People refer to the “food safety net,” but it seems to me more like a huge puzzle. If even one piece is missing, the picture is incomplete-or in the case of food safety, the food can be dangerous. A large part of the puzzle is the myriad of agencies responsible for the safety of food products. Another major component is the food production and manufacturing sector. This week we will be exploring an important yet often overlooked part of the puzzle: retailers. Just this past week the
FDA called for certified food protection managers to become a presence in retail outlets. The recommendation is based on the results of a ten-year study which showed that establishments which used
certified food protection managers had higher rates of compliance with food safety regulations.
Retail food safety is governed not by federal code or regulations, but by state, local, and tribal regulations. The FDA has a “
model food code” which provides guidance to regulatory agencies at all levels of government to assist with the administration of food safety as it relates to the retail sector. The ten-year study mentioned above looked at compliance rates with a variety of guidelines designed to optimize food safety at the retail level. There are a lot of so-called “risk factors” which the FDA looked at in the study: contaminated equipment, food from unsafe source, improper holding time or temperature, and poor personal hygiene. I think it is the last item that causes me the greatest concern-personal hygiene. The FDA study shows that in 2008, only
48% of observations of employee hand washing were in compliance with guidelines. This means that employees did not properly wash their hands as required 52% of the time! The statistic is particularly disturbing given the fact that the employees were being
observed.
It seems that consumer confidence in the safety of food purchased at the grocery store is a bit shaky. In a 2008
survey conducted by the Food Market Institute, only 11% of shoppers were “completely confident” and 71% said they were “somewhat confident” in the safety of food purchased at a grocery store. If your supermarket is like mine, there are plenty of opportunities for food borne illness to get into the food supply: produce department, deli counter, meat and poultry cases, fish counter, and the bakery all provide the greatest risk of contamination from that culprit “
poor personal hygiene” and others. So, what can you do? This
article written by Dr. Oz provides a couple of ways you can make sure you don’t bring home more than you paid for from the grocery store. But what can you do about the risk factors over which you have no control? I’m quickly coming to the conclusion that we are at the mercy of others when it comes to food borne illnesses, and the only way to assess your risk is to ask the right questions. I was able to locate
information about my preferred grocery chain’s food safety program, so I know that all store managers are “certified food safety managers. But is that enough?
People refer to the “food safety net,” but it seems to me more like a huge puzzle. If even one piece is missing, the picture is incomplete-or in the case of food safety, the food can be dangerous. A large part of the puzzle is the myriad of agencies responsible for the safety of food products. Another major component is the food production and manufacturing sector. This week we will be exploring an important yet often overlooked part of the puzzle: retailers. Just this past week the FDA called for certified food protection managers to become a presence in retail outlets. The recommendation is based on the results of a ten-year study which showed that establishments which used certified food protection managers had higher rates of compliance with food safety regulations.
Retail food safety is governed not by federal code or regulations, but by state, local, and tribal regulations. The FDA has a “model food code” which provides guidance to regulatory agencies at all levels of government to assist with the administration of food safety as it relates to the retail sector. The ten-year study mentioned above looked at compliance rates with a variety of guidelines designed to optimize food safety at the retail level. There are a lot of so-called “risk factors” which the FDA looked at in the study: contaminated equipment, food from unsafe source, improper holding time or temperature, and poor personal hygiene. I think it is the last item that causes me the greatest concern-personal hygiene. The FDA study shows that in 2008, only 48% of observations of employee hand washing were in compliance with guidelines. This means that employees did not properly wash their hands as required 52% of the time! The statistic is particularly disturbing given the fact that the employees were being observed.
It seems that consumer confidence in the safety of food purchased at the grocery store is a bit shaky. In a 2008 survey conducted by the Food Market Institute, only 11% of shoppers were “completely confident” and 71% said they were “somewhat confident” in the safety of food purchased at a grocery store. If your supermarket is like mine, there are plenty of opportunities for food borne illness to get into the food supply: produce department, deli counter, meat and poultry cases, fish counter, and the bakery all provide the greatest risk of contamination from that culprit “poor personal hygiene” and others. So, what can you do? This article written by Dr. Oz provides a couple of ways you can make sure you don’t bring home more than you paid for from the grocery store. But what can you do about the risk factors over which you have no control? I’m quickly coming to the conclusion that we are at the mercy of others when it comes to food borne illnesses, and the only way to assess your risk is to ask the right questions. I was able to locate information about my preferred grocery chain’s food safety program, so I know that all store managers are “certified food safety managers. But is that enough?
We once had an employee who quit working for us and started working as a butcher at a grocery I frequented. I stopped buying my meat there! I went to another store because, at the new store, I only had suspicions that the butcher was a slob. At my former store, I knew he was.
ReplyDeleteSad, but true.
Ellen, another good informative post. Having worked part time in both the grocery industry, as a cashier, and the fast food industry as a preparer and register operator, I know the criticality of good hygiene. It is truly a big hope that all employees on both fronts adhere to their company's handwashing guidelines. Because we can't watch fellow employees the whole time their on the clock, it is truly a big hope that they go by the rules. It's our food safety that is on the line. As Del commented when you know there is someone in the store who is not sanitary in their habits, then it's time to switch grocers!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is upsetting. It will be great to have our own veggies or fruits grown in our backyards, at least we will know how we are dealing with our groceries. I hope washing our grocery several times can rid the germs these unsanitary employees have put on them. I like the Dr. Oz's website. Very insightful. Nice post
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