USA Food Safety

Topics & Programs

Listed below are some of the most frequently applied aspects of Food Safety Programs. Since every Food Service operation is unique, not all of these will apply to every situation. However, this page will give you a basic overview of many of the Food Safety Topics that USAFSP frequently addresses.

Active Managerial Control Training
Cold and Hot Holding
Cooking Temperatures
Cooling
Crisis Management
Cross-Contamination
Dish Washing & Sanitizing
Equipment Storage
Facility Cleaning & Sanitizing
FAT TOM
Food Contact
Food Flow Analysis
Food Storage Procedures
Garbage Disposal
HACCP
Handwashing
Hazardous Foods
High-Risk Customers
How Food Becomes Unsafe
Monitoring
Personal Cleanliness
Personal Loss to Employees
Pest Control
Pre-Inspection Studies
Prerequisite Programs
Quizzes and Testing
Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Food Safety
Record Keeping
Reheating
Reporting of Health Problems
Scheduling & Inspection of Deliveries
Self-Inspections
Temperature Danger Zone
Thawing
Thermometer Use & Care
Three Categories of Food Hazards
Time & Temperature Control
Time & Temperature Monitoring
Utensil Handling
Utensil Storage

Active Managerial Control Training – When one thinks of a Food Safety Program, it is usually regarding the training of the food handlers and the wait staff. However, at USAFSP, we also understand the importance of training your management as well. Your managers must have knowledge of the rules and procedures that the people they are supervising are following. Properly educated, your managers and supervisors will have the knowledge to understand and properly monitor the activities of your entire operation, as well as verify that your unique USAFSP Food Safety Program is effective at keeping all the important risk factors at bay.

Cold and Hot Holding – For catering and buffet businesses, it is not enough to store and prepare food at the proper temperatures. Vigilant monitoring is critical when certain foods are put out not for immediate consumption, but for availability over the course of a few hours (known as holding). USAFSP will stress to your staff that temperature awareness is not only for food preparation, but a priority that must be monitored until customer consumption.

Cooking Temperatures – One of the most frequent causes of food poisoning, along with contamination, is failure to cook food to the proper temperature. With USAFSP, your staff will learn not only the proper cooking temperatures for each particular item on your menu, but also the importance of proper thermometer use and regularly scheduled monitoring. This will ensure your customers are being served properly cooked meals that will bring them back, again and again, not only for the flavor quality, but also for the safety quality.

Cooling – Contrary to popular belief, refrigerators are not meant to cool hot food. Refrigerators are meant to keep cold food cold. In a hectic restaurant environment, there is the temptation to simply put hot food in the refrigerator and be done with it. This is extremely dangerous from a food safety standpoint, as it will cause the interior temperature of the refrigerator to rise to a dangerous level, and create bacteria growth in all the items stored inside. At USAFSP, we will explain to your people the importance of the proper cooling procedures before refrigeration, and why cooling hot food before refrigeration is so critical to food safety. When someone takes the time to explain the thinking and reasons behind doing something a particular way, your people will understand why they are being asked to do it that way, and will be willing to do so, even if it takes them a little more time to do so.

Crisis Management – Even with the most effective Food Safety Program in place, a restaurant is vulnerable to a crisis. Often, the media reports stories of well-known restaurants and chains who have received contaminated food items from established, reputable suppliers. There is also another, more sinister, possibility to consider; there are many people in our society who are looking to make some easy money by falsely complaining that dining at a particular restaurant made them sick. They threaten to sue the restaurant and, hoping the restaurateur will want to avoid the legal fees and bad publicity, make some easy cash with a settlement. With the optional USAFSP Crisis Management instruction, combined with the accurate record keeping that your staff will learn with USAFSP, you will be armed with a powerful defense against frivolous and dishonest complaints. (Note: USAFSP is not a law enforcement agency, nor a law firm. We are not in any position to instruct you what actions you can take against a party who is proven to knowingly file a false claim.) If you choose this option, it will require the training, participation, and cooperation of all key management personnel in formulating a plan to gather all relevant information regarding the complaint, know what to say and what not to say, proper communication procedures among all relevant personnel, and the proper documentation of all necessary facts and data relevant to the situation.

