Maintaining food safety in your establishment is essential for protecting your customers and your business. In our recent survey, you shared the key food safety topics you wanted more guidance on—and we listened! From best practices for food storage to preventing cross-contamination, we’ve compiled additional expert tips to help you maintain the highest food safety standards. Keep reading for actionable insights to support a safe and compliant food service environment.
Time as a public health control: To avoid foodborne illness, food should be kept either hot (above 135°F) or cold (below 41°F). If hot or cold storage isn't available, time can be used as a safety control.
- Food in the "danger zone" (between 41°F and 135°F) can be safe for consumption for up to 4 hours, but it must be marked with the time it was taken out of temperature control.
- After 4 hours, the food must be thrown away to prevent harmful bacteria from growing.
- Food establishments that use time as control must have a written plan detailing the establishments method for adherence to WAC 246-215 Time as a Public Health Control requirement.
Safe food source: To reduce the risk of foodborne illness, food in establishments must come from approved sources, as required by WAC 246-215. This helps ensure that food meets safety standards and has been properly handled.
- The sale of home-cooked foods is prohibited because they are more likely to be contaminated due to being improperly equipped for safe food handling practices.
- Licensed food establishments and processors are regularly inspected, hold permits and must only use food from approved sources to aid in reducing the risk of contamination and foodborne illness.
Advanced Food Safety Training: A Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) plays a crucial role in reducing the risk of foodborne illness by actively training employees and monitoring food safety practices within the establishment.
- The top five violations in food establishments often stem from issues like lack of managerial control, insufficient training and inadequate procedures. A CFPM helps address these concerns by equipping managers and Persons in Charge (PICs) with the knowledge and tools to identify potential hazards, educate staff and ensure that proper food safety practices are consistently followed. This proactive approach helps minimize the risk of foodborne illness and improves the overall food safety culture in the establishment.
Training Opportunity: If you and your team are interested in attending an in-person course to review CFPM training, with the option to become certified, WSU Extension is hosting a class on March 13th at the Benton-Franklin Health District in partnership with WSU. This class includes review and testing options. Click on the link to sign up: https://extension.wsu.edu/foodsafety/training-programs/servsafe-2/
Food Safety Newsletter: In 2024, our BFHD Food Safety Team completed over 5,700 inspections to help local restaurants and food vendors keep customers healthy and happy. But even the best kitchens can slip up. Want to know what made the Top 5 Food Safety Violations of 2024: Food Safety - Benton Franklin Health District