There are many products on the market today to help reduce illness caused by food. You and your staff should become familiar with these products.

When cooling foods, it is imperative to cool the product as soon as possible. Foods are at their best flavor and texture when first prepared. Slow cooking of foods draws out the moisture of the products through steam and evaporation. This can ruin the quality of the food and often creates a "left over" taste and texture. Standard refrigeration is not designed to cool food quickly enough to preserve the hard work that you do to give your customers great food. In addition, according to the National Restaurant Association, the number one cause of foodborne illness is improper cooling.

The best method of quickly chilling foods (and the least labor intensive) is to utilize a blast chiller. Blast chilled foods are cooled so quickly that the cooking process is stopped almost immediately. The foods are below the danger zone temperature of 40°F before the moisture has time to escape the products. The end result is food that has more of its own flavor, moisture and natural juices. Compared to cooling in traditional refrigeration, blast chilled food will gain an additional 5 – 10% in weight due to the lack of moisture loss, thus giving you a better yield and more profit from your products.

Blast chilled foods will not only taste better, but will also last longer (increasing shelf life from three to five days), decrease the amount of labor needed to produce a week’s volume of food, and result in a safer and higher quality product. It is a must for anyone who has to cook large amounts of food. Banquet departments, caterers, healthcare, hotels, restaurants and schools are just a few types of operators that can benefit from blast chillers. The additional savings will often pay for the blast chiller in just a few months and then continue to contribute right to the bottom line through increased profits.

• Cross-contamination is one of the leading causes of foodborne illness, but is also one of the easiest problems to correct.
• Dedicate specific cutting boards from companies such as San Jamar, utensils and containers to each food type.
• Store fresh meat, poultry and seafood in the refrigerator where they cannot contaminate other food items.
• Wash and sanitize cutting boards and knives before preparing each food item, and be especially thorough after preparing raw meat, poultry and seafood.
• Separate raw meat, poultry and seafood from other food at all times in buying/storing.
• Most cross-contamination problems stem from the following: Raw foods to ready-to-eat foods, food-to-food contact, cutting boards, utensils and dishes, work surfaces and prep areas, cleaning rags and dish towels, and hands.
• Companies such as Russell Dexter make cutlery with different colored handles for each of the 6 different food classes, Poultry, Meat, Cooked foods, Vegetables, Fish, and Dairy and Cheese.

• Store cooked and ready-to-eat foods above raw food.
• Replace or sanitize buffet utensils every 1/2 hour.
• Never thaw at room temperature.
• Use products such as blast chillers and cooling paddles to cool food, not freezers and refrigerators.
• Create a daily cleaning and maintenance schedule and checklist.
• Have frequent employee training sessions on food safety.

Ask Globe Equipment for help. Many of our employees have received formal training on food safety. They can provide cost- effective products that support a HACCP program as well as valuable information on constantly changing safety rules and regulations.

Recently, manufacturers have a released a variety of industrial and consumer products featuring Microban. Microban provides a clean work environment. The antimicrobial product protection is built-in to inhibit the growth of bacteria and mold that can cause stains, odors and product deterioration. Microban protection works continuously to make products easier to clean and to keep them cleaner between cleanings. Used in medical applications for over 10 years, Microban is registered with the EPA. NSF has also approved it for use in food and splash zone areas and food processing equipment. While Microban is a helpful adjunct to good sanitation practices, Microban technology is not a substitute for normal cleaning practices and is not designed to protect users from foodborne illness. Maintaining regular sanitation practices should remain your top priority.

A good thermometer is one of the most useful tools for ensuring food safety. We stock a wide variety of thermometers from Cooper-Atkins that are available for specific applications such as espresso, grills, refrigerators and probe thermometers for food safety. Educate your staff on the proper use and application for each thermometer. It is also important they know how to use and calibrate any probe thermometer.

1. Train every employee about proper handwashing. Hands should be washed for 20 seconds, using a soft nailbrush to clean fingertips. Document the process and make sure employees know why handwashing is imperative. Monitor your employees' handwashing and use positive reinforcement to encourage this important practice. Handwashing is the number one thing YOU can do to prevent foodborne illness!

