Handwashing Observations in Fast-Food and Full-Service Restaurants: Results from the 2014 FDA Retail Food Risk Factors Study

Author(s):  
Linda Verrill ◽  
Marc Boyer ◽  
Laurie Williams ◽  
Jessica Otto ◽  
Amy Lando ◽  
...  

Properly executed handwashing by food employees can greatly minimize the risk of transmitting foodborne pathogens to food and food contact surfaces in restaurants. However, food employee handwashing is often not done correctly nor does it occur as often as it should. The purpose of this study was to assess the relative impact of 1) the convenience and accessibility of handwashing facilities; 2) the maintenance of handwashing supplies, 3) multi-unit status, 4) having a Certified Food Protection Manager, and 5) having a Food Safety Management System on compliance with proper handwashing. Results showed marked differences in handwashing behaviors between fast-food and full-service restaurants. Forty-five percent of fast-food restaurants and 57% of full-service restaurants were found to be out of compliance for washing hands correctly. Fifty-seven percent of fast-food establishments and 78% of full-service establishments were out-of-compliance for employee hands being washed when required. Logistic regression results point toward the benefits of accessibility and maintenance of the handwashing sink and food establishments having a Food Safety Management System to increase the likelihood of employees washing hands when they are supposed to and washing them correctly when they do.

Author(s):  
Girvin Liggans ◽  
Marc S. Boyer ◽  
Veronica S. Moore ◽  
Laurie B. Williams

Preventing ill food employees from spreading pathogens to food and food contact surfaces remain an important objective of retail food safety policy in the United States. Since 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended food establishments implement employee health policies that include requirements for the exclusion or restriction of ill food employees and reporting, to the person in charge, symptoms or diagnosis of certain diseases transmitted by food. The incorporation of this recommendation, however, has not been widely studied. The purpose of this exploratory study was to assess the presence and prevalence of employee health policies at fast food and full-service restaurants in the United States. More than 50% of fast food and full-service restaurants were found to have non-existent employee health policies for each of the five recommended components specified in the FDA Food Code. Results showed 17.41% of fast food and 12.88% of full-service restaurants had all five recommended components. Moreover, most restaurants with all five recommended employee health policy components were part of a multiple-unit operation and found to have more developed food safety management systems than restaurants with none of the recommended components. Further attention and research into the impediments associated with developing and implementing employee health policies in restaurants is warranted.


2013 ◽  
Vol 115 (9) ◽  
pp. 1381-1399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kostas Milios ◽  
Pantelis E. Zoiopoulos ◽  
Angelos Pantouvakis ◽  
Marios Mataragas ◽  
Eleftherios H. Drosinos

Author(s):  
Mayra Díaz Ramírez ◽  
José Mariano García Garibay ◽  
Judith Jiménez Guzmán ◽  
Adriana Villanueva Carbajal

ResumenLa variabilidad de los alimentos tradicionales producidos de manera artesanal es admisible, pero su inocuidad debe garantizarse. La ejecución de Buenas Prácticas de Manufactura (BPM) es fundamental para la construcción de sistemas de gestión de la inocuidad como el Análisis de Riesgos y Puntos Críticos de Control (HACCP) e ISO-22000-Food Safety Management System. El cumplimiento de este tipo de prácticas en la producción de alimentos tradicionales en México es escaso. Tomando al queso de Poro, como ejemplo de este tipo de alimentos, el presente documento describe las condiciones y controles de su proceso de producción. Ello como el primer paso para documentar la factibilidad de implementar sistemas de gestión de la inocuidad. Esto es dado que la legislación en México permite la comercialización de este tipo de quesos si su producción cumple con controles basados en BPM.AbstractThe variability of hand-made traditional food products is admissible, but food safety must be guaranteed. The accomplishment of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) is essential to implement food safety management systems as the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system and the ISO-22000-Food Safety Management System. The fulfillment of these practices in the manufacture of traditional food products in Mexico is limited so, taking Poro cheese as an example of this kind of food products, the present document is intended to describe Poro cheese’s production controls and conditions as the first step to evaluate the feasibility to implement a food safety management system, since Mexico’s regulation allows the commercialization of these kind of cheeses if their production process complies with GMP.


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