Debunking the Most Common Food Safety Myths

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Debunking the Most Common Food Safety Myths

While we know that having food safety processes and practices in place are critical to the success of any foodservice operation, there are several myths that exist around food safety. From cleaning, to proper temperatures, to how foodborne illnesses spread, it is important for restaurant owners and operators to have the right information to help ensure their food safety program is the strongest it can be.

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5 Steps to Food Safety Hand Hygiene

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Having a strong food safety program and culture of cleanliness within a restaurant is critical to its overall health. And, the foundation of both is focused on the importance of restaurant workers practicing good hand hygiene at key moments.

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Navigating the Landscape to Select the Right Surface Sanitizer for Your Restaurant

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Food safety - it’s top of mind for all restaurant owners. But with numerous components of a strong food safety program to consider, it can be difficult for restaurant owners and operators to focus on all areas at all times. 

We know that surface sanitizing and cleaning is a critical component of a solid and effective food safety program. However, with numerous options on the market today, it can be challenging to select the right surface sanitizing and cleaning product that not only meets the needs of the Food Code, but kills common foodborne pathogens, like Norovirus, and meets the needs of your restaurant’s workers and guests as well.

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365 Days and Counting of FoodSafeTruth.com

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It's hard to believe, but it has more than a year since FoodSafeTruth.com was launched. The site, which is sponsored by GOJO, was developed with the vision of being your go-to source for food safety information – delivering timely information on building, maintaining and enhancing your restaurant’s food safety program. From blog posts to bulletins on the state of the industry and norovirus prevention, we believe this vision has become a reality.

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Lessons Learned: Using Television Cooking Shows to Teach about Food Safety

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Turn on your television at any time during the day, and you are bound to find a cooking show on one of the channels. Whether it's a show dedicated to offering up helpful hints and recipes or a cooking competition, it is clear the concept of food is something that draws viewers in.

Yet, in between all the slicing and dicing and sautéing, are the chefs and professionals on your favorite shows following the best food safety practices?

A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior found that many of these programs miss the opportunity to model proper safety measures. Yes, this can be seen as a challenge to many, but researchers also took their learnings as an opportunity to identify steps toward improvements these shows should take. These included: food safety training, safe food handling practices and using food safety as a judging criteria. 

While this study may pertain to the home cook, there are some valuable takeaways that you can apply to your restaurant. These include:

  1. Ensure a food safety training course is in place. Also, offer follow-up training to answer any questions and to make sure that food safety best practices are being followed.
  2. Demonstrate and educate on safe food handling practices. This includes following proper cooking instructions and implementing processes to avoid cross contamination.
  3. Follow up with employees and make sure they are following proper hand hygiene practices and washing hands at key moments.

Food safety is critical to the success of your restaurant. Use these tips to enhance your food safety program so your restaurant can set the standard for food safety.