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Ecolab's vice president of food safety and public health, Ruth L. Petran, Ph.D., discusses how to apply best practices to create a food safety-oriented culture.
This fall the foodservice industry lost one of its most talented design consultants when Reggie Daniel passed away. Like so many other foodservice professionals we lost more than a colleague. We had to say goodbye to a dear friend.
This was a special year for the Dealer of the Year and Industry Awards Gala for several reasons. I hope that you will take a few moments to review the pictures and video. For those who were there, I hope that the pictures provide a happy reminder of a memorable evening in Chicago. For the vast majority who were unable to attend, I hope that you will recognize some industry friends and perhaps a few larger-than-life characters who have left an indelible mark on the equipment and supplies industry.
After four years in the Army, Tim Lochel joined the National Guard in 1998 to pursue a civilian career. At the time, he wasn’t sure where he’d land. Lochel was soon hired by a company as an apprentice to learn foodservice equipment repair, which allowed him to utilize his mechanical skills.
Home meal delivery companies, or home meal kits as they’re sometimes called, continue to enjoy ongoing success as busy consumers — particularly busy working Millennials — look for great tasting, chef-inspired, healthy and fresh home meals they can receive and prepare in a flash.
For foodservice operators like me, labor is not getting cheaper. Whether it's healthcare or overtime or even a higher minimum wage, all of these factors are prevelant for today's operators. As foodservice operators, we have to find a way to fight the battle of increased labor costs, and one impactful way of doing that is to limit turnover and improve staff performance.
Fires in eating and drinking establishments in the U.S. cause injuries, deaths and millions of dollars of property damage every year, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Recognize National Fire Prevention Day — Oct. 9 — by making fire prevention strategies top of mind for kitchen managers and chefs.
Potbelly Sandwich Shop got its start in 1977 as an antique shop in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. In an attempt to boost their business, the couple who owned the shop decided to start serving lunch to their curious, collecting customers. Simple sandwiches served in such a unique atmosphere resulted in lines reaching out the door and around the corner. In 1996, Bryant Keil bought the original store and since then the restaurant chain has grown to more than 400 locations throughout the country. And just last year, Potbelly opened a location in the United Kingdom.
Food safety expert Francine L. Shaw outlines key tips to avoiding contamination.
By Francine L. Shaw
Now that we’re into the fall season, school is in full swing, the weather is getting cooler, and people are spending more time indoors, which means norovirus “season” is beginning. Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Norovirus is a common and contagious virus that can spread widely very rapidly.
The CDC estimates that each year norovirus causes:
- 19 - 21 million illnesses
- 56,000 - 71,000 hospitalizations
- 570 - 800 deaths
- Do not allow ill employees to work at all – and especially don’t allow them to work around food preparation areas. Avoid preparing food for others while you’re sick and for at least 48 hours after symptoms stop.
- Clean and sanitize kitchen utensils, counters, and surfaces routinely.
- Keep virucidal chemicals on hand to clean and sanitize high-touch areas frequently.
- Develop, implement, and monitor stringent handwashing policies for all employees.
- Ensure that all employees wash their hands carefully and often with soap and water (100 degrees F).
- Use “no-touch” paper towel dispensers in all restrooms.
- Place hand-washing job aids in both public and team member restrooms.
- Enforce a strict “gloving” policy for all food preparation. Ensure that gloves are changed frequently and hands are washed before putting on gloves and in between changes.
- Rinse fruits and vegetables before preparing or serving.
- Cook shellfish thoroughly.
- Use different colored cloths for cleaning restrooms and foodservice areas of facilities.
- Wash table linens, napkins, and other laundry thoroughly.
- Create an ongoing food safety training program for your team at all levels.
- Develop and implement procedures for employees to follow when responding to vomiting or diarrheal events that involve the discharge of vomitus or fecal matter onto surfaces in the food establishment, as suggested in the 2013 FDA Food Code.
The most common symptoms of norovirus are explosive diarrhea, projectile vomiting, nausea and stomach pain. Sometimes people experience fever, headache and body aches. If you have norovirus, you can feel extremely ill and throw up or have diarrhea many times a day. In some situations, the ramifications are even more severe. A norovirus infection can become quite serious in children, the elderly and immune-compromised individuals. Sometimes severe dehydration, malnutrition, and even death can result from a norovirus infection.
