MN Certified Food Manager Archives

June 18, 2018June 5, 2018

What Are The Duties Of A MN Certified Food Manager?

Whether you have the title of kitchen manager, executive chef or food and beverage supervisor, we know that you have a myriad of duties that require your constant attention. You write budgets, calculate food costs, hire staff and train employees. On top of that, are the duties of a MN certified food manager. The state has outlined very specific responsibilities that help you keep the food you serve safe.

On the Job Duties of a MN Certified Food Manager

Once you complete training and gain your food manager certificate, the Minnesota Department of Health requires you to perform the following duties:

Identify food safety hazards in your facility
Implement procedures to prevent food-borne illness
Perform food safety training and insure a person in charge (PIC) is present when food is prepared
Monitor food preparation and take action to correct procedures to protect the public from food-borne illness
Conduct inspections to ensure proper food handling occurs during regular operations

As a MN certified food manager, your obligations go beyond the day-to-day operations of your business, and you must keep the food your operation serves safe. Identification of hazards is your first step towards food safety, but you must act on your observations. Nearly every one of the requirements for food managers can be seen as a reaction to the hazards that you have identified.

Proper implementation of procedures goes a long way to preventing the spread of food-borne illness. The key to effective food-safety protocols include training, monitoring and a keeping written track record for reference. It does no good to simply train one or two employees and let your procedures spread from there. Take the time to train your entire staff on proper food-handling techniques, especially those that might be unique to your establishment and the type of product you serve or sell.

Finally, you must follow up on your identification and procedure implementation by monitoring day-to-day operations to ensure procedures are followed properly. Conducting periodic self-inspections of your facility is also a great tool to monitor how food is handled. Be thorough when you conduct your self-inspection. Act as if you were your local health inspector and check every aspect of your facility. Conduct a verbal review with your employees and make sure that any potential hazards are being dealt with properly.

Do you have any tips for keeping track of your duties of a MN certified food manager?

April 29, 2018April 29, 2018

Certified Food Managers and Touch Screen Devices

With modern advances in technology, certified food managers and touch screen devices are becoming inseparable.Managers rely more and more on handheld and mobile devices for everything from scanning and checking in deliveries to giving servers the ability to place an order directly from a guest’s table. These devices make our jobs easier, but are they creating a new risk that could possibly spread food-borne illnesses?

Sanitation, Certified Food Managers and Touch Screen Devices

While these touch screens may look clean, over the course of a workday, or even with one use, bacteria and other potential contaminates will transfer from the user’s fingers onto the surface. These contaminates can then be transferred to the hands of anyone else handling the device and make their way onto plates, serving utensils and prepared food.

Current trends show that these touch screens are not only utilized by front-of-the-house staff, they are becoming more popular in the back of the house as well. Some kitchens have replaced the receipt ticker with a screen where filled orders can be swiped away with the flick of the finger and tablets are being used for everything from inventory control to time clocks. The back of the house presents the greatest risk of cross contamination, so extra care must be taken when handling these devices in food preparation areas.

Handwashing and training will be key to keeping your food safe. Certified food managers need to remind every member of their staff that they must wash their hands after using one of these devices for any reason. It may not occur to them that a simple swipe with one finger could result in a contaminated product. It may also be wise to ask your janitorial or food service provider if they have a product that will safely sanitize your touch screens without damaging them.

Do you utilize touch screens in your operation? If so, let us know how in the comments section below.

February 12, 2018February 8, 2018

When Certified Food Managers Should Return From the Flu?

When Should Certified Food Managers Return From the Flu

With flu season in full swing, it’s important that certified food managers recognize the symptoms in themselves and their staff, as well as make tough decisions as to whether they should be at work with or without symptoms. Influenza can easily be spread to guests and co-workers even after symptoms have passed.

Taking Precautions Against Influenza

While monitoring the CDC’s flu data, we note that this illness is something that affects the entire country and currently poses an elevated risk. This means that the possibility exists that your establishment will have staff that misses time due to the flu.

The flu has the potential to be more than an annoyance, it has the potential to be deadly, especially in the food service industry where it can be spread to those that are susceptible. If you or a member of your staff even suspects they are infected, we strongly urge that you do not work.

One dilemma that arises is the timetable for returning to work after the flu. In some cases, a worker infected with the flu may still be contagious once symptoms begin to dissipate. Taking a day or two off after symptoms disappear may be advisable. Just because symptoms have lessened or that you feel as if you could make it through your shift does not mean you are ready to return to work. To put it simply, we feel that certified food managers and food service workers should take extra time before returning to work, even if they feel well enough to perform their duties.

The certified food manager should take steps to stay healthy during this season and recover fully if they become ill. We’d recommend visiting your physician if you are concerned about your health and not returning to work until they confirm you are no longer contagious.

If you are not ill, remember to wash your hands frequently, even when not at work. While it’s common food safety procedure to wash your hands frequently, it will also prevent illnesses like the flu from spreading outside of the kitchen environment. Keeping hydrated is also key. Kitchens are hot and restaurant workers often risk dehydration. Drinking plenty of water will help keep illness at bay.

Does your facility have any precautions to prevent illnesses like the flu from spreading to your guests?

December 5, 2017November 8, 2017

Winter Hours and the MN Certified Food Manager

Now that fall is here and daylight savings time has given us one less hour of daylight in the evening, many restaurant goers are choosing to dine out earlier in the evening. For some restaurants, this could mean a nearly empty dining room as the night wears on and closing time approaches.

MN Certified Food Managers and Winter Hours

An empty dining room is never profitable, no matter what time of day it is. MN certified food managers still need to pay the salaries of cooks and wait staff as well as utility bills. It’s important to find solutions that help you maintain a healthy profit margin during the winter months when some diners forgo eating out to save up for Christmas shopping and holiday events.

If you notice a major drop off in business an hour or two before closing, you may wish to adjust your hours of operation accordingly. Some restaurants close an hour earlier during the first part of the week so that they can reduce labor costs during non-peak hours. Keep in mind that weekends still bring out late night diners, so look at the patterns of days you still have a full dining room before adjusting your schedule.

If you’re simply not comfortable with closing early, there are still plenty of options to keep your bottom line in check. Some restaurants keep their bar or lounge open while closing a majority of their dining room. This will allow you to serve a limited menu that can be prepared with a skeleton crew in the kitchen and eliminate the need for excessive service staff eating up payroll. However, due to local liquor regulations minors may not be able to dine in your lounge, so keeping a couple of tables outside of bar area may be a wise decision.

Do you make adjustments during non-peak dining times in the winter season? Leave your suggestions in the comments section below.