7 more ways to create a culture of food safety
By Alaina Lancaster on Jul. 06, 2017During Chipotle’s 2015 norovirus outbreak in Boston, 140 Boston College students reported symptoms of the illness. “And the theory is for every person who goes to the infirmary, 50 people probably had it and did not go—that’s what I tell my staff,” says Michael Kann, associate director of food and beverage for the college’s dining services. When news of the outbreak reached the operation, dining services took out their salad bars to prevent the spread of the virus. Without a strong food safety emphasis in the department, Kann and his team might not have been able to act as quickly.
Earlier this summer, FoodService Director asked operators how they prioritize food safety in their operations, and the ideas are still rolling in. Here are seven more strategies to create a culture of food safety.
1. Create internal whistleblowers
The foodservice department at Portland Public Schools flags food safety in its very first interaction with potential hires. Job descriptions inform candidates that they will need to follow all food safety procedures, says Gitta Grether-Sweeney, senior director of nutrition services for the Portland, Ore.-based district.
At Brandon Valley School District in Brandon, S.D., the nutrition team empowers employees to call out unsafe practices. “All employees need to know that if they are questioning the food safety [or] quality of an item, they will be supported 100%,” says Gay Anderson, child nutrition director for the district. “We are a step above whenever we err on the side of caution, and this must be drilled in to all staff who work with food in any way.”
2. Go beyond certifications
Out of 250 Boston College dining services employees, 205 are ServSafe certified. “It gives us the same conversation and gets us all speaking the same language,” Kann says. After becoming certified, workers know to watch out for a guest walking out of the bathroom without washing their hands, so that they can take action and change utensils behind the customer. But Kann pushes food safety beyond ServSafe and beyond employees—even volunteers packaging leftover food at the dining facility have to complete a 30-minute food safety training.
The University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington ServSafe certifies all line chefs and prep cooks. If an employee is struggling with the material, the team swoops in with extra tutoring. But the hospital nutrition services department goes above ServSafe standards to protect its patient population. “I myself do audits for mostly food quality but also take temps and check dates, and the managers do the same usually once a month,” says Alicia Lunde, sous chef at the operation.
3. Remain diligent
The best way to promote the importance of food safety is to lead by example, says Amanda Adams, employment success manager for Purdue University Dining in West Lafayette, Ind. “Leaders must outline the expectations and hold everyone, including themselves, accountable for following the rules,” she says. “If I sneak a sample while I’m walking through the kitchen, or don’t put on a hairnet, I send the message that food safety is not my priority.”
4. Build food safety into development training
For each foodservice position at Northwell Health, a hospital system based in New York, workers must complete certain requirements and are evaluated by their manager. Employees are trained on proper hand-washing and sanitation techniques, and are asked to demonstrate them to move on to the next level.
5. Consider high-tech and tried-and-true
University of Vermont Medical Center installed a temperature tracking system in all refrigerators. An alarm rings when something is out of range, and workers take the temperature of hot food several times during service and cold food every four hours.
Logs are the main way Northwell Health underscores the importance of food safety, says Eric Sieden, director of nutrition and food services. “We even log the temperature of the water in the dish machine to make sure it is following the manufacturer’s guidelines and is hot enough to sanitize,” he says.
6. Relay food safety news
Kann keeps track of local food safety crises and is vigilant after students return from traveling on breaks. He also alerts staff of the high-risk times of year, such as flu season. When a flu spread among Boston’s elementary school children, Kann hand-wrapped all silverware and rung a bell every hour signaling staff to go wash their hands.
7. Look ahead
During high-traffic times, managers might feel like they have less time to devote to food safety discussions. But finding time during meetings or posting educational materials near time clocks ensures that staff have received the information, Adams says. “A topic-of-the-week-style calendar with supporting materials can be preplanned during the nonpeak season, so items are ready to go as the operation gets busy,” she says. “This can be a great project for an intern, new manager or employee looking for a development opportunity.”
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