Holiday Food Safety:  The holidays are a great time to enjoy meals and fun with family and friends. Restaurants are open to serve guests, while many folks will prepare special meals at home.  Be sure that wherever a meal is served it doesn’t include unwanted guests: dangerous foodborne pathogens.  For a quick refresher for your team at work or home, there are many resources available to assist you.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has compiled resources for you here.

ICYMI September Is Food Safety Month:  September is National Food Safety Month, and it is a great time to review your staff training content and techniques.  The Centers For Disease Control (CDC) has developed some excellent materials for operators to use in September and throughout the year.

September is National Food Safety Month!  Join the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association in observing Food Safety Month this year by invigorating your food safety training program. Our national partner, ServSafe, has developed great tools to improve the Culture of Food Safety in your operation. Find weekly activities, posters and infographics in the ServSafe Culture of Food Safety program.

Don’t Be One Of the 97%!  A new United States Department of Agriculture study notes that consumers don’t correctly wash their hands prior to eating 97% of the time.  The same study also states that only 34% of the study’s participants use a thermometer when cooking burgers, and that cross-contamination was also a factor in the test kitchen that was part of the study.  While the study was primarily focused on consumers, rather than restaurants, remember that we are all consumers at home. Remind staff how critical handwashing is to everyone’s health.

The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association lost a dear colleague in May, Elizabeth Roberts Sheffield, after a years-long valiant fight with cancer.  Elizabeth, known as Liz to many, joined FRLA in 1997 and was most recently Director of Operations for the Education and Training Department, a position she held for over 12 years.

Outbreaks! Outbreaks! So far 2018 has certainly been a year for large outbreaks in the US and internationally. Just this week, romaine lettuce and shell eggs have been recalled on a massive scale.

Social Media and Food Safety:  iwaspoisoned.com is using a crowdsourcing platform to assist in determining what is happening with foodborne illness.  Read the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Magazine’s recent article by the founder of iwaspoisoned.com, Patrick Quade.

Holiday Food Safety Success Kit Developed By FDA: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has developed a Holiday Food Safety Success Kit that team members can use at home. Frequently foodborne pathogens are picked up at home by foodservice workers and brought to work. Encourage employees to use safe food handling tips not only at work, but also at home.

The Holidays Are Almost Here: Will your operation and employees maintain the culture of food safety to prevent the spread of foodborne pathogens?  The Holidays are a favorite time for celebrations in Florida’s restaurants.  As an operator, it is key that you keep your guests safe from potential illness.  Remember to clean, separate, cook and chill.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided a great training video tool for employees both at home and work.  Employees must maintain a healthy environment not only at work, but also at home.  Sickness can’t come to work!   Employees must be healthy to work in a restaurant.  Remind your employees to check out this employee health poster from the Division of Hotels and Restaurants.

If You Haven’t Read the CDC’s Business Pulse, You Are In For A Treat:  The Centers For Disease Control (CDC) has put together an excellent resource for business in its Business Pulse.   This is a well-done interactive infographic that describes how food safety impacts business.  Don’t miss this one.