Create a Culture of Food Safety

What is a Culture of Food Safety? The term culture means "a way of life". A Culture of Food Safety is when an organization or establishment has worked hard to create a positive environment centered around the importance of food safety for all staff. The organization and establishment focus on key food safety values and make food safety practices a part of everyone's daily work routine.

Working with food that is being served to the public is serious business. Food needs to be served to the public safety, so a foodborne illness does not occur. Whether you work in a busy restaurant or for a non-profit organization that is holding a food event for the public, the safety of the food being made and served to the public should always be at the forefront of everyone's mind to prevent the risk of foodborne illness.

To ensure the food being served to the public is safe, teach those working in and around the food about risks associated with the food, and why managing those risks is important.

Educate staff on the 5 common risk factors for foodborne illness. Train staff to utilize food safety controls.

5 Risk Factors for Foodborne Illness

1. Purchasing food from unsafe sources.

Buying your raw ingredients and food products for your facility from an unsafe source can put the safety of the food and the public's health in jeopardy. *Note: Food prepared and cooked in private personal kitchens/homes is not a safe, reputable source.  Food should be purchased from reputable safe sources that follow state and federal food safety regulations and are inspected or audited.

2. Failing to cook food correctly.

Teach staff to cook and reheat food to the correct internal temperature so it is safe to serve and consume.  Supplying staff with the right temperature monitoring tools and providing temperature monitoring documentation so staff and cooks can monitor and verify the temperature of food when cooking and reheating food is essential.

3. Holding food at incorrect temperatures.

Hold food in self-service areas at correct temperatures outside of the Temperature Danger Zone so it does not become time-temperature abused. Keep cold food cold, 41°F or lower, and hot food hot, 135°F or hotter.

4. Using contaminated equipment.

Be sure to wash, rinse, and sanitize equipment, utensils, and food-contact surfaces between uses to prevent cross-contamination - the transfer of contaminants from one surface or food to another. Make sure cleaning and sanitizing solutions are prepared correctly so they are effective.

5. Practicing poor personal hygiene.

Teach staff to follow good personal hygiene practices by showering before coming to work, wearing a clean uniform and apron, notifying management when feeling ill, and washing their hands correctly with warm water and soap in designated handwashing sinks for 20 seconds or longer.

Handwashing should always be done after:

• Using the restroom
• Eating, smoking, or chewing gum
• After coughing, sneezing, or blowing their nose
• Touching any part of their body (scalp, hair, nose, face, ear, a pimple or wound)
• Touching their dirty uniform or apron
• Handling soiled item
• Handling raw meat, seafood, or poultry
• Taking out the trash 

Continually train all staff on the Culture of Food Safety practices and the 5 risk factors to prevent a foodborne illness event so these prevention measures become a part of everyone's daily routine.