Cross-Contamination – Even in the cleanest restaurants, cross-contamination is a genuine danger that can occur in virtually any point in your operation. Simply put, cross-contamination is the transfer of microorganisms from one food or surface to another. Here’s a very simple example: during preparation, a worker cuts poultry with a clean, sanitized knife, and since he’s in a hurry, uses the same knife to slice beef. The microorganisms in uncooked poultry cannot be killed by the temperatures that beef is cooked to. By trying to save a few minutes of time, your worker has just put your customers, and you, in serious jeopardy. USAFSP will educate your entire staff on the importance of cross-contamination prevention, including the cleaning and sanitizing of all surfaces, utensils and equipment after each task, as well as other concepts such as assigning specific equipment for each type of food group, storing food items according to food type, use of cleaning towels and cloths for non-food contact only, and any other policies that are relevant to your unique operation.

Dish Washing & Sanitizing – Whether you use high-temperature, chemical-sanitizing, or the three-sink method for your dishwashing needs, USAFSP will instruct your staff on the proper, professional methods to ensure that all your dishes and utensils are washed and sanitized properly in the safest and most efficient manner. In addition, we will not only teach the “how” of proper dishwashing procedures, but also the “why” as to the reasons that these procedures are so important. When your people understand the thinking behind the rules and procedures they must follow (and which they had a hand in creating) they will be much more willing to follow these rules, and also emphasize to all future employees the importance of your specific program.

Equipment Storage – One of the important messages USAFSP will teach your cleaning crew is that even when the job is done, the task is not complete. This is what we mean: even after you have made the restaurant sparkling clean, it is important that your cleaning supplies and equipment be cleaned and stored in the proper manner. Proper cleaning and storage of your equipment and supplies is critical to prevent chemical contamination, odor contamination, and humidity and water buildup, which may attract pests. At USAFSP, we will work with your cleaning team to ensure that the job is not done until all equipment and supplies have been cleaned and stored in a safe and proper manner, and that the members of your cleaning team understand the thinking and reasons behind making the extra effort to follow the proper procedures.

Facility Cleaning & Sanitizing – What’s the difference between cleaning and sanitizing? Cleaning is the process of removing food, dirt, and other soil from a surface. Sanitizing is the reduction of the number of microorganisms on a clean surface to a safe level. While everything in a restaurant should be cleaned, it is important for your staff to understand what needs to be cleaned and sanitized. Everything in your operation that comes in contact with food must be properly and regularly cleaned and sanitized. USAFSP will instruct your staff, no matter what their individual tasks are, the importance of understanding which tools and surfaces in their work areas must be cleaned and sanitized, when, and how often.

FAT TOM – Aside from viruses, the six conditions that favor the growth of foodborne microorganisms are known by the acronym of FAT TOM (Food, Acidity, Temperature, Time, Oxygen, and Moisture). While not all of these factors may apply to your particular situation, USAFSP will educate your staff on the importance of controlling the FAT TOM aspects that matter to your environment, so the growth of foodborne organisms is controlled and kept to the absolute minimum.

Food Contact – One of the most basic steps to effective food safety is very, very simple—the prevention of human contact with food! However, it is not just human contact that restaurant workers must be aware of. Food can also become contaminated through contact with unsanitized surfaces and equipment. After studying your operation, USAFSP will consult with you and your staff not only in proper food handling, but also proper cleaning and sanitizing of preparation surfaces, handling tools, utensils, and every other food contact item that, if not properly cared for, will increase the risk of food contamination.

Food Flow Analysis – If you are an experienced restaurateur, you’re probably already aware of the concept of food flow. If you’re opening your first restaurant, you will discover that this is one of the most important first steps in designing an effective Food Safety Program for your unique establishment. Simply put, USAFSP will consult and work with you and your staff to chart and diagram the path all your food items travel through the purchasing, receiving, storing, preparing, cooking, holding, cooling, reheating, and serving processes to ensure that your Food Safety Program is designed to perform properly at maximum effectiveness throughout every step of your operation.

Food Storage Procedures – In between receiving and preparation, your staff must understand the importance of correct food storage procedures. Whether frozen, refrigerated, or dry, USAFSP will teach not only the “how’s,” but also the “why’s” of proper labeling, rotation, wrapping and covering, proper storage location relative to other food items, and all other aspects of this often overlooked, but very important chapter in an effective Food Safety Program.

Garbage Disposal – Proper garbage disposal is much more than just “taking out the garbage.” USAFSP will study your operation to determine the most efficient and safe garbage disposal procedures for your facility. With USAFSP, we will work with your people to determine the proper locations of receptacles, the importance of regular garbage removal, proper receptacle cleaning, and the proper ways of removing garbage from the premises. After all, it does you no good to properly dispose of your garbage if a worker brings bacterial contamination back into the restaurant.

