Operations Professional Pathways
Executive Update
Food Safety Is Everyone’s Job Keeping food safe is an evolving science. Specialists are constantly on the lookout for new pathogens, and new meth- ods for fighting them. And foodservice operators are always working to keep up with any changes. For instance, in 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a food safety “blueprint.” In it, they stress several new points: The FDA is now taking a more proactive stance on the how of food safety – the processes, technology, and tools that the foodservice industry should adopt to modernize its approach to keeping consumers (and employees) safe . . . the blueprint will help operators prioritize where to put even more energy and focus in terms of better-enabling employees to practice proper food safety, automating different aspects of operations, digital tools for audits and oversight of stores, and much more 1 However, the traditional protocols still hold, and foodservice operators must remain focused on these reliable practices if they want to maintain a safe food environment. Time-tested Conventions One time, I heard a member of the military say that food safety could be summarized as, “Keep it hot. Keep it cold. Keep it mostly covered up.” These may all be valid points, but there is definitely more to food safety than this. Here are five key actualities to keep in mind: 1. Food safety spans more than the kitchen. Actually, food safety starts with the purchasing and receiving processes. Food must originate from a safe source, not from anywhere substandard. Your entire facility must play a role in food safety, as well, including functioning plumbing, well-covered lights, and impervious walls and doors that keep pests out. 2. Health inspectors can be your friend. A thorough inspec- tion can highlight problems that everyone should be aware of. After all, everybody must contribute to good food safety practices, inside your department, and out. Consider the role of the custodian who always forgets to close the dumpster lid. 3. It’s vital to have your food safety process documented. Written plans can rescue you in times of trouble. They’re also an excellent training and reference tool. For instance, suppose a health inspector finds an employee washing their hands while wearing their gloves. You can pull out your safety manual and use it to train the staff member in proper procedures. What if a food safety story hits the media? You’re sure to hear from the Superintendent, worried parents, or the local TV
station to see how you’re going to respond to the issue. With a safety document on-hand, you can consistently answer any questions people may pose. 4. Ensure your thermometers are always well-calibrated. Make it a habit to adjust electronic thermometers often, following the manufacturer’s directions. Appoint someone to calibrate the manual thermometers, too, or have staff send the inaccurate ones to you. Keep a good supply of calibrated manual thermometers on hand. 5. Remember that time is as important as temperature. Documenting when food is being sent, or received at a remote location is imperative to maintaining food safety. Perhaps you have to send ready-to-serve food to a school cafeteria that doesn’t have an oven, or to a summer feeding site in a park, or to a charter school that is operating in a mall. For example, you may have to send a pan of chicken nuggets to a school that has no oven. It leaves the preparation kitchen at 10:00 a.m., at a temperature of 165 degrees. It arrives at the receiving location at 10:30 a.m., at a temperature of 150 degrees. What happens if the health department shows up at that location at 12:10 p.m., and the chicken nuggets are down to 110 degrees? This is when time and temperature documen- tation helps you to prove the food is still safe to serve. In its food safety blueprint, the FDA talks about creating a shared food safety culture. Taking steps like those described above can reinforce the message that safety is everyone’s job. An organization’s food safety is more than just the work that is done to keep food safe; it’s about education at all levels of the company about food safety and understand- ing the importance of it, and communicating (internally and externally) a common approach and how that translates into daily work. 2 1 Pete Schott, “What the New FDA Food Safety Blueprint Means for Foodservice Operations,” Zenput, July 22, 2020. www.zenput.com/blog/what-the-new-fda-food-safety-blueprint-means-for-foodservice- operations Accessed: July 18, 2022. 2 Ibid.
Five Steps You Can Take Together By Sally Spero, SNS, School Foodservice Consultant
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Sally Spero has been in the school foodservice business for more than twenty years. Formerly Child Nutrition Direc- tor for Lakeside Union School District, in California, Sally is now a consultant to the school foodservice industry, and to Carroll Services. She contributes to the quarterly CN Executive Update ® on a regular basis.
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