News

NC State Developes Mobile Hand Wash Station

Written by Sandy Hulbert Wednesday, 25 April 2012 12:29

Festival and farmer's market season is upon us!  When I am called upon to inspect these fun and exciting yet  potential foodborne illness nightmares, I focus on the availability of handwashing facilities since that is the number one way we as foodhandlers can prevent a foodborne illness outbreak.  While drinking my coffee and reading over the latest food safety news this morning, I found the article below.  Happy to see grant monies going to help develop a much needed product, a mobile handwash station!  Like most products in early development, it may be a bit pricey for small farmer's, farmer's markets, and temporary food vendors but it is a much needed product and hopefully can be tweaked to have a more affordable as development continues.

KANNAPOLIS, NC – As food safety issues continue to garner national attention, N.C. State University is helping farmers in North Carolina take steps to manage food safety risks. N.C. State has developed two portable hand-washing station prototypes as customizable models for local growers in an effort to help them provide quality hand-washing facilities in their fields and at their market stalls.
The effort began in 2008 with plans to design and build a more functional, portable hand-washing station that N.C. growers could use as a model for building their own versions. The original, larger prototype was constructed for commercial use in farm fields, but grower feedback during field tests in 2010 underscored the need for a second, smaller hand-washing unit that would be easier to deploy, more cost-efficient to construct and practical to use at farmers markets.
Rod Gurganus, director of N.C. MarketReady, the N.C. Cooperative Extension outreach of N.C. State’s Plants for Human Health Institute, and Dr. Gary Roberson, N.C. Cooperative Extension specialist in agricultural engineering, led the effort to develop the hand-washing stations with a $24,000 grant from the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center’s Agricultural Advancement Consortium.
“Food safety starts on the farm, so it’s essential that our growers have access to adequate, affordable hand-washing facilities for use in the field and at direct points of sale, like farmers markets,” said Gurganus. “These hand-washing station prototypes were developed to help growers better reduce food safety risks associated with crop harvesting and customer interactions.”
Gurganus and Roberson took into account farmer feedback, construction costs and functionality when developing the prototypes. Generic, widely available forms of materials, like water storage tanks, plumbing parts and transport trailers, were used to give farmers more flexibility during construction.
Construction costs for a hand-washing station are estimated around $2,000, minus the support trailer or wagon, but costs may vary either way depending on factors like brand of parts, quantity and accessories.
“Knowing that resources differ from operation to operation, we developed our hand-washing station prototypes to support customization, which can help limit costs while meeting individual needs,” said Gurganus. “While one farming operation may decide to build a $4,000 hand-washing facility, another operation may be able to construct a facility that meets their needs for under $2,000.”
Potential custom additions can include items like waste receptacles, steps/ramps, towel racks and various soap dispensers. Growers are encouraged to consult with their local N.C. Cooperative Extension center with questions about the structural integrity of their hand-washing station.
Design details and guidelines for constructing the hand-washing units – including phase-by-phase photos – are available on the N.C. Fresh Produce Safety Portal, http://plantsforhumanhealth.ncsu.edu.

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Sprouts, What's the Problem?

Written by Sandy Hulbert Friday, 09 March 2012 15:31

Had a question in class this week about why sprouts are considered a TCS/Hazardous Food. Unfortunately the headline today is that the count is up to 25 in the latest sprout foodborne illness outbreak at Jimmy John's. Here's a quote from the article:

"Raw sprouts, considered a high-risk food, have been associated with at least 40 foodborne illness outbreaks -- mostly E. coli and Salmonella infections -- since 1990. Raw sprouts served at Jimmy John's restaurant franchises have been linked to five outbreaks in four years.

Sprout seeds are typically the problem. They can become contaminated with pathogens from animal feces, or from dirty growing or processing equipment. The bacteria then multiply to dangerous levels as the seeds germinate under humid conditions. Homegrown sprouts are not necessarily any safer than commercially grown sprouts.

Jimmy John's recently indicated it would no longer serve raw sprouts with its sandwiches."

For the complete article follow this link: Sprouts
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War on Foodborne Illness: Why Restaurants Need to Join the Fight

