Food Protection Trends - December 2011 - (Page 828)

ARTICLES Copyright© 2011, International Association for Food Protection 6200 Aurora Ave., Suite 200W, Des Moines, IA 50322-2864 Food Protection Trends, Vol. 31, No. 12, Pages 828–833 Cooling Practices Used in School Foodservice KATHIRAVAN KRISHNAMURTHY1 and JEANNIE SNEED2* Institute for Food Safety and Health, Illinois Institute of Technology, 6502 S. Archer Road, Bedford Park, IL 60501, USA; 2Dept. of Hospitality Management and Dietetics, Kansas State University, 104 Justin Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA 1 INTRODUCTION ABSTRACT A nationwide online survey of 411 school foodservice managers/directors was conducted to identify current practices used for cooling foods in school districts and to determine whether these practices have changed since the implementation of the required food safety program based on HACCP principles in 2006. A majority of respondents (78%) cool leftovers to reheat and serve at another meal in addition to cooling a variety of foods such as turkey, pork, or beef roasts, taco meat, spaghetti and marinara sauces, and soups. Only 8% have blast chillers available to support cooling. While most respondents reported using 2” pans for cooling, a number of schools reported using stockpots and 4” and 6” counter pans. Temperatures were monitored by most respondents; however, 18% did not monitor temperatures and 12% used an incorrect type of thermometer. Reported cooling practices indicate that many school foodservice workers are taking measures to speed cooling. The major challenges to proper cooling are the short work day of school employees and inadequate funds to purchase adequate equipment. Based on these results, strategies to improve cooling effectiveness can be developed. The safety of food served to students in schools is of primary importance to legislators who develop program policies for school meals programs, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, program operators, and parents and children. Monitoring and mitigating potential risks in the school foodservice environment are needed to improve the safety of food for our nation’s children. While the incidence of school-related foodborne disease outbreaks is low, efforts are still needed for risk reduction. A total of 604 foodborne disease outbreaks occurred in schools between 1973 and 1997, or a median of 25 annually (1). A 2004 General Accounting Office Report (3) indicated that 195 foodborne outbreaks, or approximately 3% of all such outbreaks, occurred in schools between 1990 and 1999. Of those outbreaks, 40 of the 59 large ones were associated with school meals, with the remaining outbreaks being attributed to food brought from home or other sources. Nineteen of those 40 outbreaks were associated with improper food handling; five of those 19 resulted from improper cooling of food (3). A peer-reviewed article * Author for correspondence: Phone: +1 703.305.2888; Fax: +1 703.305.1410 E-mail: jsneed@ksu.edu 828 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS | DECEMBER 2011 http://www.foodprotection.org/files/food-protection-trends/Dec-11-Krishnamurthy.pdf

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - December 2011

Food Protection Trends - December 2011
Table of Contents
Sustaining Members
Food for Thought from Your President
Commentary from the Executive Director
Cooling Practices Used in School Foodservice
HACCP Cost Analysis in Retail Food Establishments
Executive Board Meeting Topics
Highlights of IAFP’s Asia Pacific Symposium on Food Safety
IAFP 2012 Award Nominations
IAFP Committee, PDG, and Affiliate Council Mission Statements
New Members
What’s Happening in Food Safety
Industry Products
Coming Events
Advertising Index
Index to Volume 31
Journal of Food Protection Table of Contents
Membership Application

Food Protection Trends - December 2011