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 What is the “Danger Zone”? Do you have one in your kitchen? The Danger Zone I’m referring to is not a hip new restaurant, but rather a food safety term. It’s the range of food temperatures between serving and refrigeration when microorganisms grow and I read an interesting LA Times article recently that was re-printed in the La Crosse Tribune. I never gave much thought to the topic and bet you haven’t either. A group of researchers asked shoppers if they ever washed their reusable grocery bags. Everyone (including my wife whom I also asked) had the same response: Most people are happy to see food service people wearing gloves when handling food items. Usually, I am also in that crowd. However, gloves, like hands, can easily become contaminated. Gloves need to be changed often and hands need to be washed prior to putting on gloves. Have you ever seen a food service person Eggshells have been described as a perfect package. Why then do we need to refrigerate them? If you have traveled in Europe you may have noticed that eggs are not refrigerated. If you have eaten an omelet in Paris, you probably noticed the center was “runny.” That’s Paris. We refrigerate eggs to keep the bacterial Here are great tips from the USDA on how to Referee a Safe Party: When planning a party, hosts should have a defensive strategy against foodborne illness for their guests. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends closely refereeing the following food safety violations so every partygoer returns home a winner. Illegal use of hands Avoid In the grocery business, all our actions are designed to ensure safe food and customer safety. We are very often “the last line of defense”. However, in many instances the customer or food preparer can be “the last line of defense”. There are a few simple rules that help protect you and your family. Wash I just read a study that measured the amount specific bacteria on raw, packaged chickens. The study found that 62% of the raw chickens contained Campylobacter and 14% contained Salmonella. Both of these microorganisms are capable of ruining your day. Actually, I was surprised that the numbers were not higher. I have always been instructed H1N1 and the flu—that’s all I’ve been hearing lately! To ensure that Festival Foods is fully prepared, we’ve been gathering information and holding discussions for several months now. Initially, we were all asking “What would happen if…” Then we realized that the biggest “what if” would be if any of our associates could not come After working nearly 25 years in Medical Device Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs, I thought it was time to retire. Wrong! That didn’t work too well; my hobbies are way too expensive. I read a Festival Foods ad for a part-time Food Safety position. I figured why not? I know Microbiology and I took all My name is Dick Peppard and I am the Director of Food Safety for Festival Foods. My background is in Microbiology and Quality Assurance and I have been doing this sort of work for over 30 years. I have become a perfectionist when it comes to dealing with Food Safety and Food Quality Requirements. In |
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