Safe Food Training MN Archives

November 29, 2021November 11, 2021

Expert Food Recall Procedures ServSafe Managers Need To Know

Food recall procedures that servsafe managers need to know

Recently, Green Giant announced a voluntary recall on yellow and white onions. Minnesota ServSafe managers should pay close attention to this recall since many of the delivery locations are in the state of Minnesota. This may be a good time to check your inventory for white and yellow onions to make sure that you don’t have any sitting in storage. It’s also prudent to review procedures Minnesota ServSafe managers should use to handle major food recall notices.

Green Giant Onion Recall Procedures ServSafe Managers need to know — *Image credit: PPD via Pixnio*

Procedures for Responding to the Onion Recall for ServSafe Food Managers

Some recalls affect the food industry more than others, and this onion recall impacts nearly every food business in areas where the recall is in effect. Onions are a staple ingredient in every food business, so what procedures should ServSafe food managers do when impacted by a recall of this scale?

Discarding recalled ingredients and prepared product which includes tainted ingredients should be the first step. Your guests’ safety must be a top priority, replacing these ingredients should come second.

Finding an alternative for necessities should only occur after you’ve cleared your storage of recalled products. Bringing in untainted ingredients while you still have recalled produce in storage could lead to a mix-up between tainted and untainted ingredients. You may want to order a replacement product as soon as you hear of a recall, but don’t stall on clearing health hazards before receiving a new shipment.

Most foodservice suppliers should have checked UPC codes and other information concerning a recall before sending you a replacement, but ServSafe managers should do their due diligence and verify their new product has not been affected. You may also have to consider going without due to scarcity during a recall. In that instance, informing your guests that onions, or any recalled ingredient, are being removed from the menu for their health and safety will keep them informed as to why some menu items may look different than normal.

Have your Servsafe food managers documented a recall procedure? Have you ever had to take steps to alter your menu during a recall?

October 18, 2021October 6, 2021

Tremendous Food Safety Manager Training Tips Focused On Autumn

We focus a lot on food safety manager training in the kitchen, but did you realize that the fall season creates food safety risks outside of your building that may present a health threat? Just as the seasons change outdoors, food safety managers should make changes to their food safety training plan once the summer is over. This week we’ll highlight food safety manager training tips on potential outdoor food safety hazards that are especially prevalent in the fall.

Food Safety Manager Training Guide For Autumn

When the leaves begin to turn color and the geese prepare to fly south for the winter, Minnesotans also flock to the outdoors to enjoy the beauty of the fall season. This brings many potential guests to your establishment no matter what part of our great state you hail from, so you should be prepared to fight off food safety risks that may originate in outside of your business. Some common places fall food safety hazards begin include:

Dead leaves or decomposing vegetation in planters
Clogged storm drains or gutters
Dumpsters and recycling containers
Pest traps

The first three items on the list are common breeding grounds for gnats, flies and other insects that may infiltrate your food business. Potted plants, floral trees and other natural displays are quite attractive in the spring and summer, but once they begin to shed their leaves or die with the coming of the colder weather, they can host invasive insects, mice and rats. It’s important to maintain your plant fixtures and know when to remove them before they can attract pests that may enter your facility. Removing dead leaves and ensuring the perimeter of your building is free from decaying plant life will reduce the potential of pests from entering your establishment.

Insects also breed in areas of standing water. The fall rains may tax your gutters and outdoor drain systems. If your facility relies on these types of outdoor drainage systems, take steps to ensure that they aren’t clogged to prevent standing water. Your garbage and recycling containers also retain water if they are exposed to the rain. Try to make sure that they are covered in the fall or have proper drainage to prevent water buildup.

The final food safety manager training tip, pests seem to be more prevalent in the fall, so if you rely on fruit fly strips or other pest prevention traps, make sure they are checked and replaced frequently. A full trap will allow pests to go elsewhere, probably into your kitchen.

Do keep an eye on the exterior of your establishment during the fall season to prevent food safety hazards? Do you have other autumn tips for food safety manager training?

September 13, 2021September 9, 2021

Scary Simple Front Of House Food Safety Precautions

Kitchen personnel have easy access to gloves, serving utensils and other tools to help them avoid bare hand contact with any ready-to-eat foods, but servers, bar tenders and busboys tend to have a much more hectic pace to their routine and may be further away from supplies when it comes to bare hand contact and ready-to-eat foods. With a few simple precautions, we can ensure that the front of the house keeps the same food safety standards as the kitchen.

Avoiding Front Of House Bare Hand Contact with Ready-to-Eat Foods Has A Huge Impact on Food Safety

The Minnesota Food Code states that there can be no bare hand contact with food that is ready to serve. This includes cooked foods, raw fruits and vegetables and any other items ready for consumption. For the kitchen, this is pretty straight forward, but bar tenders and servers come into contact with these types of foods as well. Some examples include:

Fresh bread
Garnishes for drinks
Leftovers to be boxed up
Unique items held at server stations

Bread, garnishes, drinks and leftovers cannot be handled with bare hands. There are also some unique situations that can be a food safety hazard when handled with bare hands such as table snacks, fruit and vegetable slices for kid’s meals and a number of other possibilities. Just remember, if the food goes directly from its holding place to a customer’s plate, it should be considered a ready-to-eat food.

One-use disposable gloves are recommended when handling ready-to-eat products, but it can be a time consuming reparative task for the hustle of the wait staff’s routine during high-volume service. Tongs, spatulas and other utensils that can easily transport food on to plate or into drinks are acceptable and much easier to use than constantly changing gloves. However, when bagging up leftovers or continually handling garnishes for extended periods of time before returning to the dining room floor, single-use food service gloves may be the best option.

Always remember to wash your hands thoroughly and promote food safety training in the front of the house when it comes to handling ready-to-eat product.

Have you reviewed food safety training procedures for handling prepared food on the dining room floor?

August 16, 2021August 10, 2021

A Safe Food Return To The Unique MN State Fair

One of the events we missed most due to the COVID-19 crisis was the annual Minnesota State Fair. Now that we seem to have the pandemic under control, we’re excited to see that we’ll be able to once again enjoy the food, the livestock and attractions of this event. Let’s take a look at some of the confirmed safe food activities that will be returning to this years MN State Fair.

Safe Food return to MN State Fair — Image credit: ©scandamerican/123RF.COM

Safe Food Activities of the 2021 Minnesota State Fair

Appropriately dubbed “The Great Minnesota Get-Together,” we finally get to enjoy concerts at the grandstands once again in person. Some highlights of the fair’s concert series at the grandstand stage include:

The Doobie Brothers
TLC and Shaggy with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
Tim McGraw

Besides concerts, there’s also plenty of rides for the young and the young at heart, art shows, animals and competitions, but we’re excited to see what new foods we can find as well as enjoy some of our old favorites.

Looking over the list of vendors, we see plenty of fair safe foods to please any craving. A few items were ready to try include:

Vietnamese Sausages
Deep Fried Bison Ravioli
Fudge Dipped Fruits
Waffle Burgers

Besides these safe foods, there will be plenty of refreshing beverages ranging from Cucumber Jalapeño Limeade and specialty beers found only at the state fair.

It’s been nearly two years since we last saw each other at the fair. Will you be enjoying the safe foods at this year’s state fair?