Washing your chicken is dangerous

Did you know that there is no federal regulation that for zero tolerance of Salmonella and Campylobacter on the chicken you purchase?Raw Chicken

That is right, your chicken could and probably is swimming in potentially harmful bacteria.  There is an initiative to reduce the amounts that are present but feds are not considering a zero tolerance policy at this time.

So how can you prevent these bacteria from wreaking havoc on your customers or family? 

Avoid cross contamination

  • Do not wash your chicken in a sink.  There is no need to wash chicken. You only increase the chance of spreading these pathogens all over your kitchen especially if you use a spray hose.
  • If you must rinse chicken place in bowl, filled with water, gently place chicken in bowl. Agitate and drain off water.

Wash your hands

  • Hand-washing after handling raw chicken with warm or hot water, plenty of soap and vigorous scrubbing will reduce the risk that you transfer pathogens to other surfaces in your kitchen.

Clean and sanitize

  • Using a good detergent wash areas that the chicken has touched.
  • Rinse with clean water and then sanitize using an effective solution.

Avoid Temperature abuse

  • Cook chicken to an internal temperature of 165°F and you will destroy those harmful bacteria. Don’t forget to promptly refrigerate foods after cooking to avoid other pathogens from causing problems.

Food Safety Tip: Thawing TCS (aka Potentially Hazardous Food)

There are 4 common methods of thawing food.  You can place in the refrigerator, in the microwave but you must cook the food immediately after, and as part of the cooking process, or under running water

 

When you are thawing foods under running water you need to follow these simple rules to protect the food from time and temperature abuse;
1. Submerse the product in a pan or bowl. Do not ever place directly in a sink.
2. Have water running over product that has enough flow to constantly change the water in the bowl and agitate loose particles off the food.
3. Water should NEVER exceed 70°F.
4. Do not attempt to thaw items that will take a long time like a whole chicken. Anytime food is 41°F* or above for more than 4 hours it needs to be discarded. For instance, if the surface of the chicken is above and the inside is still frozen you would need to discard.

*Note, when thawing ROP food the temperature must remain under 38°F.

 

 

 

 

When thawing fish that are stamped with “Keep Frozen – Remove from packaging then thaw under refrigeration” there is a risk of clostridium botulinum, a very serious and potentially deadly bacteria. It is important that proper thawing take place. FDA Food Code 3-501.13(E) states that: REDUCED OXYGEN PACKAGED FISH that bears a label
indicating that it is to be kept frozen until time of use shall be
removed from the reduced oxygen environment:
(1) Prior to its thawing under refrigeration as specified in
(A) of this section; or
(2) Prior to, or Immediately upon completion of, its thawing
using procedures specified in (B) [discussed above] of this section.

The best method to use would be remove the product from packaging when frozen and place in the refrigeration.  Alternatively, you can thaw under running water as discussed above but the product must be removed from the package the moment it is thawed.

 

FDA Code 3-501.13(A-E)

COMAR 10.15.03.09 D (1-6)

 

Food Safety Tip Tuesday: Cold Holding in a refrigerator

Cold holding is an integral part of food safety. 

Holding food at incorrect temperatures is one on the top 5 reasons there was an outbreak in this county.

 

Monitoring

Depending on your jurisdiction you may not be required to log the temperature more than once or twice a day and often there are no requirements for logging.  I recommend that you check and log refrigeration equipment temperatures every 2 hours to ensure time to take a corrective action.   The inside thermometer is sufficient for logging however, you need to ensure the thermometer is accurate.  I recommend checking the internal temperature of a sampling of food at least once a week and comparing with the internal thermometer.  You should also do internal sampling anytime a thermometer is dropped to ensure proper calibration.

Verification through logging

Have staff record the internal temperature of all equipment in a daily log book and a shift manager should review recordings for possible problems. In my experience, as a third-party inspector, I often see log books that are completed with temperatures outside the critical limit with no action being taken.  This has cost business big money when all TCS foods must be discarded.