Anyone can get infected with norovirus and it’s possible to get it more than once. According to studies, it is estimated that the average person will get norovirus several times during their lifetime. So far this year, hundreds of cases of norovirus have been reported everywhere from college and university campuses to a Cuban cruise and the Republican National Convention – no one is exempt.
Norovirus is a huge threat within the hospitality industry. According to the CDC, the majority of norovirus outbreaks occur in foodservice settings, and 70 percent of infected workers cause 70 percent of those outbreaks. Multiple studies over the past few years indicate that people go to work in the food service industry even when they are sick.
Food safety isn’t simply a restaurant issue; it’s a critical issue for the entire food service industry, including restaurants, schools, colleges, contract services, convenience stores, hotels, manufacturing and production facilities, medical facilities, retirement homes, retail locations, etc. Bottom line – if you grow, sell, serve, or make food in any capacity, you must be vigilant about food safety. Training and following proper protocols are essential to keep consumers safe.
At Food Safety Training Solutions Inc., we offer foodservice professionals these tips to avoid norovirus:
A well-trained management, staff, and crew is imperative in creating a food safety culture. These values must be established and modeled at the executive level. If the executives aren’t championing for food safety, it’s a major problem for that company and their customers. Ongoing training and education is vitally important to prevent norovirus – as well as other foodborne illnesses – and the terrible repercussions that occur after an outbreak. So ensure that all staff, in all roles within the organization, always follow proper food safety protocols.
About the author
Francine L. Shaw is President of Food Safety Training Solutions Inc., which offers a robust roster of services, including food safety training, food safety inspections, norovirus policies for employees, norovirus clean-up procedures, responsible alcohol service training and more. The Food Safety Training Solutions team has more than 100 combined years of industry experience in restaurants, casinos and convenience stores. The company has helped numerous clients, including McDonald’s, Papa John’s, Subway, Marriott, Domino’s, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America, Dairy Queen, and Omni Hotel and Resorts prevent foodborne illnesses. Additionally, they work with restaurants of all sizes, schools, medical facilities, convenience stores, hotels and casinos. Francine has been featured as a food safety expert in numerous media outlets, including the Dr. Oz Show, the Huffington Post and Food Management Magazine.
Founded in 1995 in Homewood, Ala., Zoës Kitchen is a fast-casual restaurant group serving made-from-scratch, Mediterranean-inspired dishes. As CEO, Kevin Miles has led Zoës Kitchen through an accelerated expansion plan since 2009, growing to more than 180 locations in 19 states across the U.S. today. Miles was recently honored with Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 Retail Award for the Southwest Region for his commitment to excellence and success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to the company and communities. Miles was selected as the award recipient by a panel of independent judges.
Hand-washing continues to rapidly move from a tiring and trivial irritation to an existential threat. One restaurant operator faced a federal grand jury subpoena last year as part of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration criminal investigation regarding a major norovirus outbreak at the chain’s Simi Valley, Calif., store. The operator was accused of not having adequate control systems in place.
Today' campus dining directors have a lot on their plates meeting the changing and sometimes conflicting demands of students, parents, employees and the like.
Vitality Bowls is a self-described superfoods café. The acai berry serves as the star ingredient for a menu that includes bowls, smoothies, juices, Paninis, salads and soups that staff make to order. Uriah Blum, the chain’s vice president of operations, describes Vitality Bowls’ service style as a cross between fast-casual and quick service, given the high-touch approach and the speed with which customers move through the line. Here, Blum discusses the chain’s approach to food safety, sustainability and more.
This past spring I wrapped up my freshman year of college. The editor of FE&S, who happens to be my uncle, asked me to share my thoughts and experiences about the foodservice program.
September is a time of transition in many ways: for businesses it’s time to budget and plan for the new year, for families it’s time to go back to school because summer holidays have come to an end.
A Q&A with Sophie Egan, director of programs and culinary nutrition for the strategic initiatives group, The Culinary Institute of America.
September is National Food Safety Month, so the time seemed right for a discussion with Jay Lerdal, product manager of the National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe program.
Welcome to FE&S’ annual college and university issue. Looking back at last year’s coverage, it was all about Generation Y/Millennials and the impact this demographic was having on the market. This year it’s all about Generation Z.
