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Food Safety Training and Current Food Poisoning Statistics

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Official statistics help us keep an eye on the state of food safety in our country. Recently, Food Safety News published a summary of a CDC report detailing the most common causes of food borne-illness. There are a few interesting findings in this report, but when breaking down this summary, we noticed two causes of illness that can be prevented or controlled with proper food safety training.

Using Food-Illness Statistics for Food Safety Training

In the statistics released from this five year study, over 100,000 confirmed cases of food poisoning were recorded. Out of these cases, 5,699 were hospitalized and food-borne illness was responsible for 145 deaths. If we break down these cases to root causes, we can begin to see patterns that we can use for effective food safety training to target common pathogens.

Chicken was the cause of 12-percent of these cases, causing us to believe that many of these situations were the result of under-cooked poultry. It is vitally important to train your staff how to handle chicken properly. There are numerous cross-contamination risks involved in processing raw chicken. Process raw chicken away from areas where ready-to-eat product is being prepared and always store raw poultry on the bottom shelf. Finally, making sure to verify that your chicken has been cooked to 165-degrees is vitally important. We recommend that you use a thermocouple thermometer when verifying the temperature of chicken. These thermometers are highly accurate and ideal for measuring thin chicken breasts and smaller pieces of meat.

The study also shows that the Norovirus was responsible for over 27,000 cases of food-borne illness. Training can go a long way towards preventing Norovirus poisonings. Teach your staff to stay home when they are sick, wash their hands properly and frequently and to avoid bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods. Enforcing these three easy-to-do food handling procedures greatly reduces the risk of spreading the Norovirus.

While this study points out quite a few other causes of outbreaks, proper training reduces the risk of poisoning via improperly prepared chicken or the Norovirus. Are there any other ways you use statistics to target food safety training in your facility?

MN Food Safety and National Regulatory Agency Consolidation

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At Safe Food Training, we usually avoid commenting on the political landscape unless it directly relates to MN food safety and certified food managers. However, as part of the current administration’s effort to consolidate select federal agencies, a proposal has been put forth to form a single federal food safety agency under the umbrella of the USDA.

MN Food Safety and National Regulatory Agency Consolidation

How Proposed Federal Agency Reorganization Might Affect MN Food Safety

As things currently stand, two agencies, the Food and Drug Administration and a branch of the USDA known as the Food Safety and Inspection Service, have different levels of regulatory power when it comes to food safety in our country. Since there are two agencies, we have to ask what is the difference between the two?

After some research, we’ve discovered that one of the major differences between the two agencies involves what types of products they inspect. For example, the USDA and the FSIS may be responsible for the inspection of poultry, meats and eggs while fruits and vegetables fall under FDA jurisdiction. Meats and canned products containing meat receive quite a bit of scrutiny during inspections by the USDA, but many times large quantities of non-meat canned products, such as applesauce or tomato soup, go uninspected before shipped to consumers. Some seafood and fish products belong under the jurisdiction of one agency or the other. Catfish, for example, is regulated by the USDA while other fresh-water fish are inspected by the FDA.

The line becomes more and more blurred as we delve into pre-made products. The FDA is in charge of closed-faced meat sandwiches, while FSIS regulates open-faced meat sandwiches. This means that one agency regulates frozen pizzas and the other mass-produced pre-packaged breakfast sandwiches. These varied regulations make us wonder if any products slip through this confusing inspection process and pose potential health risks to consumers.

The consolidation of federal food safety agencies is not a partisan issue, or even a new one. The Obama administration put forth a similar proposal during their tenure in the White House.

There may be pros and cons of creating one agency that encompasses all of national food safety regulations and inspection. As a certified food manager with a professional interest in MN food safety, do you feel that a single regulatory agency will help keep the raw ingredients you use safer, or do you think multiple, clearly defined agencies are necessary for extended oversight of national food safety.

Changes to the Minnesota Food Code

Proposed Changes to the Minnesota Food Code and the Certified Food Manager

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For the first time since 1998, the Minnesota Department of Health is proposing changes to the state’s food code. While some of these changes to the Minnesota food Code are merely an altering of the terminology used throughout, there are a few proposed changes that certified food managers need to pay attention to.

Changes to the Minnesota Food Code

 

Proposed Changes to the Minnesota Food Code

The Department of Health published a list of 20 proposed major changes to the Minnesota food code. Right off the bat, they explain that there will be many changes concerning the language of the actual text. For example, two of the biggest changes include altering the title of Certified Food Manager to Certified Food Production Manager and changing “potentially hazardous foods” to “time/temperature control for safety foods.” They are also removing “critical” and “non-critical” categories with different levels of priorities for food-safety risks.