HACCP – The optional HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) has proven to be one of the most effective tools in food safety. If you are willing and able to invest the time in this comprehensive and ongoing process of study, analysis, and review, USAFSP (which is officially HACCP certified) will work with you and your staff to design and implement a HACCP program to provide you with the type of thorough food safety coverage that was previously only available to large corporations that could afford to hire a full-time HACCP manager. Note: HACCP is a continuing, ongoing procedure. A HACCP plan is only effective if you and your management staff are willing and able to invest the additional time to constantly review and analyze food safety data on a regularly scheduled, continuous basis. You should seriously consider whether you and your managers have the time and are willing to spend that time with regular data review and analysis before choosing the HACCP option.

Hand Washing – One of the leading causes of food poisoning is contamination due to improper hand washing by a food handler. While everybody thinks that they know how to wash their hands (after all, they’ve been doing it their whole lives), your staff must be aware that there is a specific professional procedure for hand washing that must be followed in the business of food handling. At USAFSP, we will instruct your people in the proper hand washing method, and do so in a respectful, professional, non-insulting manner which not only outlines the correct hand washing procedure for the food service industry, but the thinking and reasons why this procedure is so important to the success of the business, a success which is directly related to their job security.

Hazardous Foods – USAFSP will study your menu to determine which food items are potentially hazardous, and design our training in the best way to ensure maximum safety in their receiving, storage, handling, cooking, and serving. This training will be specifically designed for the items in your facility. All rules will be relevant to your operation, and the reasons for each rule will be fully explained to each member of your staff. At USAFSP, we understand that rules must have reasons, and that people will gladly follow rules when they understand the good reasons for these rules.

High-Risk Customers – All of your staff must be aware that you cannot tell who is vulnerable to a serious food poisoning attack just by looking at them. While a person may appear to be perfectly healthy, one can never know if someone may have just had a recent surgery, be taking a certain prescription medicine, or have some other medical condition that even a minor food contamination could result in a serious illness, or even death. At USAFSP, we will stress to your people the importance of considering every single customer as potentially vulnerable, and the importance of constant vigilance in their individual tasks. The personalized, one-on-one approach of USAFSP is particularly effective in making sure that this message is understood by every member of your staff.

How Food Becomes Unsafe – With USAFSP, your people will learn of the five factors that cause foodborne illnesses, and that they are dependent on preventing four of them. After studying your operation, USAFSP will be able to educate your staff on the ways to prevent foodborne illnesses while performing their required tasks. USAFSP realizes that no two restaurants are exactly alike. Every restaurant has its own unique way of operating, and we will tailor your Food Safety education program to your specific way of doing business. We will explain to each individual why each rule is necessary and relevant. People are much more willing to follow rules when they know the thinking and reasons as to why these rules exist.

Monitoring – Regular monitoring of the temperatures that food is stored, cooked, and served at provides many important functions. In addition to the obvious safety of the food, regular monitoring and record keeping (whether random or regularly scheduled) will keep Food Safety constantly on your staff’s minds. In addition, regular monitoring will benefit your staff morale, by providing to management tangible proof that they are doing their jobs properly and proving their value to the company (especially if accompanied with the appropriate praise). Also, monitoring can provide early warning that equipment may be “drifting” away from its proper performance, and may be in need of adjustment or repair. USAFSP talk with all relevant parties in your operation to design a unique monitoring program that is most effective for your needs.

Personal Cleanliness – This is one of the most important and one of the most delicate subjects in designing an effective Food Safety Program. Even healthy people who wash and wear clean clothes carry bacteria with them. With USAFSP, your staff will be taught in a respectful, non-offensive manner how to prepare for a day’s work like the pros. We not only teach your people the “what” to do, but also the “why.” People are much more willing to follow rules when they understand the good reasons for these rules. This approach will benefit you for years to come because of the historically high turnover of personnel in the restaurant industry. New hires will follow the examples set by the people with whom they’ll be working alongside, when it’s explained why “we” have these rules in place and why they’re important to follow, even when management isn’t around.

