Be Safe Not Sorry Originally Published in Pizza Chef's Corner

Almost all of us have help wanted signs or ads in our local paper looking for new employees. As we hire new staff there is the need for continuing food safety education. The principal control measures for the prevention of foodborne diseases are:

• Identification of potential hazards associated with a food item and measures to control them.
• Identify time points when a food is in production, from raw to consumption, when a potential hazard can be prevented, controlled or eliminated.
• Establish preventive measures: time and temperature heat treatments or cooking procedures; avoidance of cross-contamination of cooked or ready to eat foods by utensils, equipment, or cutting surfaces that are not properly cleaned and disinfected after being used with fresh, or raw foods; avoidance from contamination by food handlers.
• Establish procedures to monitor, correct, and to verify that your procedures are used, because, the majority of serious food-borne disease outbreaks in restaurants occur as the result of improper attention to detail.
• Keep yourself educated with what is new in food safety.

In the last month or two I have found some new item that might help us to fight harmful microbes. As a service here is a short list of some new products:

• No rinse sanitizer for food preparation areas.
• Color-coded tongs and spoons
• Antimicrobial hand wipes
• Gel-core cold-holding pans and crocks

For food safety information, International Food Safety Council sponsored by the National Restaurant Association: 800-456-0111

At Your Service!