CHARLOTTE N.C. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
In presentations and panel discussions throughout the three-day event, which was produced by Nation’s Restaurant News and sponsored by Ecolab, operators, consultants and attorneys stressed the importance of taking pre-emptive steps to reduce incidences of foodborne outbreak, the spread of illnesses and the chances of being sued. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
“It’s all about risk reduction,” said Katherine M.J. Swanson, Ph.D., vice president of food safety for Ecolab, during a keynote presentation on the H1N1, or swine, flu titled “Pandemic—Plan, Prepare, Prevent.” —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
(Click here to view photos from the Food Safety Symposium.) —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
Looking out to a flu season that promises to be challenging, Swanson noted that preventative measures, such as frequent hand washing and the regular cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces are crucial to reducing the spread of influenzas and infectious diseases. The flu virus can survive on stainless steel and plastic for 24 to 48 hours; on cloth, paper and tissue for eight to 12 hours; and on hands up to five minutes, she said. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
She noted that the seasonal flu leads to about 200,000 hospitalizations in the United States annually and about 36,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Globally, the number of deaths ranges from 250,000 to 500,000. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
While H1N1 has not generated those sorts of numbers yet, it s spreading with unprecedented speed, Swanson said. By early September 277,000 people worldwide had come down with so-called swine flu and 3,205 people had died. The flu was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization earlier this year. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
“In past pandemics, influenza viruses needed more than six months to spread as widely as the new H1N1 virus spread in less than six weeks,” Swanson said. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
She noted that vaccines and hygiene are the best ways to deter H1N1, which, unlike other strains that tend to affect the elderly, is hitting younger people harder. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
Foodservice operators should be prepared for illness to strike in waves in coming months, Swanson said, and they should also contact local health officials before the flu strikes to find out what the procedure for any necessary closings will be as well as how such information will be communicated. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
During a panel on supply chains and traceability, operators discussed the importance of setting stringent product specifications for such critical factors as quality and microbiological standards as well as the importance of vendor selection. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
“I always say, ‘In God we trust, but all others I monitor,’” Grover said. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
Because the 31,500-unit Subway system is entirely franchised, food safety is addressed in the franchise contract, and operators with repeated violations are terminated, said Steve Lawrence, assistant director of operations. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
Beyond creating strict food safety specifications for suppliers, Subway also has in place seven regional crisis management teams, in addition to a team at its Milford, Conn., headquarters. The teams manage recalls, communicate with area operators, work with local authorities and address media inquiries in the event of a food safety-related event. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
During a session on best practices in food safety compliance, operators reiterated the importance of access to suppliers’ facilities. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
Ana Hooper, vice president of total quality for Darden Restaurants, noted produce presents the largest risk for the Orlando, Fla.-based company, which spends about $2.5 billion on food and nonfood supplies annually for its several casual-dining chains. She said her company has more than 50 biologists, food scientists and public-health officials around the globe charged with keeping tabs on suppliers and added that learning the customs of different cultures is crucial for properly monitoring foreign providers. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
Veny Gapud, director of quality assurance and food safety for Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, reiterated the importance of monitoring the transportation piece of the supply chain and documenting delivery practices. Operators need to look critically at such things as the sanitation and storage temperatures of trailers and make it clear to employees and suppliers that product that has undergone temperature abuse will not be accepted at the unit level, she said. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
Charlotte, N.C.-based Compass Group, a contract foodservice provider with 8,000 U.S. accounts and 120,000 associates in North America, makes sure that managers know and follow corporate food safety guidelines and mentor colleagues by having them complete a series of five-minute training courses. Linda Gilardi, vice president of quality assurance, said the 24-week program created 10 years ago has improved performance during audits. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
Employers need to find new ways to train their workforces, said T.J. Schier, a human resources consultant and president of the Smart Restaurant Group, a franchisee of the Dallas-based Which Wich fast-casual chain. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
“Today’s kids think [music] playlists,” he said, so it is important to shrink the dose of information you give them and make the process interactive and fun whenever possible. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
Martin Ellis, senior partner at Butler, Vines & Babb PLLC in Knoxville, Tenn., advised employers to screen all workers to avoid the sabotage Domino’s endured earlier this year when two employees posted on YouTube a video of themselves desecrating food. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
“You can prohibit cameras in your restaurants,” he said, adding that operators must also monitor social media constantly. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
Food safety policies need to be carefully worded and referenced on all documents and e-mails, so that if an outbreak occurs and communications turn up in court, they illustrate an operator’s high standards, said attorney Jimmy Wright, also with Butler, Vines & Babb. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
In the event of an outbreak, operators should quickly create a court-ready incident report and contact attorneys, the local health department, the crisis management team and the insurer, Wright said. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
“If your employees are properly trained and your procedures are in place, you will survive,” Ellis said. —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
Besides educational sessions and roundtable discussions, attendees created a dinner of sushi and dim sum at the Charlotte campus of Johnson & Wales University and enjoyed a locally sourced dinner at Ratcliffe on the Green.— [email protected] —The power of prevention was repeatedly lauded during the fourth annual Food Safety Symposium, held recently in this city.
