Pizza Today - March 2017 - 92

tory agencies haven't yet confirmed how
flour became contaminated in these
incidents, it's important to remember
the bacteria may be present in flour."
How to mount a strong defense
against these nasties? "A hand

sanitation program is vital," says Mark
Moeller, restaurant operations expert
with Shelton, Connecticut-based The
Recipe of Success, an industry consulting company. "It must be documented,
strictly adhered to and managed daily."
This isn't as easy as it sounds, Moeller
continues. Many restaurant owners
aren't as knowledgeable about sanitation
as they need to be. And those who are
often find enforcement difficult, which
can undermine even the best program.
"There must be ways to follow up and
ensure the team is doing what they're
supposed to be doing," says Moeller.
"Owners must have disciplinary procedures in place and be willing to enforce
them."
For operators unsure as to what
constitutes an effective hand sanitation
policy, Kronenberg suggests several
resources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has
guidelines on its Web site. Or reach out
to local health departments or restaurant associations.
"Positive reinforcement is a good
motivator," Kroenberg says. "Consider
rewarding employees who follow handwashing guidelines and policies. It's also
worth reminding workers that media
investigations and social media postings
about restaurant food poisonings can
cause customers to eat elsewhere."
He advises consulting with employment counsel about what disciplinary
actions are appropriate to take against
employees who don't follow the restaurant's policies. Also, consider reviewing
food preparation processes to see if it's
possible to streamline them, reducing
the number of times employees must
wash their hands.
There are additional strategies
offering protection against a foodborne outbreak. Lessen the Salmo9 2 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / M A R C H 2 0 1 7

nella risk posed by raw chicken by using
color-coded gloves and utensils (such
as yellow gloves), cutting boards and
knives, says Boyles.
"This keeps separation front of mind,
giving team members a visual cue that
enables them to see the difference,"
he explains. "I'd also like to stress that
operators should remind the team that
gloves aren't meant to protect hands but
to protect the food."
Gloves should be changed when
soiled or torn and when the employee
moves from a different task so germs
don't get transferred from one food or
surface to another, he says. Also:
* In the case where a customer or
employee becomes sick in the restaurant, establish a clean-up policy and
have bodily fluids cleanup kit on-hand
(the Food Code actually requires this,
says Boyles). Train employees on how
to respond and on the proper disinfecting procedures and why it's important
to follow these.
* Regularly monitor and record temperature data, says Kroenberg.
* Establish detailed policies and
training programs covering all aspects
of food safety, including receiving, hot/
cold storage, cooling/reheating and so
on, says Moeller. "All programs must
have a narrative and picture components and checks and balances."
* Go beyond your four walls, says
Moeller. If possible, visit your suppliers
to learn how they're managing pathogen prevention in their facilities ("And
only use products and ingredients from
approved suppliers and ensure products
are easily traceable back to their source,"
says Boyles).
It's also important to inform employees about the risks they pose when they
come to work sick; especially critical for
workers who don't get paid sick leave,
says Boyles.
"It's usually most impactful to talk
about the human costs," he suggests.
"What happens to their coworkers if
they pass along their illness? What happens to their job if the customers get
sick and the location has to close, even
temporarily? Educating them about the

impact empowers them to make good
decisions." n
PAMELA MILLS-SENN is a freelancer
specializing in writing on topics of interest
to all manner of businesses. She is based in
Long Beach, California.

Get Ready
Your restaurant may never experience
a foodborne illness event, but in the case
one happens, having a plan in place ahead
of time can help things move ahead more
swiftly, potentially mitigating the risk of
further damage, says Chris Boyles, vice
president of Charlotte, North Carolinabased The Steritech Institute, a provider of
food safely solutions, among other services.
Chain operations generally have protocols
in place dictating how to respond; smaller
stores could benefit from doing the same,
he says.
His advice? Designate a contact(s) to talk
with health department officials and the
media, ensuring that all staff knows who
to direct inquiries to and how to respond
to requests. Establish public relations
and legal counsel contacts. Notify them
immediately if it's determined an outbreak
has occurred (of course, you should alert
your local health department, as well).
Create a template for capturing details of
a foodborne illness complaint. This should
include what the customer ate, date and
time of order and when eaten (and also
ensure that you're actually able to track
how many of each menu items were sold or
served during the various dayparts).
Establish record keeping allowing you
to know which team members worked on
what days and times and the tasks they
performed. Maintain accurate logs of food
invoices, local food purchases, temperatures and other pertinent data.
"And remain calm," says Boyles. "Your
employees will be looking to you for leadership during a time when your restaurant
may be under increased scrutiny from
regulatory authorities and the media."

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Pizza Today - March 2017

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