Keep your MN kitchen running smoothly. We’re sharing real-world ServSafe & NEHA Best Practices to help you train staff and ace your next health inspection.

ServSafe food managers using towels

The Truth About ServSafe Managers Using Dry Vs Sanitized Towels

/0 Comments/in /by

Cloth towels are an essential part of food safety. ServSafe food managers should stock their establishment with an abundance of clean towels to ensure plenty are available at all times. However, there are times when a wet sanitized towel is appropriate and times when a clean dry cloth may be better for food safety.

The Truth About ServSafe Managers Using Dry Vs Sanitized Towels
Image credit: mmiixx via 123rf

Tips for ServSafe Food Managers on Cloth Towel Use in Food Preparation Areas

Sanitizer cloths are essential for stopping the spread of bacteria and other pathogens. They should be used to clean up any possible contamination on surfaces that cannot be run through your dishwashing machine. ServSafe food managers should stress the importance of using sanitized cloth towels on:

  • Soiled cutting boards
  • Stainless steel surfaces in preparation areas
  • Large preparation equipment
  • Dry clean surfaces to promote cleanliness

The use of proper sanitation should be enforced by ServSafe food managers, and it’s important to make sure that your sanitizer solution is rotated often and mixed to appropriate potency.

There are times, however, when a dry towel is appropriate and a wet sanitizer cloth could cause a foodborne illness risk rather than preventing one.

Water and grease do not mix using a wet rag to clean up grease can spread grease to other areas of your establishment. A wet, oily cloth will lose all effectiveness when it comes to sanitation. Grease can spread to hands, preparation surfaces, and even food when a soiled rag makes contact. ServSafe food managers should keep dry cloth towels near:

  • Deep fryers
  • Flat top grills
  • Sandwich presses
  • Other equipment that uses grease or oil

When was the last time your ServSafe food manager discussed using dry towels vs wet sanitized towels?

CFPMs can reinforce Approved use of Sanitizing Solutions

How CFPMs Can Reinforce Approved Use Of Sanitation Solutions

/0 Comments/in /by

Sanitizer solutions are essential in reducing the risk of sickening guests, but when used improperly, they can actually increase foodborne illness hazards. So how can certified food protection managers ensure that the staff is using the sanitation solution properly?

Proper Sanitation Solution Use for Certified Food Protection Managers

There are four things CFPMs should be aware of when it comes to properly using sanitizer solutions:

  • Approved Solutions
  • Strength
  • Effective Time Lapse
  • Cloths Soaked in Solution
CFPMs Can Reinforce Approved Use Of Sanitation Solutions
Image credit: vectorfusionart via 123rf

Your sanitizer solution must be a solution approved by the Minnesota food code. Common approved solutions include bleach, quat sanitizers and iodine. These solutions must be mixed to the appropriate strength, so follow the directions closely and use test strips from your sanitizer supplier to ensure proper strength. If it’s too strong, you risk contaminating food with the chemicals involved, and weak solutions will not properly sanitize your surfaces and equipment. Many restaurant suppliers offer automated dispensers that will mix sanitizers and water at the appropriate strength, just make sure to test from time to time to ensure that your solutions are in acceptable ranges.

Sanitizer solutions don’t remain effective forever, so certified food protection managers should instruct their staff to dispose of old sanitizer at regular intervals. If used often, these solutions may become less effective sooner than indicated on the bottle’s label, so be aware that solutions may need to be rotated frequently.

Finally, be aware that your solutions don’t necessarily completely sanitize cleaning rags. If you have an extremely dirty cloth and continue to use it, you’re not exactly sanitizing anything. In fact, you could be spreading grease and bacteria all over your kitchen no matter how long a dirty rag has sat in your sanitizer solution. The best plan is to keep a damp sanitizer rag available rather than soaking it in sanitizer buckets and use clean cloths after old ones become soiled.

Do you take the time to test your sanitizer solutions from time to time to ensure their effectiveness?

Informative Food Safety Training Targeted At Rubber Floor Mats

/0 Comments/in /by

Floor mats in kitchens are essential for the physical health of employees that are on their feet for extended periods, but did you know that they can also become a foodborne illness hazard if not properly maintained? Since you’re not serving food on your floor mats, unless you’re designing a new concept restaurant that probably won’t fly with your local health inspector, you may not see the connection between foodborne illness and rubber floor mats, so let’s take a look at food safety training for rubber floor mats.

Informative Food Safety Training Targeted At Rubber Floor Mats
Image credit: nikitos77 via 123rf

Food Safety Training Tips for Floor Mat Cleaning

From an employee safety standpoint, dirty floor mats can be a slip hazard, so making sure they are clean prevents potential injury. Ripped or torn mats can catch the toes and heels of shoes causing staff to drop food or utensils, or even trip and fall. If your mats are in a condition that causes staff to fall into deep fryers, replace them immediately.

Dirty and torn mats also present a likely habitat for bacteria and pests. If your mats aren’t washed and cleaned on a regular basis, you’ll breed pathogens that can be stirred up by fans or even staff walking on them. Good food safety training should include regular maintenance of your floor mats to prevent this from happening.

Pests like fruit flies, ground bugs and even mice can be attracted to the smell of debris and grease left on dirty rubber mats. Cracked and torn portions can be an ideal spot for flies to lay eggs, harbor fruit fly nests and provide snacks for cockroaches and other small ground insects.

Making sure your floor mats are in good shape is not only good for the physical well-being of your staff but can also result in improved food safety training. Do you regularly sanitize your rubber floor mats?

Professional ServSafe Food Managers Can Immediately Improve Grease Trap Safety

Professional ServSafe Food Managers Can Immediately Improve Grease Trap Safety

/0 Comments/in /by

Nearly every restaurant or food processing facility that prepares hot food deals with grease and other liquids that are a byproduct of creating their product. Most ServSafe managers ensure that the waste from this process goes into grease traps or some other receptacle rather than leaving it on preparation surfaces to contaminate food cooked later. This grease will often settle into traps, and if ServSafe food managers do not properly take care it could pose a food safety risk or even a fire hazard.

Professional ServSafe Food Managers Can Immediately Improve Grease Trap Safety
Image credit: davit85 via 123rf

The Importance of ServSafe Food Managers Cleaning Grease Traps in Kitchens

Grease traps are commonplace in nearly every kitchen, so make sure you inspect, empty and clean grease traps that are located:

  • Under good vents
  • In ovens
  • Under grills and fryers

Every employee who works in your kitchen should be aware of your grease trap locations and how to remove the drainage receptacle. Some, such as traps under grills and flat cooking surfaces, slide in an out like a drawer while others, like under hood vents, are pans held in place under drainage areas. ServSafe food managers should take the time to train their staff how to remove these grease traps safely without spilling their contents or burning themselves on hot oil.

In ServSafe food manager training when we talk about clean grease traps, we don’t simply mean empty ones. Grease traps should be emptied on a regular basis and cleaned thoroughly. If the trap is completely removable, take the time to clean and dry it before replacing it. It’s also important to clean the areas around the traps to ensure all grease and oil is removed. Leaving grease behind can attract insects or even large pests such as rats if ignored for long periods of time.

Finally, don’t pour grease down your sink drains. This can cause buildup in your pipes, become a breeding ground for insects and damage your plumbing system. Check with your local waste disposal company for options on recycling your leftover grease.

Has you taken the time to thoroughly clean your grease traps lately?