ServSafe

1. ServSafe 1. Providing Safe Food

2. Foodborne Illness at a Cafe Dozens of people became sick at a small cafe. Customers who ate the cafe’s famous Baked Potato Salad called to complain of nausea and vomiting. These calls began within two days of eating the dish. They eventually also experienced double vision and difficulty in speaking and swallowing. The local regulatory authorities investigated. They found that the baked potatoes in the salad were the source of the outbreak. The potatoes had been wrapped in aluminum foil when they were baked. Then they were left on a prep table overnight to cool. Ultimately, the potatoes were left at room temperature almost 18 hours before they were used in the salad. Bacteria on the potatoes had the correct conditions for growth. These conditions included time, temperature, and a lack of oxygen provided by the potatoes’ foil wrapping.

3. Foodborne Illness • aka…FBI • definition: a disease transmitted to people by food

4. When is foodborne illness considered an OUTBREAK? • Two or more people have the same symptoms after eating the same food • An investigation is conducted by state and local regulatory authorities • The outbreak is confirmed by a laboratory analysis

5. Each year, MILLIONS of people get sick from unsafe food! • Foodservice operations work hard to minimize FBI. • Instances of FBI has declined in recent years. • However, operations still face many challenges to food safety.

6. Challenges to keeping food safe… • Time • Language and Culture • Literacy and Education • Pathogens • Unapproved Suppliers • High-risk customers • Staff turnover

7. Time • Pressure to work quickly can make it hard to take the time to follow food safety practices

8. Language and Culture • Your staff may speak a different language than you do. This can make it difficult to communicate. Cultural differences can also influence how food handlers view food safety.

9. Literacy and Education • Staff often have different levels of education. This makes it more challenging to teach them food safety. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4ZXRlcoEW8

10. Pathogens • Illness-causing microorganisms are more frequently found on types of food that once were considered safe.

11. Unapproved Suppliers • Food that is received from suppliers that are not practicing food safety can cause a foodborne-illness outbreak.

12. High-risk customers • The number of customers at high risk for getting a foodborne illness is increasing. An example of this is the growing elderly population.

13. Staff Turnover • Training new staff leaves less time for food safety training.

14. The COST of Foodborne Illness… • FBI’s cost the United States billions of dollars each year. National Restaurant Association figures show that just one FBI outbreak can cost an operation thousands of dollars. It can even result in closure.

15. Costs of FBI to an Operation • Loss of Customers and Sales • Negative Media Exposure • Lawsuits and Legal Fees • Increased Insurance Premiums • Loss of Reputation • Lowered Staff Morale • Staff Missing Work • Staff Retraining

16. Victims of FBI may experience… • Lost Work • Medical costs and Long-term disability • Death

17. How does FBI occur??? • Unsafe food is usually the result of CONTAMINATION. • CONTAMINATION is the presence of harmful substances in food. • To prevent FBI, you must recognize the contaminants that can make food unsafe. These can come from pathogens, chemicals, or physical objects. They might also come from certain unsafe practices in your operation.

18. Contaminants are divided into 3 categories: • Biological • Chemical • Physical

19. Biological • Pathogens are the greatest threat to food safety. They include certain viruses, parasites, fungi, and bacteria. Some plants, mushrooms, and seafood that carry harmful toxins (poisons) are also included in this group. • Biological contaminants are responsible for the most FBI’s.

20. Chemical • Foodservice chemicals can contaminate food if they are used incorrectly. Chemical contaminants can include cleaners, sanitizers, and polishes.

21. Physical • Foreign objects such as metal shavings, staples, and bandages can get into food. So can glass, dirt, and even bag ties. Naturally occurring objects, such as fish bones in fillets, are another example.

