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Revealing Risks In Guest Restrooms For Food Protection Managers

Revealing Risks In Guest Restrooms For Food Protection Managers

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We usually focus on areas of food safety in staff areas of food businesses, but there are health risks that can occur in spaces specifically set aside for guests. Guest restrooms hold the potential to spread illness if not properly cleaned and sanitized. While we’d never suggest that you serve guests in your restrooms, it’s important food protection managers to realize that there are health risks that can arise from the condition of your facilities.

Revealing Risks In Guest Restrooms For Food Protection Managers
Image credit: kzenon via 123rf

Public Restrooms Sanitization Tips for Food Protection Managers

The cleanliness of your guest restroom greatly influences your guests’ perception of the cleanliness of your entire restaurant. You could have an immaculate kitchen, but if a patron enters an unsanitary restroom, they’ll question whether or not your entire establishment is sanitary. We strongly suggest that you make every effort to keep your public restrooms in the same state as your staff facilities. Every restroom should:

  • Be stocked with plenty of soap and paper towels
  • Be devoid of standing water on counters and floors
  • Have hot water readily available
  • Be regularly inspected for cleanliness
  • Have frequently touched surfaces sanitized often
  • Have a hand washing poster on display

At bare minimum, your guest facilities must be stocked with hot water, soap dispensers and plenty of paper towels. However, food protection managers should consider installing hand-free soap dispensers and hand dryers in their guest facilities. Over the course of your business day, numerous guests will touch soap dispenser pumps with bare hands leaving bacteria and other contaminates on the pump. These will transfer to the hands of other guests. If your guests do not thoroughly wash their hands, these pathogens might remain and cause a health risk when they return to their tables to eat.

Standing water not only makes your restrooms look unsanitary, bacteria can form on countertops that can cause a risk. Your food protection manager should assign staff members to regularly inspect restrooms to ensure this is not the case. During these inspections, they should also check soap and paper towel supply and sanitize door handles. Restroom door handles are constantly touched by unwashed hands and pose the greatest risk for contamination.

Finally, display a poster as a friendly reminder that handwashing is important. This will offer a simple suggestion to guests to wash their hands before returning to their table.

Do you have outlined procedures for keeping guest restrooms clean and sanitary?

Deck the Halls with protocols

Deck The Halls With Protocols

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By Tim Niles, Safe Food Training Lead Trainer and Poet Laureate

It’s late in December
Santa is loading his slay
But he is still concerned
COVID will ruin the day

This crazy year
Has come with a twist
Santa had to create
A much different list

Image credit: lacheev via 123rf

Daily COVID testing
For both Santa and elves
Has disrupted the supply chain
For stocking the shelves

The reindeer are practicing
Takeoffs and landings
But they are all wearing masks
And it has proved quite demanding

If we run into fog
While pulling the sleigh
A mask covered Rudolph
Will not save the day

Image credit: tom19275 via 123rf

And entering countries
Is getting quite hard
Some want a negative test
And a vaccination card

All of the rituals
Are getting too weird
You try to eat cookies
Through a mask covered beard

How about the mistletoe
A cherished tradition…
It’s just not quite the same
With a plastic partition

Being dressed up in a mall
With a child in my lap
Has been replaced with a Zoom call
Where I look like crap

With the polar ice cap
That is currently cracking
I should skip the whole thing
And get started packing

But just when you think
That Santa might quit
Mrs. Claus rescues the day
By throwing a fit

Think of the kids
And all they’ve been through
They all had to adapt
And be flexible too

So eat a big dinner
And get on the suit
Or else your behind
Will find my foot with a boot

Santa came to his senses
Put a smile on his face
And let his kindness make the world
A much better place

The presents are coming
So no need to fret
But with backorders everywhere
You’ll get what you get

So enjoy all you can
With no more complaining
Happy Holiday to you all
From Safe Food Training

2022 Resolutions Every Food Safety Manager

New Year’s Training Resolutions Every Food Safety Manager Should Make

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2022 is almost upon us, and the time has come to reflect on the past year and set goals for the next one. With that in mind, we feel that 2022 should be the year that every every food safety manager focuses on staff food safety training as part of their New Year’s Resolution. We can join together with other MN certified food protection Managers in an effort to make our food service community the most knowledgeable and safest in the country.

2022 Resolutions Every Food Safety Manager
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Simple Resolutions Every Food Safety Manager can Use to Improve Food Safety Training

When it comes to food safety training, January is a great time commit to a focus on training and the best way to start the new year is to start with the basics. Basic food safety training can go by the wayside over time, so make sure you and your staff review:

It may sound like basic common sense in the food industry, but these three things are the most effective tools we have to prevent foodborne illness. Resolve to not let food safety basics fall by the wayside in 2022.

Another very simple way to resolve to improve your staff’s food safety training knowledge base is to take advantage of food code fact sheets. The Minnesota Department of Health has a fact sheet for nearly any food safety rule that applies to your establishment. Print off copies and post them where appropriate for a quick reminder or store them in a readily available notebook for easy reference.

Finally, nothing beats food safety training from an industry expert. Rather than rely on your previous training, resolve to bring in an expert for a custom training session or send additional staff members to gain their certified food protection manager’s certificate. Nothing will prepare your establishment to protect your guests like training from industry leaders.

Do you have any New Year’s resolutions for 2022?

Spotlight On Holiday Charitable Donation Resources For Food Safety Managers

Spotlight On Holiday Donation Resources For Food Safety Managers

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Nearly one in 11 Minnesotans struggle with hunger or are food insecure, and coming out of the COVID pandemic, many are still fighting poverty to feed their families. Over the hard times of the past two years, Minnesota food safety managers stepped up to help fill that void by donating surplus supplies, ingredients and meals to local food banks and charitable meal providers, but now that we’re entering the post-COVID holiday season we should be aware that the hunger problem hasn’t dissipated with the pandemic, and Minnesota food businesses can still play a vital role in helping struggling families enjoy the holiday season. We’ve assembled a list of donation resources for food safety managers who want to help local families in need.

Spotlight On Holiday Charitable Donation Resources For Food Safety Managers
Image credit: Second Harvest Heartland

Donation Resources For Food Safety Managers That Can Help Struggling Families Put Food On The Table During The Holidays

There are many reasons for food safety managers to consider donating surplus or ordering and preparing extra holiday dinners to donate during the holidays. Some include:

  • Tax deductions
  • Waste reduction
  • Business promotion
  • Becoming a vital part of the community

While charity doesn’t always include a business bonus, sometimes helping your community can help reduce your taxes. Food businesses that donate food are eligible for a tax deduction. A tax deduction up to twice the cost of purchasing the product donated can be written off come tax time. This includes surplus as well as food brought in with the intention of donation.

Donating surplus over the holidays will not only feed struggling members of your community, it will also reduce waste and help keep your food cost in check. Nearly one-third of product brought into food businesses is wasted, so donating excess can go to help your neighbors rather than the dumpster.

Finally, businesses can donate anonymously, but often times charities will give credit to donors. When your food business donates meals, ingredients or other items during the holidays, your community will inevitably hear about it. When your business is known for charity, you may attract customers who may have never frequented your business if they didn’t know you were a vital part of the community during the holiday season.

Here’s a brief list of donation resources on how food safety managers can donate during the holidays. Many local municipalities have organizations and charities focused on your local communities, so feel free to reach out to local charities not listed here:

Do you have plans to donate product to charity this holiday season? Do you know of other donation resources food safety managers can use to distribute food to the community?