Tag: Minnesota food code

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Scary Simple Front Of House Food Safety Precautions

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.

Front Of House Food Safety Precautions
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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?

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Simple “Time As Public Health Control” Tips For CFPMs

Simple Time As Public Health Control Tips For CFPMs

Some events and food service situations may not benefit from instant service or hot and cold held buffet lines, so the Minnesota food code has procedures that allow certified food protection managers to utilize time as public health control (TPHC) to help you keep the food you serve safe, even if you aren’t serving it instantly. Let’s take a moment to review exactly how Certified Food Protection Managers can use TPHC in certain situations.

Buffet use of Time As Public Health Control Tips For certified Food Protection Managers
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How Certified Food Protection Managers Can Best Use TPHC

Just a quick note before we begin. If you are the certified food protection manager at a facility that serves an immunocompromised or susceptible population, it’s best not to utilize time as a public health control. Assisted living facilities, hospitals, certain school and other outlets that serve a susceptible population should rely on hot and cold holding temperature control. TPHC is technically allowed for food that does not include eggs in some of these situations, but caution may be the best course of action.

The rules behind TPHC control are rather simple, but there are a few steps you must take when using this method. The basics of TPHC are:

  • Hot foods above 135 degrees can be held for four hours after removed from temperature control
  • Cold foods below 41 degrees can be held for four hours after removed from temperature control
  • Cold foods can be held for six hours after being removed from temperature control if the monitored temperature never rises over 70 degrees

Just to summarize time as public health control for CFPM use, any foods pulled out of hot holding above 135 degrees or cold storage below 41 degrees can be held for four hours without hot holding or cold holding. Cold foods can be held up to six hours if temperatures are monitored closely.

Once the holding process begins, it cannot be extended by reheating or chilling items. Once these items have been removed from a temperature controlled environment, your timer starts and cannot be paused or extended by any means. As soon as your four, or six, hours have expired all food must be discarded. It cannot be stored, reheated or served at a later time under any circumstances.

Finally, make sure that you have written TPHC procedures outlined and available should a health inspector wish to review them. It’s also important that every staff member understands the restrictions of TPHC before service begins.

Does your certified food protection manager utilize time as public health control?

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How ServSafe Food Managers Can Thaw Frozen Foods Safely and Preserve Quality

How ServSafe Food Managers Thaw Frozen Foods

As the year wears on into winter, ServSafe food managers are often forced to bring in frozen product that is no longer freshly available, and considering the reduction of business due to COVID-19 restaurant restrictions, many restaurants are relying on frozen ingredients to keep costs down and reduce waste. If you’re finding yourself thawing more product than normal, it may be time for a quick review for ServSafe Food Managers on methods to thaw frozen foods properly to reduce foodborne-illness risks and preserve quality.

How ServSafe Food Managers Can Thaw Frozen Foods Safely and Preserve Quality
Image credit: kropekk pl from Pixabay

ServSafe Food Manager Guide to Thawing Foods

According to the Minnesota Food Code there are several ways to safely thaw frozen product:

  • Under Refrigeration
  • Submerged Under Running Water
  • As Part of the Cooking Process
  • In a Microwave

All four of these methods have their merits and drawbacks, so ServSafe food managers should consider the types of foods they are thawing before choosing a method in order to maintain food quality. No matter which method you choose, be aware that Minnesota food safety standards do not allow for product to be stored at over 41 degrees for more than four hours.

Thawing frozen product under refrigeration is probably the best way to thaw product safely and ensure that it will maintain its quality, especially when you’re thawing large items. Whole fish, roasts and other large items will take considerably time to thaw, and since your refrigeration units are kept below 41 degrees you don’t have to be concerned about the four hour window.

If you need product sooner, you can thaw under cold running water. If you choose this method, be sure to seal your frozen product in some way. A large water bath can spread pathogens and damage sensitive ingredients such as seafood. The last thing a guest will want to see is a jumbled pile of mush on their plate.

If you’ve frozen casseroles or soups, they can be cooked from frozen as long as they reach servable temperature in as short amount of time as possible.

While it’s acceptable from a food safety standpoint to use the digital chef to thaw product, a microwave really should be the last resort. With the exception of product designed to be cooked from frozen in the microwave, you’ll notice a steep decline in quality when thawing in the microwave versus other options. If you do thaw product in the microwave, it must be cooked immediately following the thawing process.

Are you a ServSafe food manager relying on frozen product during the winter months?

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Steps to Becoming a Certified Food Protection Manager

Becoming Certified Food Protection Manager

According to the Minnesota Food Code, all facilities that prepare food for the public must employ a certified food protection manager (CFPM). The role of any CFPM in Minnesota is to ensure that all food is being stored, prepared and served in a safe manner. They are required to train staff, inspect their facility for safety hazards and correct procedures as necessary to keep food safe. How does one become a certified food protection manager? This week, we’ll clearly outline all the steps for becoming a Certified Food Protection Manager in Minnesota.

Becoming Minnesota Certified Food Protection Manager Registration

The first step to becoming a CFPM in Minnesota is taking a qualifying food safety course and passing the exam. There are a few ways this can be done:

  • Instructor-led training
  • Online courses
  • Group training at your facility
  • Customized classes

There are benefits to each of these options, and there’s enough flexibility to choose which course works best for you and your business. Instructor-led training offers the opportunity to delve deeper into food safety topics and ask questions, while online food safety certification courses can be taken at your leisure. If the standard training at an offsite location isn’t convenient, and you’d prefer a real-life food safety expert over an online course, Safe Food Training can come to you and offer group training or customized training that fits your specific needs.

So you’ve passed your food safety training course exam. Congratulations! Does that mean you’re ready to go and officially a Minnesota CFPM? Not quite yet. Just passing the exam doesn’t officially make you a certified food protection manager in Minnesota. There’s one more step, and fortunately it’s an easy one. After passing your food safety certification exam, you must fill out an application in order to register with the state.

To find information concerning current fees and the appropriate mailing address to submit an application, the Minnesota Department of Health CFPM website will have the most up-to-date information.

Do you need assistance with training options? At Safe Food Training, we can provide the perfect food safety training course for your needs.