Personal Loss to Employees – The key to any successful food safety program is the attitude of all the members of the facility staff. However, for some people it is hard to find reasons to feel motivated or enthusiastic about the business they work for. This is, unfortunately, frequently the case in the restaurant industry, where the work is often low-paying and not exactly glamorous. In this environment, many people often feel that what they are doing is not that important to the success of the business, and therefore, have no motivation to contribute their best. At USAFSP, our personalized approach to teaching stresses that each job in the facility is important to the success of the entire operation, and that their personal success and future prosperity relies on their focus on assisting the company in providing the safest food and cleanest facility for the customers. While all employers want all their people to be dedicated “team players,” USAFSP will teach your people that dedication to the success of the business is the best way for each of them to achieve their own personal, individual self-interest.

Pest Control – While USAFSP is not an actual pest control company, we will instruct your staff that having a professional pest control program in place is only part of successful pest control. Your staff must understand the importance of regularly scheduled facility cleaning and housekeeping in keeping their workplace pest-free. While your pest professionals may take care of pests when they enter the facility, it is a professional, regularly-scheduled housekeeping and cleaning program that is your #1 defense in keeping pests out of the workplace to begin with. USAFSP will work with your staff to design a specific program that will work best for your unique facility to keep it optimally clean and pest-free.

Pre-Inspection Studies – Why wait until it’s too late? When a violation is found in your restaurant during an official inspection, it is not only part of the public record, but it also costs you in negative publicity (including word-of mouth among your customers), public embarrassment (especially when they put that giant sticker on your front door) and possible monetary fines. A USA pre-inspection study can discover hidden violations and food safety hazards before the inspector does, saving you from the stain on your facility’s reputation, and ensure a good impression with your local authorities. USA will inspect your facility, grading the entire operation with a numerical score, similar to what government health inspectors use, so you can make any and all necessary corrections to your operation prior to the actual inspection.

Prerequisite Programs – While USAFSP considers each facility’s needs to be unique, we also understand that there are some basic aspects of Food Safety that apply to all facilities. These basics are the first things that we teach in all applications, with a focus on respect for the knowledge of your staff. We preface the teaching of the basics by stating that we are not here to “talk down” to your staff, but to enlighten them on the latest and most professional techniques for doing what they have been doing all along. This immediate establishment of the professional respect we will show to your staff will create an attitude and atmosphere of open receptiveness and cooperation throughout the entire USAFSP course. In other words, we let it be known right from the start that we are not here to dictate, but to educate, and the feedback and opinions of each member of your staff is not only welcome, but encouraged to ensure that your Food Safety Program is ideally suited for your facility’s individual needs.

Quizzes and Testing - How can you be sure that USAFSP is getting the job done? As part of out training, we will be quizzing and testing your people to make sure that the proper lessons are being learned. You deserve to know that you are getting your money’s worth with USAFSP, and with our emphasis on employee involvement in designing your Food Safety Program, and proof that our teaching is being learned with the use of quizzes and testing, you can rest assured that your people are learning what they need to know.

Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Food Safety – Just because a food item can be served without cooking, your people must be aware that there are Food Safety procedures that must be followed for proper inspection, storage, preparation, and monitoring for these Ready-to-Eat items. With USAFSP, your staff will understand the importance of the proper care of your RTEs, and will participate in determining the best way to handle and serve these items properly.

Record Keeping – Keeping records of various restaurant activities serves many useful and important purposes. From verifying that deliveries have been checked for proper temperature and packaging to ensuring that all foods have been cooked to the proper temperatures, a USAFSP record keeping program will guarantee that your staff is constantly aware of the importance of Food Safety. In addition, if there is ever a complaint from a customer, properly kept records are a powerful defense in the event you are faced with legal action. The ability to provide documentation that your food was received, cooked and served properly and safely can save you untold dollars in preserving your good name, not to mention substantial legal fees.

Reheating - If your establishment routinely reheats food items, USAFSP will instruct all relevant personnel on the critical differences between cooking and reheating. Your people will learn the proper techniques for reheating previously cooked food, whether it has been stored in the refrigerator or freezer, or has been hot held, and needs to be quickly reheated out of the Temperature Danger Zone for safe serving.

