In recent months, E. coli contamination has been responsible for dozens of serious illnesses – and that’s in romaine lettuce alone. Could your menu choices help minimize your chances of purchasing contaminated produce? Every year, the Environmental Working Group releases updated lists of the produce most commonly exposed to pesticides and other chemicals, along with produce that has tested to be the cleanest. Food News reports that these items made this year’s Clean 15 fruits and vegetables: avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, frozen sweet peas, onions, papayas, eggplants, asparagus, kiwis, cabbages, cauliflower, cantaloupes, broccoli, mushrooms and honeydew melons. Can any of these ingredients be substituted for others on your menu?
Temperature is one of the most important factors that lead to bacteria growth in food – and using a calibrated food thermometer to take the temperature of the food you serve is the only safe way to know if it is cooked to a safe temperature. When taking the temperature of meat or poultry, Statefoodsafety.com advises you place the thermometer in the thickest part of the protein but not next to a bone. If the food is even in thickness, check the temperature in several different places. If the food is a soup or other liquid, stir it before taking the temperature in the center of the food.
Does your restaurant buy pre-washed produce? Remember that it still must be washed under running water during preparation. Steritech also advises that bacteria can be transferred from the surface of produce to its flesh when cut, so be sure to make sure your fruit and vegetables are washed thoroughly in running water prior to cutting them.
How confident are you in your restaurant’s food allergy management? According to a recent study of 500 hospitality workers by the software provider Fourth, one in six respondents claimed they had not received regular training or updates with regard to managing guest allergies, Big Hospitality reports. Further, among 1,000 consumers also polled as part of the survey, 36 percent of respondents said their last restaurant meals contained ingredients not listed on the menu. The survey was conducted as a prelude to the 2021 implementation of Natasha’s Law, which will require packaged foods sold on-site at restaurants in the UK to be labeled with a full list of the ingredients they contain. (It was passed after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died after eating a Pret a Manger sandwich that didn’t list an allergen it contained.) While the law will initially apply only to businesses in England, it offers some lessons on how businesses everywhere must change following a food allergy incident: Pret a Manger has overhauled its food allergy program and renovated its facilities in the wake of Ednan-Laperouse’s death.
If you’re a franchisee and are found to have health and safety violations in your restaurant, you could be facing challenges from more than just your health inspector. When a Dunkin’ in east Boston with a series of health code violations was closed temporarily in recent weeks after a customer captured and shared video of mice scurrying around the store, its parent company filed suit against the franchisor to ensure it could not ever reopen under the Dunkin’ name.
If turkey, ham, roast or other animal protein is on your menu over the holidays, now is a good time to make certain your food thermometers are giving you accurate readings. HACCP Mentor advises using either the boiling water method or the ice water slurry method to check your thermometers. A thermometer in boiling water should read 212˚F (at altitudes below 1000 feet) and a thermometer in an ice slurry should read 32˚F, with a two-degree margin of error. If you aren’t already calibrating your thermometers daily, remember to do so before using a new one, after dropping it, or if you use it for testing both very hot and very cold foods.
Planning on serving turkey at your holiday gatherings? Make sure your kitchen staff doesn’t wash the turkey during preparation. As the Safe Plates Food Safety Information Center reports, washing a turkey in the sink can spread harmful bacteria like Salmonella and Campylobacter up to three feet away. To prevent the spread of bacteria, clean and sanitize any utensils and surfaces used during preparation, wash hands before and after handling raw turkey, and cook it to a temperature of 165˚F.
A little spice is nice – but not when it creates a food safety hazard in your restaurant. Remember that spices can pose a Salmonella risk: An FDA study of 20,000 samples of imported spices found that about 7 percent of them were contaminated with Salmonella. Ground and cracked spices were slightly more likely to be contaminated than whole spices. It doesn’t take much of the contaminated spice to cause illness, but heat can prevent it from being a threat. Theodore Labuza, a food safety expert quoted in an NPR report about the topic, says he no longer sprinkles rosemary on his salads for this reason, instead saving spices for cooked foods.
Will a turkey, roast or ham be the focal point of your holiday table? Your eye won’t be able to tell if it is cooked to perfection or if it could pose a safety threat to your guests, so put your trust in your food thermometer. According to the USDA, a turkey is cooked when the innermost part of the thigh and wing, as well as the thickest part of the breast, reach a minimum internal temperature of 165˚F. Beef, whether a roast, tenderloin or steak, must reach an internal temperature of 145˚F and be allowed to rest for at least three minutes after cooking. Fresh or smoked ham must be cooked to an internal temperature of 145˚F and allowed to rest for at least three minutes, while pre-cooked, reheated ham should reach an internal temperature of 165˚F.
When you receive food deliveries, does your staff know how to spot red flags that can indicate problems with the storage of foods before they were delivered? As Statefoodsafety.com advises, frozen foods should arrive frozen, and without any visible liquids, frozen liquids or ice crystals, which indicate prior thawing. Refrigerated foods should arrive under 41˚F, with the exception of eggs, which can be received when the air surrounding the eggs is 45˚F or lower. Hot foods should arrive at 135˚F or higher. To test the temperature of flat foods like bacon, place the thermometer between packages. Before you test the temperature of a new food item, clean and sanitize your food thermometer to ensure you get an accurate reading.
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