![]() Food safety is everyone’s job – but does everyone in your organization sincerely believe that? They may not if people in different functional roles aren’t held accountable for upholding it. Consider this: If you have only a core team of people focused on food safety, they can become the pesky watchdogs of your business, setting up an adversarial relationship with staff in other functions. Spreading the responsibility around – for example, having someone in marketing take charge of food safety training videos from your CEO, or partnering with HR on an improved food safety rewards and recognition program – can help ensure everyone commits to your food safety culture. ![]() Is your message getting across when it comes to enforcing food safety practices in your restaurant? It may not be. Perhaps you have staff from a different culture who don’t yet have the English-language proficiency to fully understand your training as it is currently delivered. Even staff who don’t face a language barrier at work might have been raised with different views on whether a food is safe when kept unrefrigerated or when it is necessary to wash hands. Tasks that are perceived in different ways are likely to be completed differently as a result. Conducting ongoing training and, just as importantly, taking care to assume nothing about a person’s knowledge, can help you uncover surprising gaps in your food safety culture. ![]() The prospect of a health and safety inspection can cause anxiety for restaurant teams, but it doesn’t have to. In addition to your ongoing training efforts, zeroing in on different parts of your operation on a rotating basis can help you reduce the overwhelm of managing overall food safety while ensuring you’re not overlooking something important. As winter gets closer and the warmth and aromas from your kitchen call pests inside, consider double-checking your food storage practices. Confirm that all items are stored at least six inches off the floor and in proper containers that prevent contamination. Ensure containers are accurately labeled. Store any dangerous chemicals away from food or tools that come into contact with it. Check appliances and food contact surfaces to ensure they are in good condition and free from any food residues that can attract pests. ![]() We’re approaching the time of year when the rise of seasonal viruses can more easily mask some of the pathogens that cause foodborne illness. Doubling down on the food safety training practices that can prevent common foodborne illnesses like norovirus, salmonella and campylobacter may help you prevent larger problems. Washing fruits and vegetables carefully, cooking foods the proper temperature, keeping items left out for serving — such as gravies — at safe temperatures, and frequent hand washing with soap can all help reduce your risk. ![]() More than one-third of work-related injuries happen during people’s first year on the job — and the most insurance claims from first-year workers (53 percent) come from the restaurant industry. That’s according to the 2022 Injury Impact Report from Travelers, which examined 1.5 million workers’ compensation claims over a four-year period. Keep this in mind as you onboard and train new staff, particularly as other important concerns like Covid regulations, food safety and staffing vie for attention in restaurant kitchens. At a time when so many restaurants are stretched for resources, ensure you at least take stock of what basic knowledge and support people need to prevent injury before they begin work. ![]() Every restaurant needs a support system to uphold food safety standards and ensure they don’t go downhill during certain shifts. Recruiting a team of advocates can help you build and strengthen your food safety culture — especially if you manage to win over as advocates any staff who are initially skeptical of the effort. In addition to helping you ensure day-to-day food safety tasks don’t fall through the cracks, your safety squad can take on larger initiatives on a cyclical basis, starting with the problems that pose the biggest risks to the business. ![]() There are almost always warning signs when a product recall is in your future, according to food safety expert Rob Kooijmans. In a recent interview with New Food, he said it’s a common mistake for people in the industry to overlook the signs – but being more vigilant could mean avoiding a food safety incident that harms someone and damages your reputation. Kooijmans said early warning signs include food safety-related complaints and repeated negative feedback from customers about a particular product or batch. When this happens, checking internal food safety protocols is important, as well as monitoring supplier food safety issues, since he said half of all recalls are the result of problems related to the supplier. ![]() At a time when resources are scarce at restaurants, investing in food safety may not feel like a key priority. But the costs of letting it slip can be substantial: According to a study from Johns Hopkins University, the cost of a single foodborne illness outbreak at a quick-service restaurant ranges from $4000-$1.9 million and escalates to between $8,300 and $2.6 million for a fine-dining restaurant. To make sure you apply your resources in ways that make the biggest difference to your business, Steritech advises restaurants use a bell-curve model across their locations, with the high-risk, repeatedly low-performing stores and the low-risk, repeatedly top-performing locations receiving fewer resources than the middle section. While these mid performers may be underestimated, this group is often where operators can identify changes that result in significant, scalable solutions that have a big impact across stores. ![]() It almost sounds counterintuitive in light of how food safety has grown in visibility and importance over the past few years: When it comes to making changes to your food safety program, incremental adjustments are best. In a webinar presented by the National Restaurant Association, Chris Boyles, vice president of food safety at Steritech, said it’s critical to be able to track changes over time to demonstrate how well a restaurant is performing. Each time an operator makes a major change to their food safety program, it’s that much more difficult to track progress over time. Consider quarterly reviews as well as annual verification that the program aligns with business goals. When adjustments are needed, make them individually, on a cyclical basis, and in order of priority so your efforts are easier to track. ![]() At a time when food prices are escalating faster than they have in 40 years, it’s all the more critical to minimize food waste. That includes not just measuring ingredients precisely and using nose-to-tail approaches to food preparation, but also being able to readily monitor the freshness of food and the presence of pathogens. As your kitchen becomes more connected, ensure you have the capability to be alerted promptly to the growth of bacteria or other indicators that your food isn’t as fresh as it could be. Kitchen sensors can now help track these things, and the prompts may be opportunities to not only avoid a food-safety incident, but also to cut costs by adjusting necessary ingredient quantities and take the load off of an already-stretched team. |
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