Corrective action

If you find that food is stored above 41° F and the time is less than 4 hours and verifiable, you can move the food to a freezer or walk-in for quick chilling.  You must check the temperature before the end of 4 hours to ensure the food has been returned to 41°F or below.  If it is still above 41°F you must discard.

Training

Staff should be properly trained on how to take internal food temperatures and the proper location the hanging thermometer should be placed in the unit.   Hanging thermometers should be placed in the warmest part of the unit, which is usually just below mid-point on the and toward the front where the door opens.  When taking internal temperatures use a thermometer that has been calibrated.  Do not touch pan sides or bottom.

FDA food code 3-501.16(A)(2) and COMAR 10.15.03.06 b(7) states that cold food be held at 41°F or below.

In Maryland, you must store pasteurized crab meat at 38°F or below. 

Always check with your local jurisdiction as recommendations / requirements may be different.

Is your facility allergy friendly?

Do you have an allergen program?

Do you “just know” what products you sell contain an allergen?

Without looking, what are the allergens in Hot Dogs, Crackers or Potato chips?

Now go look. Were you right?  Did you possibly miss allergens like milk in many hot dogs and crackers, soy in all three or peanut oil in some potato chips?

Here are some facts about allergies*:

  • It is estimated 9 million, or 4% of adults have food allergies,
  • 6 million, or 8% of children have food allergies.
  • Allergies increased 50% in children between the years of 1997 to 2011, with no explanation as to why.
  • Every 3 minutes someone is admitted to a hospital due to food allergies.

What causes the allergic reaction?

It is a bodies negative reaction to proteins in the food. Proteins are not destroyed during the cooking process and can remain on cooking equipment, deep fry oils, batter, breading and utensils.  It only takes a very small about of the protein to cause a reaction.

What are the major food allergens?

Although there are hundreds of foods that can cause a reaction in humans the FDA has determined that 8 foods account for 90% of the negative reactions.  These foods must be clearly identified on the labels of packaged foods.

  •                 Wheat
  •                 Milk
  •                 Dairy
  •                 Soy
  •                 Fish
  •                 Crustacean shellfish
  •                 Peanuts
  •                 Tree Nuts

What can you do to prevent your customer from having a negative reaction to food from your facility?

 Be proactive. Have a plan in place!  Sounds simple right?  Not so fast.  When I ask students what is your plan where you work.  Many respond by saying “they tell the chef” or “it is marked on the ticket the person has an allergy”.

That is not a plan!  A plan needs to look at every aspect of your facility from design to service.  If a food can not be assured safe then it should not be offered to a guest with an allergy.

Let’s talk about a better method of controlling the risk of allergens.

  • Designate a lead Allergen Manager (LAM).
  • The LAM should inspect all food that arrives at your facility checking labels for allergens.
  • Create a spreadsheet to assist LAM and chef in exploring all foods that enter facility that are commercially prepared. List the 8 allergens across the top and all ingredients that come in to the facility on the left.  Mark an “I” for ingredient in the corresponding box associated with the allergen listed on ingredient list.
  • Create a similar spreadsheet for each menu item.  LAM and Chef should work through entire menu identifying which dishes directly contain an allergen and which ones could be affected by cross contact.  Don’t forget about those sub-ingredients!
  • LAM and Chef should have a good working relationship and be in constant communication when practices or menu items change.
  • LAM needs to share this information with an AM (Allergy Manager) for each shift.
  • Shift AM should hold training sessions with all food handlers discussing proper techniques for avoiding cross contamination from receipt of food to service.  Also discuss proper cleaning and sanitizing of surfaces before starting to prepare a dish for a guest with an allergen and of course proper handwashing.
  • Shift AM should train wait staff that when a guest requests a substitution they should ask if it is for a personal taste preference, dietary restriction or an allergen.  If it is for an allergen staff should immediately call for the AM on duty to assist guest with the order.
  • Place a message on table placard or menu reminding guests “If a member of your party has a food allergy please let your server know.”

