Staff & Volunteer Food Safety

Introduction to Food Safety  The objective of this session is to provide you with information that can help you protect the safety of the food you or others handle. Your efforts must be proactive versus reactive.  As a food handler, you are part of the food industry, and the care you provide protects the Members you serve.  Share your knowledge of food safety with your coworkers and fellow Volunteers.

Foodborne Disease  In 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that:  An estimated 76 million cases of foodborne disease occur each year in the United States.  The great majority of these cases are mild and cause symptoms for only a day or two.

Introduction to Food Safety Some thoughts,… Food safety is the most important thing we do. We are part of the food industry and viewed as such by federal, state, and local regulators. Our responsibility and liability grows as we grow. The standards we are about to discuss are basic tools in the food industry. When discussing food safety with the network, we occasionally hear that “We are a charity and we have the Good Samaritan Act to protect us”. These are reactive positions versus proactive. We all agree that we feed a population at risk. If this is true, then why would we settle for food safety standards that are less than those required in the food industry? We need to be the food safety leader in our section of the food industry.

How Food Becomes Unsafe Many hazards can make food unsafe and cause a food borne illness. Common causes: – Biological Hazards – Chemical Hazards – Physical Hazards – Poor personal hygiene – Time Temperature abuse – Cross contamination – Poor cleaning or sanitizing

Good Personal Hygiene  Wash your hands frequently, especially after eating, drinking, smoking, touching your face, nose, ears, hair, or clothing, handling garbage, using the restroom, coughing or sneezing, etc. Use hot water, liquid soap, and disposable paper towels.  It should take you 20 seconds to wash your hands properly.  Wash hands after handling raw foods (uncooked meat, poultry, eggs, produce, etc.) before handling cooked foods.  Wear gloves if required.  Wear aprons if required.  Do not use hand antiseptic as a substitute of washing your hands.

Good Personal Hygiene (continued)  Do not handle food if you are ill, or have infected wounds or cuts. Infected wounds or cuts on the hands need to be covered with a bandage and glove before handling food.  Maintain personal cleanliness.  Wear clean work clothes.  Remove jewelry before handling food.  Eat, drink, and smoke only in designated areas away from food.  Keep your work area clean, including all equipment.  If you are ill, tell your supervisor or the Programs Coordinator.  If you have are vomiting, have diarrhea, jaundice or a sore throat with fever, please refrain from coming to work/volunteer.

Temperature & Control (TCS) Foods  Some foods are more susceptible to pathogen growth.  Milk and dairy products  Meat. Poultry, and Fish  Eggs  Bake Potatoes  Cooked rice, beans, and vegetables  Sliced melons, cut tomatoes

Controlling Time and Temperature  Check the temperature of food and storage areas with an appropriate thermometer.  Pathogens grow well in the temperature danger zone:  41°F to 135°F  Store and transport refrigerated foods at 41°F, or less.  Store and transport frozen foods at 0°F, or less.  Store whole produce at room temperature, and cut produce at 41°F, or less.  Document temperature readings for your refrigerators and freezers twice daily.  Do not overload coolers or freezers.

Proper Labeling of Food for Storage  You must be able to tell when food was accepted and by what date it must be used.  All ready-to-eat food must have a label that includes: name of food, ingredients, quantity, use-by or expiration date and manufacturer.  Some foods we receive are okay to keep past its expiration date. These foods include most non-perishable items. Please reference the Food Drive & Salvage Sorting Guidebook for guidelines.

 Store food only in containers intended for food and in designated areas.  Store foods in the proper order: ready-to-eat, raw seafood, meat, and poultry.  When cross-contamination occurs, report it..  Cross-contamination with allergens is serious: Allergens include wheat, soy, milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. Preventing Cross-Contamination

 Clean and sanitize food handling equipment and areas after every use. Always inspect prior to use.  Always clean after you are done with a task or start working with another type of food.  Use cleaning and sanitation chemicals according to label instructions. Use Personal Protection Equipment (PPE).  Handle garbage properly.  Monitor and report all pest activity (insects, rodents, and birds).  Store chemicals and cleaning supplies away from food. Cleaning and Sanitizing

Receiving, Storing and Delivering Food Receipt  Use reputable suppliers.  Check all deliveries for: Temperature, sanitation, chemicals, pests, etc.  Reject deliveries that have problems.  Make sure food containers are not damaged.  Make sure food is properly labeled.  Store foods requiring refrigerated or frozen storage immediately at the proper temperature.

Receiving, Storing and Delivering Food Receipt  Canned food must be labeled and not have:  Swollen ends  Leaks  Seal problems  Lids that are popped  Major dents  Rust  When in doubt, throw it out!  Check the Food Drive Sorting & Salvage Guidebook

Receiving and Storing Food – Storage  Separate raw and cooked foods.  Rotate food to ensure that the oldest food is used first. First In, First Out (FIFO).  Check the shelf life of food.  For dry goods, keep the temperature between 50-70°F  Do not distribute baby food and formula after it has expired.

Thawing, Cooking & Cooling TCS Food  Never thaw TCS food at room temperature.  Acceptable ways to thaw foods include:  In a cooler at 41°F or less  Submerged under running water at 70°F or less  In a microwave oven if the food is cooked immediately  As a part of the cooking process  Cooking food to safe levels includes:  Poultry, 165°F  Ground meat, 155°F  Fish, 145°F  Pork and beef (steaks or chops), 145°F  Never cool food at room temperature or in large amounts in a cooler.

Recalls A recall is an industry and regulatory response to food which is unsafe for consumption, because of adulteration (contamination) and/or misbranding (mislabeling). As part of the food industry, food banks are required to react to recalls by identifying and removing recalled product from inventory. Tracing and accounting for all recalled product is also necessary. An effective system for recall handling at the member and agency level is an expectation by donors and regulators. The Good Samaritan Act requires our network to react to recalls. The National Office issues recall notices to the network on FDA and USDA (FSIS) products which are distributed nationally. All members are responsible to be aware of and react to local recalls, through the aid of their local health departments. A sample recall program has been posted on the intranet under: HungerNet/Operations/Food Safety/Recalls.

Recalls (continued) Effectiveness checks are being performed by the FDA and USDA to verify that operations, like ours, are aware of recalls and taking appropriate precautions to protect the public from unsafe food. The national office and members have been visited by the FDA and USDA performing effectiveness checks. Inventory control is a critical element of effective recalled product tracing. The typical trace criteria include: 1.Product UPC 2.Code date 3.Number of units received Food recalls are continuing to be a major concern for lawmakers, regulators, manufacturers, and consumers.

Questions? Please speak with a member of our Second Harvest operations staff. Director of Operations, T.J. Bauer Director of Logistics, Elise Miller Director of Programs, Christine Feuerbacher