Written by Sandy Hulbert Thursday, 09 February 2012 13:43

Headlines about another restaurant involved in an outbreak are almost a daily occurrence now. Some major restaurant chains have had at least one outbreak. It begs the question, why? In my experience working with the restaurant industry on food safety, I come across a lot of resistance from operators who are naïve about their chances of contributing to an outbreak. They simply don't think it will ever happen to them.
Many people took notice of the impact of foodborne illness when headlines reported on the Jack in the Box outbreak of 1993. That outbreak resulted in 750 children poisoned with 4 dying. In this case, E. coli went undetected and slipped past all controls to find its way into the hands and stomachs of the victims. In author Jeff Benedict's book "Poisoned," the Jack in the Box executives claimed they had no idea they were serving food that could kill kids. Some of the same causes for that outbreak are still happening today. Unfortunately, it seems that some restaurant organizations need to have a food safety crisis with real measurable casualties before they clean up their act and put real sustained controls in place. 
One possible reason for an increase in foodborne illness outbreaks is that some people think the USDA, FDA and health departments offer enough regulation and provide adequate protection against foodborne illness. However, this is a false sense of security. The USDA is getting ready to cut 259 jobs. It's unlikely that this will be beneficial in protecting our food supply. With budgets diminishing and health departments consolidating their services, health departments are developing new ways to reduce their regulatory oversight of the food service industry. The city of Chicago and the Maricopa County Health Department have already put new plans in place to allow responsible operators to police themselves. If this trend continues, public health officials will only have time to track down these emerging threats rather than trying to prevent them. 
To further complicate the problem, food manufacturers are hiring third-party auditors to prove their food is safe, only to have that practice backfire with the recent cantaloupe and peanut outbreaks. In those cases, the auditors received harsh criticism for not identifying problems, and they gave exceptional scores to the manufacturers that hired them. Third-party auditors are useful tools only when they identify all the food safety deficiencies.
Without more oversight of food safety practices, we'll continue to see headlines such as these:
So, with many restaurants failing to understand that there is a war on foodborne illness happening, who is left to fight? For decades it has been left to local health departments. But we cannot solely rely on the public health sector to set policy and management practices for the restaurant industry. The time has come for the industry as a whole to step up and join the fight. Restaurant owners and operators should hold each other to a higher standard by educating themselves about foodborne illness and striving to serve safe food to the public.
Many in the industry are already taking responsibility. There are plenty of food-safety-conscious owners and operators who are implementing policies and best practices for preventing foodborne illness and promoting food safety in their organizations. This can be expensive, but there really is no comparison to the cost of paying damages from an outbreak. Jeff Benedict reported that it cost Jack in the Box $98 million in damages. Their insurance barely paid it all. How many restaurant organizations out there have a $100 million insurance policy? For many restaurants, having an outbreak spells bankruptcy. Jack in the Box learned its lesson the hard way. As a result, the company hired food safety expert David Theno and revamped its entire food safety program. 
Restaurant owners and managers need to understand that they are potentially handling contaminated product every day. This means it's essential to control all factors that can lead to foodborne illness.
------------------------ 
Dennis Keith is founder and CEO of the consulting company Respro Food Safety Professionals. 

© Food Safety News

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2012 Taste of NC

Written by Sandy Hulbert Monday, 06 February 2012 14:35

The Taste of North Carolina celebrates NC’s Finest in Food, Drink and Hospitality. From Manteo to Murphy, North Carolina is home to almost any kind of food or beverage you can possibly desire.  Locally produced fruits, vegetables to Angus beef, turkey, pork and seafood to wine, beer and the emerging spirits industry, the Taste of North Carolina is where leaders meet and partnerships are born.  From its inception, the Taste of North Carolina has proven its uniqueness by bringing all these elements together in one celebration. 
 
As an industry event, the Taste has grown each year, selling out weeks in advance.  Our expected sellout audience in 2012 is 500 attendees, up from 425 attendees in 2011. The natural progression is for the event to become public in the near future.
 
The goal of the event is to encourage hospitality owners and operators to “think NC” when ordering food & beverage products for their restaurant or hotel.   As a partner, anticipate exposure of your product.  As a sponsor, take your place as a leader in promoting NC products.  As an attendee, be prepared to be taken on a culinary journey from the North Carolina mountains to the coast. 
 
The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association will be celebrating its 65th Anniversary at the 2012 Taste of North Carolina in the beautiful setting of the Pinehurst Resort.
To buy tickets or find out more about sponsorship go to:  http://www.thetasteofnc.com/
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Industry-Foodborne Illness Investigation Training opportunity

Written by Sandy Hulbert Monday, 06 February 2012 14:31

NEHA’s Industry-Foodborne Illness Investigation Training (I-FIIT) will be held at the Food Safety Summit in Washington, DC on April 16, 2012. 

The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) in collaboration with the Food Safety Summit is pleased to offer a one day face-to-face training opportunity designed for those in industry at the retail food service, food stores and restaurant level.  Industry-Foodborne Illness Investigation Training (I-FIIT) will provide you and your establishment a better understanding of the foodborne investigation process as a whole; setting the foundation for stronger collaborative efforts between you, your company and public health professionals.  The bottom line is: at the end of the day, everyone wants to provide safe, wholesome and healthy food to their customers.  This workshop will give you the tools and insight needed to efficiently and effectively handle potential issues that may come your way.  The workshop is for retail food store/restaurant representatives and it will bring you together with government food safety officials and other involved personnel to improve foodborne disease outbreak response by identifying industry’s roles and responsibilities during a foodborne disease incident.  This workshop is recommended for the mid-level manager and above and is composed of interactive group exercises, Q&A sessions, and lectures spanning the scope of an investigation.  Upon completion of the course, each attendee will be awarded with a Certificate of Completion and 7.5 NEHA Continuing Credits.  Attendees will receive the I-FIIT Course Manual, a copy of the FDA Retail Food Protection: Employee Health and Personal Hygiene Handbook as well as various handouts, forms and useful resources.  Space is limited to 30 people so early registration is recommended.  Cost to attend the workshop is $350 per person.  The workshop is scheduled for Monday, April 16, 2012 in Washington, DC from 8:00am – 5:00pm.  Deadline to register for this workshop is March 2, 2012.  For more information about I-FIIT, please visit www.NEHA.org/IFIIT.   You may register for this pre-conference workshop directly through the Food Safety Summit website at http://www.foodsafetysummit.com/.

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