In Maryland it is required that you have a poster reminding staff of the 8 allergens.  This poster can be found at http://www.marylandfoodhandler.com/foodSafetyDownloads.php

For further assistance with developing a food allergy program in your facility please contact Sue Farace, CP-FS at 410-382-4325

 

Source: FARE foodallergy.org

Better for you, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I wanted a healthy version of the classic oatmeal cookie. After searching the internet I could only find no sugar no flour cookies or the classic full of fat and sugar.  So, I came up with my own version.  The bananas, raisins and the little bit of sugar make them enjoyable even for this sweet tooth.  Hope you enjoy!

Preheat oven to 350°F

3 med ripe bananas

1/3 cup applesauce

¼ cup milk

1 t vanilla

1 t cinnamon

¼ t nutmeg

1 t baking soda

3 Tablespoons of coconut oil

¾ cup of flour

1/3 cup of sugar

3 cups Oats

½ cup raisins

 

Add all ingredients except flour, sugar, raisins & oats in mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly on medium speed.  Add remaining 4 ingredients.  Depending on the size of your bananas you may need to add more or less flour.  The mix will not be firm like a regular oatmeal cookie however you should be able to spoon out on pan.  Place on nonstick or lightly oiled cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

 

Enjoy

Perfect Home-baked Sandwich Bread

This loaf has a soft crust and light texture making it a perfect loaf for sandwiches.   The dough is easy to work with due to the butterfat content and perfect for someone just starting out with bread dough.

Ingredients:

1 package dry yeast

1/3 cup warm water

1/2 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted and room temperature.

appx 2 cups bread flour

appx 1 cup all purpose flour

 

Directions:

In mixer bowl with flat beater add water, sugar and yeast.  Mix then allow set for 2-3 minutes.  Add melted butter, eggs, salt and one cup of the bread flour, mix until smooth.  Slowly add 1/2 cup of all purpose flour at a time and mix again until smooth.  Mix for 5 minutes. Dough should be smooth and elastic looking.  Change beater to dough hook.  Add flour 1/4 cup at a time alternating between bread flour and all purpose.  When dough forms a ball and cleans sides of bowl kneed for another 5 minutes. You can add flour a tablespoon at a time if needed.

Continue mixing until smooth looking.

Change beater to dough hook.  Add remaining flour alternating between bread flour and all purpose.  When dough forms a ball and cleans sides of bowl kneed for another 5 minutes. You can add flour a tablespoon at a time if needed.

Scrape down if dough starts "riding up" hook. Add just a sprinkle of flour.

Remove from bowl and form ball.  Place in lightly greased bowl and cover.  Allow to rise until doubled, approximately 1 hour.   Punch down and form into loaf.  This dough is very forgiving and can be used for rolls if desired.

Allow to rest for another 40 minutes or until doubled again.

Bake in preheated oven at 375° F for about 30-40 minutes. For a thicker, chewier crust add a pan of water to bottom of oven to create steam. Allow to cool on rack.  

Slice and ENJOY!

Are you the cause of foodborne illness and not even know?

Have you ever had a foodborne illness outbreak at your facility? Most will answer NO!  But how do you really know?

The CDC estimates that 48 million people will be ill from a foodborne illness each year.  That is one in six Americans.

THE STATS

In 2013 there were a total of 818 outbreaks resulting in 13,360 illnesses.  Identified outbreaks a small percentage of total estimated cases of 48 million.   Of the total 818 outbreaks 433 of all outbreaks were a restaurant.  351 were from sit down dining locations as opposed to fast food.  The remainder of outbreaks occurred in the private home, catering /banquet facilities, institutions, nursing homes / hospital, churches, or other commercial locations.

