Cleaning & Sanitizing Practices to prevent cross-contamination, NFSM Wk. 3

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September is National Food Safety Month and the Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA) is covering an aspect each week of this year’s theme, “Be Safe, Don’t Cross-Contaminate.” Week three’s topic is cleaning and sanitizing practices that will prevent cross-contamination.

“No matter how carefully food is cooked, without a clean and sanitized environment, pathogens can be quickly transferred to both cooked and uncooked food,” said Pam St. Pierre, LRA VP of Member Services.

To prevent cross-contamination from surfaces, the correct cleaning and sanitized procedures must be followed. Here’s the 411 on what you need to know to prevent cross-contamination from surface areas:

September is National Food Safety Month. Whether at home
or in a restaurant kitchen, these practices can reduce
food borne illnesses.

Food-contact surfaces must be both cleaned and sanitized correctly. Cleaning means removing food and other direct from a surface, and sanitation reduces pathogens on a surface to safe levels.

• Scrape or remove food bits from surface

• Wash the surface

• Rinse the surface

• Sanitize the surface

• Allow the surface to air-dry

All food-contact surfaces must be cleaned and sanitized after they are used; before food handlers start working with a different type of food; any time food handlers are interrupted during a task and the items being used may have been contaminated; and after four hours if items are in constant use.

During the first week of National Food Safety Month, the focus was on personal hygiene. The second week’s focus was on preventing cross-contamination through hand washing.

The National Restaurant Association and the LRA partner throughout the year to raise awareness of the importance of food safety to the restaurant industry and our diners. Through ServSafe, a nationally-approved and recognized, good standard curriculum for food safety and sanitation, the LRA has trained thousands of restaurant and foodservice employees.

To register for a ServSafe course, click here. Classes are offered across Louisiana.

Prevent Cross-Contamination through Handwashing

September is National Food Safety Month and this year’s theme is one that we can all benefit from, whether you work in a restaurant or prepare meals at home for your family and friends. “Be Safe, Don’t Cross-Contaminate,” focuses on best practices to avoid the spread of pathogens from one food or surface to another.

“Every day our hands touch surfaces covered with pathogens that we cannot see,” said Pam St. Pierre, Louisiana Restaurant Association VP of Member Services. “Even healthy people can spread pathogens and for this reason, handwashing is the most important part of personal hygiene.”

Hands should be washed in a sink designated for handwashing, not in sinks for food prep, dishwashing or utility sinks. The proper steps to wash hands should take about 20 seconds. Here are the five steps to correctly washing your hands.

1.      Wet hands and arms. Use running water as hot as you can comfortably stand. It should be at least 100° F.

2.      Apply soap. Apply enough to build up a good lather.

3.      Scrub hands and arms vigorously. Scrub them for 10 to 15 seconds. Clean under fingernails and between fingers.

4.      Rinse hands and arms thoroughly. Use running warm water.

5.      Dry hands and arms. Use a single-use paper towel or a hand dryer. Consider using a paper towel to turn off the faucet and to open the door when exiting the room.

“While it may seem basic, food handlers must wash their hands correctly and as often as needed to prevent hands from becoming a vehicle for cross-contamination,” added St. Pierre.

Knowing when to wash your hands is also key to reducing cross-contamination. Food handlers must wash their hands before starting work and also after the following activities:

• Using the restroom
• Handling raw meat, poultry and seafood (before and after)
• Touching the hair, face or body
• Sneezing, coughing or using a tissue
• Eating, drinking, smoking or chewing gum or tobacco
• Handling chemicals that might affect food safety
• Taking out garbage
• Clearing tables or busing dirty dishes
• Touching clothing or aprons
• Handling money
• Leaving and returning to the kitchen/prep area
• Handling service animals

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) and the LRA partner year around to raise awareness of the importance of food safety to the restaurant industry and our diners. Through ServSafe, a nationally-approved and recognition, gold standard curriculum for food safety and sanitation, the LRA has trained thousands of restaurant and foodservice employees.

Registration for ServSafe, a food safety and sanitation course, can be done online here. Classes are offered across Louisiana.

Sept. is National Food Safety Month, Wk 1-Personal Hygiene

This year’s National Food Safety Month (NFSM) theme, “Be Safe, Don’t Cross-Contaminate,” focuses on best practices to avoid the spread of pathogens from one food or surface to another. The National Restaurant Association and the Louisiana Restaurant Association have been partnering since 1994, when NFSM was created, to heighten awareness about the importance of food safety education.