2. Be a safe food handler by requiring strict personal hygiene. All employees should wear clean uniforms and hair restraints. Jewelry and artificial nails must not be permitted. Restrict or send home crew members that are ill - they must not handle foods.

3. Train and enforce a "no bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods" policy. Wash hands and use alternatives such as disposable gloves, clean utensils or paper wraps to handle all ready-to-eat foods.

4. Obtain food supplies from reputable approved sources. Food should be inspected for spoilage and temperatures should be checked during all stages of preparation. This includes when food is received from the supplier, is placed in cold storage and is being prepared on the prep tables. When in doubt, throw it out!

5. Identify all potentially hazardous foods on your menu and keep them as cold as possible during storage and preparation. An internal food temperature ranging from 35 to 38°F is optimal --- never higher than 41°F. Keep frozen food at a temperature of 0°F. Safely thaw foods a day in advance under refrigeration.

6. To prevent cross-contamination observe time & temperature guidelines when storing and handling prepared food. Label prepared foods with product, preparation date and time and optimal temperature.

7. Keep foods out of the DANGER ZONE (41° to 135°F). Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold! Teach all crewmembers to use temperature charts and a stem thermometer. Check food temperature in two places -- the thickest portion and the center. Sanitize the thermometer stem before and after use with an alcohol swab.

8. Cook and heat-process food to above recommended minimum temperature (usually 145°F, 155°F or 165°F depending on the food). Memorize your minimum cooking temperatures. Post a chart for the crew.

9. Rapidly chill hot food to below 41°F within 4-6 hours! Techniques to reduce cooling time include using an ice bath or shallow pans, cutting or reducing food, stirring food and keeping food uncovered. Be sure to check local regulations.

10. Reheat food to 165°F + within 2 hours and hold at this temperature for 15 seconds. Hold hot foods at 140°F.

11. Avoid cross-contamination of raw and ready-to-eat foods by hands, utensils and equipment. Wash, rinse and sanitize all food contact equipment. Keep raw products separate from ready-to-eat foods.

Here are some recommendations for safer ice:

Wash your hands prior to doing any tasks to handle ice. This includes a 20 second hand wash with soap and water after using the restroom, sneezing or coughing, handling other foods, doing cleaning tasks, or contaminating hands in any way.

Ice machines must also be delimed and perhaps professionally cleaned a few times a year. Potable water that is properly filtered at the inlet to the ice machine will keep your machine cleaner.

Never nest multiple ice buckets. Transfer buckets should be stored inverted in a sanitary area. At the ice machine, store large ice scoops in a sanitary receptacle on the outside of the machine. Ice scoops should be made of metal or plastic.

At the dispensing ice bin, clean and sanitize the ice bin daily and store the ice scoop in the ice with the handle up or on a clean, dry surface. Shut the cover on the bin while not in use. Never use a breakable glass as an ice scoop.

If you fill a hopper for automatic dispensing to customers, clean and sanitize the hopper daily and keep it properly covered.

Ice machines and bins must never be directly plumbed to the sewer system. There must be an air gap on the drain of the machine or bin. That way, the sewer system can never back up into your ice storage units.

If using ice for chilling sealed containers of food or beverages, do not use that ice again for human consumption in drinks.

Bottom Line ice safety: Clean that machine! Ice is a ready-to-eat food, so in addition, food workers should not handle ice with bare hands, but must always use a sanitary ice scoop, tongs, or gloves for an extra level of protection.

Non-contact infrared thermometers measure surface temperatures fast, avoiding cross-contamination, during temperature checks. Infrared instruments are used for quick assessment in receiving, storage and holding areas, steam tables, and salad bars. An infrared thermometer can go from a kitchen to a cold storage area and still provide accurate readings when given the time to acclimate to the ambient temperature. Do not leave the instrument in an area where the temperature is below freezing.

A Bi-Metal thermometer has two metal strips formed into a coil. Metal changes volume with temperature, so the coil will tighten with cooling and unwind with exposure to heat thus turning the attached pointer. For accurate readings the entire expanse of the coil must be exposed to the product you are testing. Bi-metal thermometers should also be checked for calibration of dropped, exposed to temperatures greater or less than the span of the dial, or other excessive uses. The Cooper-Atkins bi-metal pocket test has an external dimple on the stem to indicate exactly where the coil ends and its appropriate insertion point.