This list of 20 items includes some procedures that change the way certified food managers handle day-to-day operations. We will go into more depth on specific items in future articles once these changes come closer to implementation, but some of the highlights that stand out to us include:

  • The addition and clarification of rules for serving a “highly-susceptible” population such as children and the elderly
  • Hot-holding temperatures lower to 135 degrees and the time certain foods can held under 70 degrees increases to 6 hours
  • Changes will establish a non-continuous cooking procedure (with approval) for raw foods that have been cooking for under 60 minutes
  • Fingernail brushes will no longer be required at employee hand-washing stations
  • Several hygiene procedures are addressed, such as creating vomit cleanup protocols, requiring handwashing procedure signage and restrictions concerning working with wounds

These are just a few changes that stood out to us, and we are currently awaiting word from the Department of Health to clarify many of the other changes in the code. We will be sure to cover anything we learn as soon as the information becomes available.

After reading the brief synopsis from the Department of Health, do you see any issues you’d like us to delve deeper into in the future?

Food Safety Class Tips for Ice Bin Sanitation

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Every restaurant has its sanitation challenges, but one of the most consistently overlooked areas is the front-of-house service station ice bin. For certified food safety managers in Minnesota, ensuring proper ice bin sanitation is a critical, yet often neglected, responsibility. While back-of-house procedures receive intense scrutiny, these smaller, customer-facing ice bins can become hotspots for contamination if not given the daily attention they require. This guide provides the essential tips you need to train your staff and maintain impeccable standards.

The Core Misconception: Why Ice Bins Are Ignored

Ice bin sanitation

Ice bin sanitation: Keep it safe.

A fundamental misunderstanding leads to service station ice bins being overlooked: many staff members don’t view ice as a food item. The thought process is that since ice is just frozen water, it can’t harbor pathogens. This is a dangerous assumption. 

The FDA classifies ice as a food, meaning it is subject to the same strict handling and sanitation requirements as any other ready-to-eat product. When staff members fail to treat an ice bin as a food container, they are more likely to engage in unsafe practices that lead to contamination.

  • False Sense of Security: Because ice is frozen, employees may wrongly believe that bacteria cannot grow, leading to lax cleaning schedules and improper handling.

     

  • Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Unlike a steam table or a walk-in cooler, a service station ice bin is often a secondary piece of equipment, making it easy to forget during routine cleaning and closing duties.

     

  • High-Traffic Area Risks: These bins are typically located in busy service alleys or bar tops, exposing them to a much higher risk of accidental contamination from various sources throughout a shift.

Mastering Ice Bin Safety in a Busy Environment

True ice bin safety involves being vigilant about what goes on around the bin as much as what goes in it. During a busy service, it’s easy for foreign objects and liquids to enter the ice supply, compromising the entire container. A single contaminated piece of ice can contaminate the entire bin as it melts and circulates.

  • Preventing Foreign Objects Contamination: Garnishments like lemons or cherries, napkins, straws, and even serving utensils can accidentally fall into the ice. These items introduce bacteria from hands, counters, and other surfaces. Keeping the lid closed whenever possible is a simple but effective preventative measure.

  • Managing Spills and Drips: In a bar or beverage station, splashes from juice, soda, or alcohol are inevitable. If these liquids enter the ice bin, they introduce sugars and other substances that can accelerate bacterial growth.

  • The “When in Doubt, Throw it Out” Rule: If you notice a foreign object or a significant spill has occurred, simply removing the object is not enough. The only safe procedure is to burn the ice—meaning, empty the entire bin, properly clean and sanitize the container according to health codes, and refill it with fresh, clean ice.

Implementing a Strict Sanitation Protocol

Ice bin sanitation

Tips for ice bin sanitation.

To ensure consistent ice bin sanitation, you must establish a clear, non-negotiable cleaning protocol that your service staff understands and follows. Simply allowing the ice to melt and drain overnight is not a substitute for proper cleaning; this practice leaves behind a damp environment that allows bacteria and biofilm to flourish.

  • Use a Properly Mixed Sanitizer: Your sanitizer solution must be mixed to the correct concentration. A solution that is too weak will not be effective, while one that is too strong can leave behind chemical residues that could sicken a customer. Use test strips to verify the concentration at every time.

     

  • Sanitize Every Time You Empty: It is essential to make cleaning and sanitizing the ice bin a mandatory procedure each time. It’s emptied ‌before refilling. This should be a key part of your closing checklist for every service station.

     

  • Train, Reinforce, and Document: Ongoing training is key. Regularly review these procedures with your waitstaff and bartenders to ensure they are familiar with them. Document your cleaning schedule in a log to ensure accountability and create a record of compliance for health inspections.

Safe Food Training acknowledges the dedication of certified food safety managers in Minnesota to protecting public health. Our goal is to provide practical training that addresses the real-world, often-overlooked challenges you face daily.

Don’t let a contaminated service station ice bin tarnish your reputation. If you and your team are looking to enhance your understanding of Minnesota’s food safety standards, our expert-led, instructor-led options provide the convenient and comprehensive training you need. 

Click on the link and head to Safe Food Training today to schedule your next session!