“This annual food safety campaign strives to build awareness of Louisiana restaurant and foodservice industry’s commitment to excellence in food safety education and training,” said Pam St. Pierre, LRA VP of Member Services.

Each year, a new theme and free training activities and posters are created for the restaurant and foodservice industry to help reinforce proper food safety practices and procedures. These practices and procedures are based on the NRA’s nationally-recognized ServSafe food safety training and certification program, which is the industry’s gold-standard for such programs. The blog post "Food Safety and Sanitation at the core of LRA benefits," covers in more detail the ServSafe course schedule. requirements and costs offered statewide.

“Food safety is, and always has been, our highest priority,” said St. Pierre. “Restaurants in Louisiana are more than just a place to eat, but are culturally significant in defining who we are as a people. We take food safety education and training very seriously to ensure that our restaurants serve the highest quality meals to guests every day in Louisiana.”

Each week during September, NFSM shares insight on the various components of its theme, “Be Safe, Don’t Cross Contaminate.” Week one covers the topic of Personal Hygiene Practices That Prevent Cross-Contamination.

Good personal hygiene is a key component to preventing cross-contamination and the spread of foodborne illness. Customers expect it as well. Having the correct knowledge and attitude about personal hygiene will put you closer to keeping food safe. Here are some rules you can follow to understand correct personal hygiene.

Correct Hand Care:

• Wash hands correctly and at the correct times.
• Only use hand antiseptics after handwashing, never in place of it.
• Keep fingernails short and clean.
• Infected wounds, cuts or boils on the hands or wrists must be covered with an impermeable cover. A single-use glove should then be worn over the cover. 
• If single-use gloves are worn in your establishment when handling ready-to-eat food, they should be changed when they become dirty or torn; before beginning a different task; after an interruption (such as a phone call); and after handling raw meat, seafood or poultry and before handling ready-to-eat food.

Personal Cleanliness and Work Attire

• Shower or bathe before work.
• Wear a clean hat or other hair restraint when in a food-prep area.
• Do not wear hair accessories that could become physical contaminants.
• Wear clean clothing daily.
• Remove aprons when leaving prep areas and never wipe hands on aprons.
• Remove jewelry (except for plain band rings) from hands and arms before prepping food or when working around prep areas.
• Do not eat, drink, smoke or chew gum or tobacco when prepping or serving food, when working in prep areas, and when working in areas used to clean utensils and equipment.
• Avoid scratching the scalp, running fingers through hair, wiping or touching the nose, rubbing an ear, touching pimples or infected wounds, coughing or sneezing into the hand and spitting inside the operation.

Here are a few suggestions for restaurant operators to further the awareness of food safety and cross contamination during the month of September and year round.

• Conduct a food safety training class for all employees. The LRA offers ServSafe Handler, a two-hour course designed to give front and back of the house staff a primer on the five sections of Basic Food Safety—personal hygiene, cross-contamination and allergens, time and temperature and cleaning and sanitation.
• Ask each head cook or manager to review the weekly activities found here.
• Promote NFSM and your involvement in this national campaign, on your website, blog and social media channels.

Earlier this summer, the NRA provided 5 Food Safety Tips for Summer Grilling which highlighted cross-contamination as a key point to avoid foodborne illnesses. More activities and resources regarding National Food Safety Month can be found here.

 

5 Food Safety Tips for Summer Grilling from the NRA

Food safety is the highest priority of restaurants in Louisiana
and should be equally a priority for home cooks.

From backyard barbeques to picnic cookouts, Americans celebrate summer by eating outdoors. As Americans turn to grilling alfresco, experts at the National Restaurant Association (NRA) offer five food safety tips to ensure safe and memorable summer grilling experiences.

"Temperatures in Louisiana continue to rise and if home cooks don't take the necessary safety precautions, their backyard festivities could turn into a nightmare," said Pam St. Pierre, LRA VP of Member Services. "Food safety is the most important aspect of running a restaurant and should be just as important when feeding family and friends in a home environment."

The Louisiana Restaurant Association provides industry professionals with the education and techniques to ensure that food is properly prepared, stored or cooked to correct temperatures through its ServSafe program. It is believed that most foodborne illnesses actually occur at home, due to improper storage, cross containination, holding practices and not cooking meats to proper temperatures.  

“In professional kitchens, trained staff and multiple safeguards ensure that food safety protocol is followed, but at home it’s easy to let food safety practices be as casual as the food you are cooking on the grill,” said Greg Beachey, senior academic relations and program manager with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. “Food safety is as important in the home as it is in restaurants to ensure safe and enjoyable meals for you and your family and friends. To underscore that importance, we collected tips from our professional food safety training experts and applied them to outdoor grilling at home or picnics.”