22. 5 most common food handling mistakes • Purchasing food from unsafe sources • Failing to cook food correctly • Holding food at incorrect temperatures • Using contaminated equipment • Practicing poor personal hygiene

23. Time-Temperature Abuse • Definition: When food has stayed too long at temperatures that are good for the growth of pathogens • FBI can result if food is time-temperature abused • food is not held or stored at the correct temperature • food is not cooked or reheated enough to kill pathogens • food is not cooled correctly

24. Cross-contamination • Definition: Pathogens can be transferred from one surface or food to another. • This can cause a FBI in many ways: • contaminated ingredients are added to food that receives no further cooking • ready-to-eat food touches contaminated surfaces • contaminated food touches or drips fluids onto cooked or ready-to-eat food • a food handler touches contaminated food and then touches ready-to-eat food • contaminated cleaning cloths touch food-contact surfaces

25. Poor personal hygiene • Definition: When food handlers cause an FBI by doing any of the following: • fail to wash their hands correctly after using the restroom • cough or sneeze on food • touch or scratch wounds and then touch food • work while sick

26. Poor Cleaning and Sanitizing • Definition: Pathogens can be spread to food if equipment has not been cleaned and sanitized correctly between uses. • equipment and utensils are not washed, rinsed, and sanitized between uses • food-contact surfaces are wiped clean rather than being washed, rinsed, and sanitized • wiping cloths are not stored in a sanitizer solution between uses • sanitizing solutions are not at the required levels to sanitize objects

27. TCS food • definition: food requiring time and temperature control for safety. • Pathogens grow well in certain foods. Time and Temperature Control are needed to limit this growth

28. Examples of TCS foods: • Milk and dairy products • Meat: beef, pork, and lamb • fish/shellfish & crustaceans • baked potatoes • tofu & other soy protein • sliced melons/cut tomatoes/cut leafy greens • shell eggs • poultry • heat treated plant food such as cooked rice, beans, and vegetables • sprouts and sprout seeds • untreated garlic and oil mixtures

29. Ready-to-eat food • definition: food that can be eaten without further preparation, washing, or cooking • examples: cooked food, washed fruit and veggies (whole and cut), deli meat, bakery items, sugar, spices, and seasonings

30. Populations at High Risk for FBI • Elderly People - people’s immune systems weaken with age • Preschool-age children - very young children have not built up strong immune systems • Pregnant Women • People with compromised immune systems - people with cancer or on chemotherapy, people with HIV/AIDS, transplant recipients, people taking certain medications

31. QUICK QUIZ! • Identify the 5 most common causes of FBI… • purchasing food from unsafe sources • allowing pests to enter the operation • failing to cook food correctly • failing to rotate food during storage • using contaminated equipment • holding food at incorrect temperatures • practicing poor personal hygiene • failing to store dry food correctly

32. QUICK QUIZ • Which of the following food items needs time and temperature control to keep them safe? • chopped lettuce • sliced watermelon • dry rice • flour • cooked carrots • cheese

33. How to keep food safe… • control time and temperature • prevent cross-contamination • practice personal hygiene • purchase from approved, reputable suppliers • cleaning and sanitizing

34. Food Safety Responsibilities of a Manager • The FDA recommends that regulatory authorities hold the person in charge of a foodservice operation responsible for ensuring that food safety measures are met.

35. Training and Monitoring • Staff should be trained when they are first hired, and on an ongoing basis. • The entire staff needs general food safety knowledge. • Staff need to be retrained in food safety regularly. • Once staff are trained, monitor them to make sure they are following procedures.

36. What went wrong??? Jerry was not happy because he was working by himself. He coworker had called in sick and they were expecting their regular Wednesday night group of softball players. Jerry was not feeling too well himself, and on top of this, the large group cancelled at the last minute. Unfortunately, Jerry had already started cooking a dozen burgers on the grill. Jerry finished cooking the hamburger patties until they were well-done, and then he put them in a pan on the counter. “Maybe someone will order a burger later,” he thought. Because there were no customers yet, he made a quick run to the restroom. When he finished, he wiped his hands on his apron, combed his hair, and headed back to the kitchen. Twenty minutes later, Jerry got his first customers of the evening. They were an elderly man and his four-year-old granddaughter. Jerry was happy when they ordered a burger to share. “Cook it medium,” the man said. It looked like the premade burgers would stay on the counter for a while. Jerry went back to the kitchen and put a fresh patty on the grill. Then he wiped off the cutting board he had used earlier for prepping raw chicken. He sliced the tomatoes and the onion. When the burger just passed medium-rare, he plated it up. When Jerry delivered the food, the little girl asked for a glass of water. Jerry grabbed a glass and used it to scoop some ice. But, the glass broke. Jerry carefully picked the broken glass out of the ice machine. Then he got the girl a fresh glass for the ice water.