By Dale J. Venturini
President & CEO, Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association
September is National Food Safety Month and although I devoted last month’s column to handling food safely in the hot summer months, I wanted to discuss safer handling and service in restaurants, in particular.
We can all agree that nothing will hurt a restaurant’s reputation and profitability more than being written up or warned by the Department of Health. And, while this department is extremely understaffed in most instances, if you are not operating a ‘clean’ restaurant, you and your customers are at risk.
In addition to following your own State’s Department of Health mandates, there are some steps you can take immediately to reduce the risk of foodborne illness and an unsafe environment including making sure that all employees wash their hands properly – at least 20 seconds with warm, soapy water. Bacteria can spread from one food to another, so a good practice includes using separate cutting boards for raw meats, poultry or seafood; fresh fruits, vegetables; and prepared foods.
Be sure that hot food is served hot at 140º F (or higher) and cold food is served cold at 40º F (or lower). Also, it is important to remember that food should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours.
In March of this year, RIHTA’s Education Foundation introduced a new Food Safety Plan Development Program to its membership and non members alike. This program complies with mandates made by Rhode Island Department of Health (DOH) for all food service establishments, which requires that all foodservice establishments submit and maintain a written food safety plan, with standard operating procedures, in accordance with the latest DOH Food Code. Non-compliance with the food safety plan mandate may result in failure to pass inspection.
We jointly developed this plan with the DOH to provide participating food service establishments, retailers, and processors, a step-by-step guide for developing a DOH-acceptable Food Safety Plan. In addition, the two-day course completes one requirement needed to receive the NSF International’s Dine-Safer™ certification. The NSF International Diner-Safer™ certification has been recognized by the DOH as the highest standard of food safety in Rhode Island.
Many restaurant and food service establishments are unaware of the requirement for an established food safety plan, putting their restaurant at risk of failing inspection. This new curriculum provides owners and managers with a step-by-step guide to create a food safety plan and is a proactive step in ensuring the highest level of safety.
In addition to this course, there are many educational courses available through the National Restaurant Association including ServSafe® Food Safety Training certification and re-certification classes. This is a nationally-recognized program and the foodservice industry’s preeminent food safety training program. It is recognized by more federal, state and local jurisdictions than any other food safety program. If your staff are currently not certified or need to be recertified, I urge you to go to http://www.restaurant.org/ to learn more.
We’ve all read the news that restaurant sales are declining across the nation due to the tough economic times we are all currently facing. Because discretionary dollars are harder to come by and even harder to part with, we in the hospitality business really need to concentrate and focus on maintaining the highest levels of quality and service for our guests. Research is showing that even patrons who have not cut down on going out to dinner are spending less money per check average and are being more selective about the establishments they visit. The bottom line is that patrons have less money to spend and want to feel that their money is being well-spent in a clean, quality establishment.
President & CEO, Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association
September is National Food Safety Month and although I devoted last month’s column to handling food safely in the hot summer months, I wanted to discuss safer handling and service in restaurants, in particular.
We can all agree that nothing will hurt a restaurant’s reputation and profitability more than being written up or warned by the Department of Health. And, while this department is extremely understaffed in most instances, if you are not operating a ‘clean’ restaurant, you and your customers are at risk.
In addition to following your own State’s Department of Health mandates, there are some steps you can take immediately to reduce the risk of foodborne illness and an unsafe environment including making sure that all employees wash their hands properly – at least 20 seconds with warm, soapy water. Bacteria can spread from one food to another, so a good practice includes using separate cutting boards for raw meats, poultry or seafood; fresh fruits, vegetables; and prepared foods.
Be sure that hot food is served hot at 140º F (or higher) and cold food is served cold at 40º F (or lower). Also, it is important to remember that food should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours.
In March of this year, RIHTA’s Education Foundation introduced a new Food Safety Plan Development Program to its membership and non members alike. This program complies with mandates made by Rhode Island Department of Health (DOH) for all food service establishments, which requires that all foodservice establishments submit and maintain a written food safety plan, with standard operating procedures, in accordance with the latest DOH Food Code. Non-compliance with the food safety plan mandate may result in failure to pass inspection.
We jointly developed this plan with the DOH to provide participating food service establishments, retailers, and processors, a step-by-step guide for developing a DOH-acceptable Food Safety Plan. In addition, the two-day course completes one requirement needed to receive the NSF International’s Dine-Safer™ certification. The NSF International Diner-Safer™ certification has been recognized by the DOH as the highest standard of food safety in Rhode Island.
Many restaurant and food service establishments are unaware of the requirement for an established food safety plan, putting their restaurant at risk of failing inspection. This new curriculum provides owners and managers with a step-by-step guide to create a food safety plan and is a proactive step in ensuring the highest level of safety.
In addition to this course, there are many educational courses available through the National Restaurant Association including ServSafe® Food Safety Training certification and re-certification classes. This is a nationally-recognized program and the foodservice industry’s preeminent food safety training program. It is recognized by more federal, state and local jurisdictions than any other food safety program. If your staff are currently not certified or need to be recertified, I urge you to go to http://www.restaurant.org/ to learn more.
We’ve all read the news that restaurant sales are declining across the nation due to the tough economic times we are all currently facing. Because discretionary dollars are harder to come by and even harder to part with, we in the hospitality business really need to concentrate and focus on maintaining the highest levels of quality and service for our guests. Research is showing that even patrons who have not cut down on going out to dinner are spending less money per check average and are being more selective about the establishments they visit. The bottom line is that patrons have less money to spend and want to feel that their money is being well-spent in a clean, quality establishment.
