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.

Certified Food Protection Manager

Debunking a Common Myth: Why a Certified Food Protection Manager Must Treat Organic and Conventional Foods the Same

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Certified Food Protection ManagerAs consumer demand for organic and farm-to-table ingredients continues to grow, many Minnesota restaurants and food producers are adapting their menus. This shift raises a critical question for every Certified Food Protection Manager: Do organic ingredients require different food safety protocols? While agricultural methods for these foods differ, the principles for preventing foodborne illness remain unchanged.

 

The simple answer is that you must handle all food, regardless of its source or label, with the same rigorous safety standards. The risk of contamination doesn’t disappear just because an ingredient is certified organic. From the farm to the fork, the core responsibility of protecting public health is universal. Let’s explore the key areas where you must diligently apply these standards.

The Myth of "Safer" Organic Food

Many people mistakenly believe organic food is inherently safer from pathogens because farmers grow it without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. However, the potential for contamination still exists, and sometimes, it can even present unique challenges. A knowledgeable food manager understands that the “organic” label refers to agricultural practices, not a guarantee of being pathogen free.

  • Natural Fertilizers: Organic farming often uses animal manure as fertilizer. If not properly composted, it can be a significant source of dangerous pathogens like E. coli and Salmonella, which can contaminate produce in the field.

     

  • Environmental Factors: Pathogens exist naturally in the environment. Contaminated irrigation water, contact with wildlife, or improper handling during harvest can introduce harmful bacteria to fruits and vegetables.

     

Raw Animal Products: Just like their conventional counterparts, organic eggs can carry Salmonella, and raw organic poultry can harbor Campylobacter. The animal’s diet does not eliminate these microbiological risks.

Applying Core Protocols: The Role of a Certified Food Protection Manager

Your training as a Certified Food Protection Manager builds upon a foundation of principles that apply to all ingredients. You can take no shortcuts or make exceptions for organic items when upholding Minnesota’s food safety standards. This consistency is crucial for preventing illness and maintaining customer trust.

Key Safety Controls

  • Time and Temperature: You must cook raw organic meats, poultry, and fish to the same federally recommended internal temperatures to destroy pathogens. Likewise, you must hold hot foods hot and cold foods cold, regardless of the ingredients’ origin.

  • Cross-Contamination Prevention: You must clean and sanitize a cutting board used for organic raw chicken just as thoroughly as one used for conventional chicken. Proper handwashing, glove use, and separating raw and ready-to-eat foods are non-negotiable.

  • Washing and Preparation: You must wash all produce, organic or not, thoroughly under running water before cutting, mixing, or serving it. This step is essential to remove soil, surface debris, and potential contaminants picked up during transit.

Diligence in Sourcing and Receiving

food protection manager

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While sourcing from local or small-scale organic farms can be a great way to enhance a menu, it requires an extra layer of diligence. Unlike large distributors, which may have standardized, documented safety procedures, smaller suppliers might require more direct verification. As a manager, you are the final checkpoint for ensuring only safe ingredients enter your kitchen.

  • Vet Your Suppliers: Don’t hesitate to ask farmers about their food safety practices. Inquire about their water sources, harvesting procedures, and the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) they follow. A reputable supplier will be happy to share this information.

  • Inspect Every Delivery: Upon arrival, you must meticulously inspect all ingredients. Check for signs of spoilage, pest damage, and temperature abuse during transport. Trust your training, not just the label on the box.

Ultimately, the role of a certified food protection manager is to be the guardian of food safety for your establishment. That responsibility means you must apply your expertise consistently and without compromise, ensuring every dish you serve is as safe as it is delicious.

For comprehensive training that covers these critical details for you and your team, explore our instructor-led Certified Food Protection Manager options in Minnesota. Visit Safe Food Training now to sign up for a course near you!

Food Safety Managers Identify Approved Food Product Sources

How can Food Safety Managers Identify Approved Food Product Sources?

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Finding suppliers with high-quality ingredients is the first step in keeping your guests safe from foodborne illnesses. In fact, it’s such an important stage in the foodborne illness prevention process, that the Minnesota food code has outlined rules defining exactly what approved food sources look like. The code outlines a few different rules based on the type of ingredient you’re bringing in to your establishment, so let’s take a closer look at how food safety managers can identify approved food sources in the state of Minnesota.

Food Safety Managers Identify Approved Food Product Sources
Image credit: Nick Saltmarsh via flickr

A Breakdown of Approved Product Sources for Food Safety Managers

Food safety managers should source their inventory from approved commercial sources under the jurisdiction of some sort of regulatory control. These sources generally fall into three categories:

  • Local, regional or international growers
  • Food manufacturing plants
  • Food distributors

Most restaurants and other eating establishments use nationally or regionally recognized distributors. As a food safety manager, you can be fairly confident that these distribution services are relying on regulated suppliers to fill their warehouses. However, some confusion can come into play when purchasing ingredients from smaller providers. If you’re dealing with suppliers directly rather than using a major distributor, how can you tell if it’s an approved source?

The Minnesota food code outlines a few special requirements for specific scenarios to be used by food safety managers.

