their products are properly labeled. This week, we’d like to outline the rules for date labeling product and provide a quick online food safety resource on the topic.

Food Safety Date Labeling Example

Tips for Food Safety Date Labels

The first thing we need to discuss is what types of foods need to be labeled. According to the Minnesota food code guidelines, food products meeting all of the following criteria must be labeled and dated:

  • Ready-to-Eat Foods
  • Refrigerated Product
  • Prepared Food Stored for 24 Hours or More

If your product meets all three of these criteria, then they must be properly labeled with the date they were produced. When labeling your food, it’s important to note that there is a seven-day limit on refrigerated ready-to-eat foods, but that doesn’t mean that every ready-to-eat food will be safe to serve for a full seven days, so rely on your food safety training for signs your product may be unfit for consumption.

It’s important to note that the date your product gets labeled should be the date the first cooked ingredient was prepared. For example, if you have a chicken salad sandwich on your menu and you cook your chicken on a Tuesday but don’t mix it with the rest of the ingredients until Wednesday, then Tuesday’s date should be the date on your label.

The food code does a great job of specifically outlining the what and how long of labeling, but they give food managers flexibility when it comes to the how. This is where you need to take steps that will best fit the food safety training that you’ve provided your staff to define a date labeling system. Make sure that your date labeling system is consistent and easy to recognize. Here are a few examples of effective systems:

  • Colored day dots
  • Date and time tags
  • Day of the Week Stickers

All of these systems are acceptable within the rules of the food code, but remember all employees must be able to explain the system during any routine health inspection. Our advice would be to incorporate a system that displays the exact date food was prepared rather than a simple label with the day of the week. This gives you an exact reference to know if your product is within the seven day limit rather than just using a day-of-the-week marker. Who knows? That chicken salad may have been mixed two Tuesdays ago and forgotten.

Do you have a well-defined date labeling system to protect food safety in your establishment?