The food safety tips recommended by the NRA for grilling at home are:

1.       Wash your hands. Hand-washing is the first defense against cross-contamination - i.e. not spreading germs from one place to another. Wash hands before handling any food, and always after handling raw meats. To wash your hands properly, wet hands/arms with water as hot as you can comfortably stand; add soap; scrub hands/arms for 10 to 15 seconds (the time it takes to slowly recite aloud the “Pledge of Allegiance”); rinse with warm water; and dry hands with a single-use paper towel or hand-dryer, if available.

2.       Pack your cooler correctly. Always keep cold foods cold; use a thermometer to make sure you are maintaining a temperature of 41°F or lower. Pack raw food that you intend to cook (like raw hamburgers) in a separate cooler from food that is already cooked and ready to eat, including beverages and produce. If you use ice in your raw foods cooler, don’t use that ice for anything else.

3.       Prep raw and ready-to-eat foods separately. Use separate cutting boards and other prep surfaces for raw and cooked food to minimize cross-contamination risk. A good way to remember which is which is to use different colored boards, for example red for meats and green for vegetables.

4.       Use separate plates and utensils for raw and cooked foods. After putting raw burgers, chicken breasts or other meats on the grill, switch to clean spatulas, tongs and plates. Using the same utensils and surfaces for uncooked and cooked meats could lead to cross-contamination.

5.       Cook food to safe temperatures. Raw meat and poultry could contain bacteria that can lead to foodborne illness if not properly cooked. Because heat kills bacteria, be sure to cook hamburgers to an internal temperature of 155°F for at least 15 seconds. Chicken and turkey are safe at 165°F, and steaks and chops at 145°F. Always use a meat thermometer and measure the middle of the thickest part of the food.

A how-to video of Beachey, who is also a certified chef and culinary expert for the NRAEF’sProStart program, showing proper execution of these food safety tips is available on the NRA’s YouTubechannel.

Through its ServSafe Food Safety program, the NRA is the leading source of food safety training and certification for restaurant and foodservice industry professionals for nearly 40 years.

Part of the NRA’s continuing efforts to educate the industry and consumers about food safety best practices is its National Food Safety Month campaign, held each September.  This year’s theme is “Be Safe – Don’t Cross-Contaminate,” focusing on how to avoid transferring potential contaminates from one food or surface to another. National Food Safety Month 2012 is sponsored by SCA, a global hygiene company and makers of the Tork® brand of away-from-home paper products.

Delicious nutrition doesn't have to be an oxymoron

Restaurants do their part to offer healthy menus

There was once this popular saying in Louisiana, “If it’s good with a pat of butter, it’s better with a stick of butter.” But with soaring American obesity rates in recent years, that saying isn’t even comically muttered, especially in reference to our rich sauces and our cultural affinity to fry everything from delicious Gulf seafood to cupcakes.

The industry is taking active steps to assist restaurant patrons in making wiser ordering decisions, while still appreciating the need to treat ourselves. While some restaurants don’t always offer a large array of healthy options, we should all take responsibility for what we put in our mouths and how much exercise we partake in each day. Recently, though, restaurants have been doing more.

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) teamed up with Healthy Dining Finder last summer to launch Kids LiveWell—a voluntary program to help parents and children select healthful menu options when dining out. Yesterday at the NRA Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago, President/CEO Dawn Sweeney announced that Kids LiveWell restaurant participation has increased to 25,000 restaurants, up from 15,000 in July 2011; a 40 percent increase.

“Participation in the Kids LiveWell program has exploded in a short period of time, with restaurant companies from across the industry eager to showcase their healthful choices,” said Sweeney. “As a result, parents are finding a growing selection of healthful children’s menu options of fruit and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and low-fat dairy products.”

With more than 96 restaurant brands now taking part in Kids LiveWell, many of those have locations in Louisiana such as Chick-fil-A, Applebee’s, Sonic, Burger King, Chili’s, IHOP, Cracker Barrel and Outback Steakhouse.

“We are working to increase Kids LiveWell participation by our independent restaurants to help further their marketing efforts and increase traffic from diners looking for healthy menu offerings,” said Pam St. Pierre, Louisiana Restaurant Association VP of Member Services. “As a mother of three, I consider the healthfulness of everything my children eat. When we dine out at a restaurant, it’s important to me that they have healthy options.”