Reporting of Health Problems – One of the most serious problems facing the restaurateur today is the reluctance of many workers to report that they have a health problem that will affect the safety of the facility. Many restaurant workers are recent immigrants who fear that taking time off from work will cost them their jobs, so when they feel sick, they keep it to themselves, which can put the entire operation in serious jeopardy. USAFSP will teach your staff that they will make a better impression with management if they inform their supervisors of any illnesses they have, thus relieving any fears of loss of job security. As a business owner, you already know that it is better business practice to keep a good employee (even if he or she legitimately has to take a sick day or two) than it is to go through the time, expense, and disruption of hiring and training a new one. Once again (because this is so important), with USAFSP, your people will understand that notification of a health problem will not cost them their jobs, but will make a good impression with management, and in fact help increase job security.

Scheduling & Inspection of Deliveries- The finest food safety programs in the world will do no good if the food being prepared is tainted to begin with. USAFSP will work with your staff in the proper inspection procedures to make sure the products that are regularly delivered to your facility are safe and hazard-free when they arrive. Also, while evaluating your methods of operation, we will advise you on the benefits of scheduling your deliveries at a time when your staff has the time to conduct a proper inspection, and immediately move the products to the correct environment for safe storage, which is critical for many food items that are vulnerable to the dangers of room temperature.

Self-Inspections – Every food service facility is subject to inspection by local authorities, so why wait for government inspectors to discover if your facility is up to standards? At USAFSP, we will work with you to design a self-inspection that you can perform on a regular basis to insure that your facility will always be ready to meet the requirements and standards of an official inspection.

Temperature Danger Zone – When food is moved from refrigeration to cooking (or vice versa), your staff must understand the importance of food spending as little time as possible in the Temperature Danger Zone of 41°F-135°F. This doesn’t mean that all food can safely be stored below 41°F nor cooked to 135°F. This is simply the temperature range that foodborne microorganisms grow most rapidly. With USAFSP, we will discuss with your staff how they perform their daily cooking duties, and work with them to arrive at the best procedures for performing their assigned tasks while also ensuring that all relevant food items travel through the Temperature Danger Zone as quickly as possible.

Thawing – One of the easiest ways to thaw frozen food is to simply leave it out at room temperature. However, that is also the most dangerous way. At USAFSP, we will instruct your people on which professional thawing procedure is most effective for your individual facility, and also explain the scientific reasons why the extra effort to thaw in this particular manner is critical to food safety. Remember, at USAFSP, we don’t just tell your people to perform a certain task a particular way. We also explain why things should be done this way, and why this procedure is so important from a scientific and safety standpoint. When an individual understands the reasons why something should be done a certain way, he or she is much more willing to follow this procedure, even if it takes a little more effort.

Thermometer Use & Care – Of all the tools and equipment used for Food Safety in your facility, none are more important than your thermometers. However, like any other equipment, thermometers will only do their jobs properly if your staff is trained in their proper use. USAFSP training not only covers the basics like calibration, proper application in food, refrigerator and freezer placement, and the 15-second rule, but also proper thermometer, cleaning, sanitation, handling and storage. With USAFSP, your staff will possess all the necessary knowledge to properly use these critical Food Safety tools.

Three Categories of Food Hazards – With USAFSP, your staff will be educated in the three (3) categories of potential food hazards, biological, chemical, and physical. Every individual in your facility will learn which of these categories applies to each particular task, and understand the proper procedures to ensure that these hazards are properly addressed and prevented in the way they do their everyday jobs.

Time & Temperature Monitoring & Control – Proper temperature monitoring is one of the most essential aspects of an effective Food Safety Program. USAFSP will study your operation and work with you and your staff to design a temperature monitoring schedule that ideally suits your unique needs. This will ensure that your operation will pay the proper and constant attention to this most critical segment of your Program.

Utensil Handling – USAFSP will instruct your staff in all proper aspects of proper utensil handling. This not only includes the use of properly sanitized utensils, but also advising them on using the proper utensil for each particular task, but also the critical importance of your wait staff minimizing bare-hand contact with food when, for example, bringing dishes and glassware to your customer’s table, handling silverware, and scooping ice.

Utensil Storage – While USAFSP will teach your staff on the proper procedures for cleaning and sanitizing your kitchen utensils and tableware, we will not stop there. We will also stress the importance of cleaning and sanitizing the shelves, drawers, trays, carts, and all other storage areas that come in contact with anything that will come in contact with food. You can understand that it does no good to properly clean and sanitize your utensils if they’re placed in unsanitized storage. With USAFSP, you can be assured that your staff will understand the importance of this critical procedure.

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Special thanks to Raymond Benson www.raymondbenson.com for his kind assistance
in the composition of the USAFSP website. Raymond, your contribution is greatly appreciated.

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