20 years of food safety tips

Do you know the five steps to correctly clean and sanitize surfaces? Find out with tips, activities and resources during National Food Safety Month.

The National Restaurant Association recently released 20 food safety tips to mark National Food Safety Month, which takes place each September. The campaign aims to heighten awareness about the importance of food safety education.

NRA offers weekly educational activities to help restaurateurs reinforce food safety training on cleaning and sanitizing, cross-contamination, time-temperature control, personal hygiene and allergens. Operators can download free posters, quizzes and customizable promotional material.

The first week’s theme offers tips to safely clean and sanitize equipment and surfaces, including knives, stockpots, cutting boards and prep tables. It also discusses how often they should be cleaned, such as after use, before a food handler begins working with another food, or any time he or she is interrupted during a task.

National Food Safety Month's sponsors are Anheuser-Busch and SCA, parent company of Tork professional hygiene products.

“We work diligently to … help our customers understand the essential role hygiene plays in food safety and [ensuring] healthful environments for our industry’s employees and patrons,” said Suzanne Cohen, marketing director, foodservice, SCA Americas.

“We are proud to be a sponsor of the 20-year anniversary of National Food Safety Month,” said Josh Halpern, vice president, on-premise sales, Anheuser-Busch. “For more than three decades, Anheuser-Busch has been committed to promoting alcohol responsibility and this partnership is an example of our ongoing efforts.”