Most everything these days is so after-the-fact and, in some circumstances, a fire drill. Proper communicating, planning and budgeting are necessary when it comes to equipment maintenance, replacement or purchasing. Everything from small wares, such as a simple vegetable peeler, to larger pieces of processing equipment, like a meat grinder, often get neglected or forgotten…
Beware of the Substitute
In the food industry, there are many instances where substitutes are used for a variety of purposes. Whether it is forced or by choice, the need to fill the exposed gap will have to get rectified when it comes to food processing in order to eliminate an interruption in business. What operators should also focus…
Temperature Control: A Critical Food Safety Element
A critical element of food safety is maintaining proper temperatures from the field to the fork. In practical terms, this means keeping produce cold enough to inhibit pathogen growth or spoilage from the time it leaves the farm or orchard until it’s in the customer’s possession. 
It also means cooking certain foods at high enough…
Ice: The Overlooked Product
Ice is food.
Some food service operators and their employees take that fact for granted. They don’t take proper precautionary measures to handle the product properly or the necessary preventive maintenance measures to ensure that the ice machine is clean, sanitary and operating safely.
Listed below are some best practices and questions to ask. Some …
Proper Communication: A Food Safety Priority
It’s all about the “buy in.” People need to believe in what they are doing, what makes it important, and have the knowledge to move forward in a positive direction. 
Here are some basic suggestions to get the food safety message across:
- A simple “please” and “thank you” goes a long way. That may sound
…
Temperature Logs: A Misunderstood Liability
Log documentation involving temperature is a necessary tool in any food processing environment. Whether it is cold holding, hot holding, cooking, cooling, refrigeration, freezer or time controlled, temperature logs not only shed a light on whether an employee understands the process, but are also a strong indicator of potential liability. 
If left unchecked, no matter…
Here Comes the Cold Weather — and Mus Musculus
For much of the country, as the temperatures drop, there is increased activity of mice to find a harborage area. For any food operation, or homeowner, for that matter, this means an increased potential of infestation if some proactive measures are not taken to eliminate entry. Here are a few suggestions: 1. Think like a…
Food Safety Education vs. Reality
With the new school year fast approaching, it should be a reminder to take the time to properly train and educate food handlers about food safety. Not only just to pass the test and get certified, but to live it, breathe it and foster a culture. Food safety has to be part of the daily…
Condensation: The Liquid Enemy
Whether it is dripping from a refrigeration fan unit, beading on the interior packaging of an improperly cooled ready-to-eat food, causing rust on metal food contact surfaces of equipment or directly on frozen raw shrimp, condensation is a food safety concern and must be dealt with accordingly by anyone producing food. Excessive moisture from condensation…