Why are there so many outbreaks / illnesses that go unreported?  Part of the problem is many people do not equate having diarrhea or vomiting with having a foodborne illness.  I hear people all the time stating it is a bug going around or something they ate didn’t agree with them.  Many just don’t want to go through the trouble of contacting the local health department.  There are many more reported foodborne illness cases reported that do not become an outbreak statistic.  Maybe so far you have been lucky.  Reminder, it only takes 2 individuals with the same illness from the same time span and you find yourself part of an outbreak investigation!

THE COST

According to the CDC, the cost of foodborne illness is estimated at $365 million in direct medical costs.  Costs that you will be expected to pay if found liable!  The loss of your reputation can often be attributed to suspected foodborne illness. It can also affect your bottom line as well in the form of increased insurance premiums, loss of sales and legal fees defending yourself in a court of law.

Executives like Eric and Ryan Jensen of Jensen Farms have been charged criminally liable for the outbreak associated with listeria tainted product.  In 2013 they entered a plea deal and in 2014 they began a six month home confinement sentence.  CEO, Stewart Parnell of Peanut Corporation of America is now serving a 28 year sentence for liability related to Salmonella tainted peanuts.  Brother Michael Parnell is serving 20 years and the plants quality assurance manager, Mary Wilkerson is serving 5 years.

The department of justice is currently looking at charges against Blue Bell Ice Cream for listeria tainted ice cream and Chipotle for recent  E.Coli and Norovirus outbreaks

These examples demonstrate the FDAs warnings that they will enforce criminal penalties.  If you are a person in charge, you must create a food safe culture in your organization and put policies and procedures in place to make sure staff are following the rules.

 

PREVENTION

Regardless if you are a single location restaurant or part of a larger corporate entity you should have a good Food Safety Management system in place.

Corporations spend thousands and have binders filled with policies and procedures.  But that should not intimidate that small business owner.  They should also have plans in place to create a consistent and food safe culture.

FOOD SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

A Personal Hygiene Program is paramount!  Having good personal hygiene is the best prevention against the number one single pathogen that causes foodborne illness, Norovirus.

A Food Safety Training Program is also critical.  Most likely someone in your facility has been properly trained in food safety.  But training should not stop there. Everyone in the facility, food handlers and non-foodhandlers need to understand how to protect the food and the customer.  Ongoing in house training is essential.

SOP’s should be written clearly.  They should not be a boiler plate of rules and regulations.  They should be the procedures you follow in your facility. Included in SOP’s would be supplier selection, proper cleaning and sanitizing, cross contamination prevention, employee health and hygiene and employee illness reporting.

HACCP Plans should be maintained and up to date.  It is advised to have your plan reviewed at least every 5 years. It is mandatory in Maryland that your plan accurately reflect your current menu and should be updated as menu items change.

Allergen Prevention is certainly an area that should not be ignored.  It is not advisable to rely on kitchen staff to know if a food contains an allergen.  I can help you set up an easy system that will take the stress off of the staff when a customer mentions they have an allergy.

Pest Control should be under the guidance of an authorized pest control operator.  A good PCO will assist you in the analysis of your facility and areas that need improvement.

Of course, each facility is going to have its own individual needs and plans need to be in place to address those needs.

SMF Training & Consulting can assist your organization in developing a comprehensive food safety management system.  Sue Farace, CP-FS can be reached at 410-382-4325 or by email at Sue@SueFarace.com

How to select, clean, cook and eat a soft shell crab

I grew up in Maryland and spent my youthful summers at my Grandparents house on Tilghman Island, MD. Much of my day was filled with fishing and crabbing. From a young age I learned early how to properly prepare some of the bays finest of offerings, including the soft shell crabs or as we call them soft crabs.

Hard crabs molt and slough the hard shell off. The process  is called shedding. For a very short period of time the crabs have a soft exoskeleton and for those precious few days we have a soft crab.

Big Soft Crab

This is the biggest soft crab I have ever seen, purchased from Vince's Crab House in Middle River, MD!

