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.

Food recall procedures that servsafe managers need to know

Expert Food Recall Procedures ServSafe Managers Need To Know

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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
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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?

Staying Home when Sick

A Lesson in Norovirus Control for Certified Food Protection Managers

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The norovirus made the news in a big way in the month of September thanks to a massive outbreak at Georgetown University. While the investigation into the outbreak has yet to locate the initial source, norovirus outbreaks often begin in food service, so certified food protection managers take notice that this outbreak has sickened nearly 150 people and take precautions to prevent a similar incident from happening at their food business or facility.

A Lesson in Norovirus Control for Certified Food Protection Managers
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Certified Food Protection Managers And Norovirus Defense in High-Volume Facilities

Many norovirus cases fall under the radar when only a few individuals are sickened, but the case at Georgetown University shows what can happen in when the pathogen infects a large population. Officially, there is no link to food service in this Norovirus case, but certified food protection managers at university cafeterias, local school, hospitals and other facilities that serve a large amount of people every day have a great impact on preventing an outbreak such as this from even getting started. By taking a few simple precautions norovirus outbreaks can be stopped before they even begin by:

These three very easy steps will greatly reduce the risk of spreading the norovirus whether you serve thousands of guests a day or under 10. In fact, these three tools not only prevent the spread of the norovirus, but can help stop many other common illness that begin in food service from spreading.

Have you taken the time to review these basic food safety techniques with your staff to reduce the chances of spreading the norovirus?

Food Safety Advice For Hosting Down Home Wild Game Dinners

Food Safety Advice For Hosting Down Home Wild Game Dinners

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Hunting season is upon us for water fowl and will soon open for deer. Fall hunting is a great Minnesota tradition, and many food safety managers love to celebrate the season with hosting wild game dinners. When hosting an event where wild game is served, there are a few special procedures food safety managers need to pay attention to, so it’s important to review the special regulations for wild game dinners.

Food Safety Advice For Hosting Down Home Wild Game Dinners
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Wild Game Dinners and Food Safety Protocols

If you’re planning on hosting a wild game dinner, it’s important to note that these types of dinners can only be held for charity and not at for profit events. This means that if you’re a certified food manager wanting to serve locally hunted or trapped game in your restaurant, you’ll have to find a source that’s been approved for sale for food service purposes. Fundraising events, however, can host wild game events as long as the donated game meets the proper criteria. Game served a wild game dinners must meet the following food safety standards:

  • Has been legally hunted or trapped
  • Is pure, unground animal meat
  • Was properly cleaned at a Minnesota Department of Agriculture licensed facility
  • Was eviscerated less than two hours after harvest

To be legally hunted, the animal must have been taken in season and in an area where hunting is allowed by licensed hunters. Any wild game animal, be it bird, deer or other game, taken illegally cannot be offered at these events. They also must be cleaned in a facility licensed by the MDA to ensure procedures have been followed to prevent cross contamination and that other food safety protocols have been followed. Game that was processed at a private residence or unlicensed facility cannot be served. It’s also important to make sure the animal is processed as soon as possible after it was caught. Hunters have a two-hour window to make sure remove the bowels of any animal intended for a wild game dinner.

On a final note, it’s also required that a full receipt be obtained by the organization accepting the wild game donation. This receipt must contain the name, address and license number of the donating party as well as the date the meat was obtained.

Do you host charitable fundraisers that include serving wild game? Were you aware of the special food safety regulations wild game dinners?

Valuable New Certified Food Protection Manager Cleaning Schedule Design

Valuable New Certified Food Protection Manager Cleaning Schedule Design

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Certified food protection managers have a lot on their plate with the day-to-day operation of their food business, so it’s important to have systems in place to streamline their operation. Designing a facility cleaning and sanitation schedule can free up time for other managerial tasks while your staff knows how to maintain a safe environment for food production. While a plan will look different based on your operation, we can give every Minnesota certified food protection manager a head start designing a custom sanitation and cleaning schedule.

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Food Cleaning and Sanitation Schedule Template for Every Certified Food Protection Manager

A certified food protection manager who are creating a cleaning and sanitation schedule, you should break it into sections based on frequency. You should consider which cleaning tasks occur:

  • Frequently
  • Daily
  • Weekly
  • Monthly

Immediate cleaning tasks include sanitizing prep surfaces after use, washing soiled utensils and changing sanitation solutions. These tasks should be easy to identify and your staff should be trained to do them habitually, but it never hurts to have a written plan identifying frequent food safety sanitation jobs.

Daily tasks can include sanitizing backsplashes in the dishwashing area, mopping floors and washing kitchen mats. You may also want to include inspecting raw food storage areas and refrigeration units for containers that need cleaning or spilled product that must to be thrown away. Daily tasks also can become routine, and a written record of these jobs makes training easier and ensure nothing becomes overlooked or neglected.

Weekly and monthly cleaning jobs are the most ignored unless there’s a written plan for these large projects. Weekly tasks may include cleaning storage racks in walk-in refrigerators, mopping infrequently used areas and washing garbage cans. Monthly sanitation projects might be a little harder to identify, and could be very specific based on the type of food business you operate, but these could include inspecting outdoor areas for pests, cleaning behind equipment and thorough hoof vent cleaning.

Are you a certified food protection manager that utilizes a cleaning and sanitation schedule?