  • Milk products must meet Grade A pasteurized standards.
  • Meat, poultry and game animals must pass USDA or Minnesota Department of Agriculture inspection.
  • Shell eggs must be clean, intact and meet grade B or better standards.
  • Liquid, frozen, dry or other egg products must be pasteurized.
  • Canned or bag sealed product must come from a licensed vendor
  • Molluscan shellfish must originate from a source on the Interstate Certified Shellfish List.
  • Wild mushrooms can only be sourced from a forager who has completed an approved mushroom identification course.

This may seem like a lot of different rules to follow, but with some common sense food safety managers should be able to source any ingredient from an appropriate source. If you’re buying wild game out of the back of a pickup truck, purchasing fish from hobbyist fishermen or sourcing wild mushrooms out of the trunk of a car in a back alley, you may not be getting your ingredients from an approved source.

Don’t be afraid to ask for proof of regulatory standards when purchasing products from smaller suppliers. Many of them will gladly share the appropriate certifications and in many cases make you aware of them on their order sheets or product guides.

Do you source all of your ingredients from approved sources?

ServSafe Food Training On Takeout Orders

Sensational ServSafe Food Training On Takeout Orders

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With the current limits on indoor dining, customers are more apt to order takeout instead of eating out. Takeout orders present different challenges to preserve quality and reduce foodborne illness risk, so it’s important to review ServSafe food training when it comes to these procedures.

ServSafe Food Training On Takeout Orders

ServSafe and Takeout Food Safety Training

With in-house dining, there aren’t as many variables as with takeout. Once your guest is seated in your dining room, they order their meal, food is prepared and served when ready. If your guest isn’t actually in the building at the time of their order, it adds a layer of complexity and can open up the possibility of foodborne illness risks.

The biggest window for foodborne illness risk and a reduction in quality occurs between the time the order is complete and the time the guest receives their order. In order to reduce this risk, it’s important to:

  • Keep food out of the danger zone
  • Reduce interval between the time food is prepared and handed to the customer

After bagging a takeout order, some restaurants are tempted to leave it near the hostess station or takeout counter so it’s on hand as soon as the guest arrives to pick it up. While that may meet minimum ServSafe food training requirements if left for a short period of time, as food cools into the danger zone the risk of bacteria growth increases. It also degrades the quality of the product a guest has ordered. Sauces can separate at room temperature and foods meant to be consumed cold just aren’t as appetizing when warm.

In times where takeout is a popular option, it’s important to devise a system that will keep foods at the appropriate temperature until guests arrive. Here are a ServSafe food training few tips:

  • Arrange specific pickup times
  • Utilize hot-hold storage and refrigerators to keep the product at the proper temperature
  • Assemble dishes involving both hot, cold and room temperature elements close to pick up time

If you take steps to ensure your product is in its best state when they arrive, you’ll give them the next best experience to enjoying their meal in your dining room.

Have you reviewed ServSafe food training procedures concerning takeout orders?

Foolproof Tasks For ServSafe Food Managers That Will Prevent Pests

Foolproof Tasks For ServSafe Food Managers That Will Prevent Pests

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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Pests should be a concern of ServSafe food managers all year round, but we’re in unique times that may draw more pests to your food establishment than normal. Pests like raccoons, rats, mice and even black bears are seeking out new sources of food during cold weather. If you factor in reduced operations at many businesses due to COVID-19 restrictions, retail outlets, food businesses and other industries are producing less waste and less garbage forcing pests to range further and even move indoors to search for food. With the possibility of these pests becoming more aggressive in their quest for a free meal, what should ServSafe food managers do to prevent winter pests out of their establishments?

Tasks For ServSafe Food Managers That Will Prevent Pests
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ServSafe Food manager’s Guide to Preventing Pest Infiltration

When taking preventative measures against pests entering your food preparation facility, evaluate your entrances, dumpsters and outdoor dining areas. If animals are attracted to the exterior of your building, there’s a good chance they’ll be able to find a way inside.

ServSafe food managers should get into the habit of regularly scheduling staff to inspect and clean outside areas to prevent pests. With more outdoor dining due to limited indoor seating capacity, there’s more potential for food to be dropped or spilled. A messy outdoor dining patio will attract pests.

It’s also important to make sure dumpsters and garbage areas are also free from debris. You can also lock your dumpsters after hours to prevent larger urban mammals from rummaging through your trash. If they are unable to find sustenance in your trash, they’ll likely move on.

If you’ve taken care to keep your outside areas clean, it’ll be a helpful deterrent but may not give you total protection against pests entering your facility. ServSafe food managers should design pest prevention procedures to ensure the following happens every day:

  • All interior garbage cans are empty
  • Counters and floors are cleaned and sanitized
  • All unpackaged inventory is stored off of the ground

Even if it’s just inside the kitchen, a full garbage can attract pests such as rodents and insects. Dirty floors and countertops release odors that attract unwanted visitors and become a breeding ground for fruit flies, gnats and other bugs.

Finally, make sure inventory such as produce is stored as far off the ground as possible. Ground level fruits and vegetables can be an open invitation.

Have you taken extra precautions to keep pests out of your food preparation areas?