Unless you are lucky enough to catch a “doubler” and then wait for the female to shed or wade through the shallow marshes of the bay scooping gingerly for the recently shed softies, you will have to resort to buying from your favorite seafood shop. When selecting your soft crab it’s best if they are still alive. You can get them frozen but to me it is just not the same. The best way to select your crab is to touch it. When you gently press on the shell of the crab it should not buckle or feel like paper. If it does it is going to be tough to eat. The large pincher claws should not be able to move although the smaller legs may be able to move the ends. Late spring is when the fresh soft crabs start to arrive in Maryland and continue until late in the season.

When I heard Vince’s Crab House had a monster like this one I had to have it!! It is true that many feel the smaller ones are more tender but I believe that it is all in how you cook them and how newly shed they are.

Now that I have my soft crabs at home I want to show you how to clean them. Of course, you could just ask the friendly staff  to clean them for you at no additional charge. The process is relatively easy but a little messy, so put some paper under your cutting board to do them over the container they came in.  The first step is to cut back about 1/2” from the face of the crab with kitchen shears. Be sure that you removed the entire mouth. Next turn crab over and cut off the apron. Turn back over with shell facing up and fold back the points. You want to remove the lungs or as Marylander’s call them the “devils” or “devils fingers”. That is it; you are done cleaning your soft crab.

Dredging Mix for a Soft Crab

Time to cook them. I remove excess moisture by patting with a clean paper towel.
Next I dredge in a mix of flour, cornmeal and Maryland’s own Old Bay Seasoning. You don’t need to mix up a lot and only want a light coating. For 3 crabs I would use about 1/3 cup flour, ¼ cup cornmeal and 1 ½ t Old Bay. Using a heavy skillet melt about 2 – 3 T butter. Do not use oil. Do not use margarine. Please for all that my Grandmother taught me, use butter!

 

 

 

 

Dredged Soft CrabYour dredged crabs should have a very light coating of mix.

 

 

 

 

 

Cooking Soft Shell CrabOver a medium low heat cook crabs with shell side down. The butter should be bubbling but not burning.

 

 

 

 

 

Cooking Soft CrabIn about 4 minutes flip crab to bottom side. Add more butter if needed. Cook until 145 ° in the center of crab.

 

 

 

 

 

Soft Crab Pan Sauce

Now, this is where I have taken a turn from tradition. After many many years of eating soft crabs on a sandwich or as is I had an idea. After removing the crab(s) I looked in the pan and just couldn’t waste the little crunchy bits and small amounts of mustard that came out during cooking. So I deglazed the pan with a good bit of white wine added a squeeze of lemon juice and one finely diced garlic clove. I turned up the heat a bit and when sauce was reduced I added a small pat of butter and cooked just until melted. Remove from heat.

I serve the sauce on the side as a dipping sauce for the crab.

 

 

 

 

 

Fried Soft Crab

The best part of all is eating the soft crab. I suppose there are many ways to approach a soft crab. I like to turn mine over and pick the legs off one by one. Then I cut the body in half going from front to back and then in half again in the other direction. Others like to cut in half and eat the body first while holding onto the little legs. Have you gotten the picture this is really not a knife and fork kind of meal? I suppose you could, but where I come from crabs are picked up with your hands and eaten. Soft or hard.

 

 

FOOD SAFETY:

  • If you have soft crabs cleaned at store or clean in advance please store your crabs at 41 degrees or below.
  • Please be sure to properly wash hands after handling the raw soft crab.
  • Clean and sanitize your work surface to prevent transferring bacteria to ready to eat food.
  • Immediately cool any leftovers then refrigerate quickly.  Never leave food at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

I hope you enjoyed learning how to select, clean, cook and eat a soft shell crab. As always if you have any questions please visit us on our facebook page.

Employee Illness: Are you following FDA recommendations?

UPDATE:  09/12/17

SMF Training now offers a free employee illness training for your use.  The training takes approximately 10 minutes and briefly explains what foodborne illness is, the causes, symptoms, why it is important to report illness to management, prevention, proper glove use and hand-washing, reportable symptoms and explanation of the form.   Link for the training can be found on our website MarylandFoodHandler.com

________________________

Do you have a sick worker policy?

Many restaurants do not have a policy that complies with the FDA recommendations. The majority of foodbourne illness comes from the transfer of feces to food due to poor personal hygiene. Feces of ill workers are a serious and high level risk in your facility.

According to a study performed by Environmental Health Services 1 Almost 70% of managers could remember a time they had worked when sick and one in ten said they had symptoms of foodbourne illness.

Prevention:

  • Educate managers and staff about when to restrict employees from working with or around food and when to exclude the employee. If you need assistance on this topic please contact me, I would be happy to answer any questions.
  • Teach proper handwashing techniques.
  • Avoid bare hand contact with food.
  • Teach proper glove use.

Training & Education:

Create an environment where your employees feel comfortable reporting illness. An employee should never be reminded of lost wages, job security or made to feel guilty about under-staffing.  A valued and responsible employee will not abuse the illness rules just to get out of work.

Proper training and education of what illness must be reported is paramount in protecting your facility from a possible outbreak caused from employee illness.

We have put together a free poster for you to print and  display.  The poster describes what illnesses need to be reported.  The link for the poster is here.

In addition to the poster we have linked the FDA recommended Employee Illness forms that should be maintained in the employee file. Form 1-A Conditional Employee or Food Employee interview. Provide this form to employee AFTER job has been offered. You can not ask potential employees to complete this form. Also have employee read and sign form 1B Conditional employee or food employee agreement. This states that the employee will report illness to you and is evidence that you have informed employee of their obligation.

The FDA forms can be found here

Be food safe my friends!

 

Sue Farace, CP-FS

1 http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/ehsnet/plain_language/mgrs-sick-food-workers.htm

Allergens: Creating an Allergy Safety Plan

Allergens: Part 3 of 3 Creating an Allergy Safety Plan

I hope you found the information in the previous 2 segments useful.  We will now take that information and help you create a plan that will provide a seamless and less stressful order process for your customer and allow your staff to provide honest answers that are accurate.

 

STEP  1: Identify the staff members to serve as your go-to-people and one person to serve as the Allergen Manager. You should have one go-to-person available for every shift.

STEP 2: The Allergen Manager should identify all foods in facility that contain common food allergens. This includes;

  • checking labels of pre-made items like frozen items,
  • check labels of all commercially processed foods like powdered creamers or drink mixes,
  • review all recipes or meet with Chef to go over each menu item.

STEP 3: The Allergen Manager should meet with Chef and walk through procedures for the preparation of each item. Begin identifying items that may be cross contaminated through;

  • Deep fryers,
  • breading or batter,
  • steamers,
  • close contact with air borne particles. (pizza dough maker for instance could also be a problem for gluten)

STEP 4: Create Spreadsheet

Create a spreadsheet listing menu items on the left and 8 allergens across the top. Now in each box put an X if that menu item contains or potentially contains the allergen. Use this chart when assisting customers.

STEP 5: Train ALL staff, including go-to-people, waitstaff & kitchen staff.

Review all preventions we discussed in part 2 of this article

All staff should be familiar with the following;

  • Proper procedures to clean and sanitize equipment, utensils and other food contact surfaces using new wash water and sanitizer,
  • How to prepare an allergen kit. Use a different colored cutting board and tools,
  • How to avoid cross contamination of products during storage by following good food safety procedures
  • Understand the importance of following all recipes exactly and not making any deviations without prior permission.
  • Chef must understand the importance of notifying Allergen Manager about changes to the menu, procedures or new sub-ingredients.
  • Waitstaff must understand they need to utilize the go-to-person on duty when someone mentions an allergen.

 

Although this may take some time and  effort to properly implement, it will create a better experience for the customer and help avoid potential law suits. If you need assistance creating your plan we are here to help.

Contact Sue at 410-382-4325 for a free consultation.