Navigating Food Safety Regulations: A Comprehensive Guide

Restaurants have a responsibility to not just provide their customers with an amazing dining experience but to keep them safe. To do this, businesses must always follow the latest food safety guidelines and regulations.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll help you navigate these rules and go over some best practices to help you protect your customers while maintaining a stellar reputation.

Why Is Food Safety Important?

Food safety should be a top priority for any business in the food industry because it can, quite literally, mean life or death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne diseases every year. These harrowing numbers have led to strict food safety regulations to prevent these types of illnesses from happening in the future.

FDA Food Safety Modernization Act: A Rundown

One of the most significant milestones in food safety regulation in recent years is the Food & Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Enacted in 2011, FSMA shifted focus from responding to food contamination to preventing it. It covers various aspects of food production, including:

• Prevention Measures: Businesses must establish and implement prevention measures to identify and address any potential hazards.
• Inspection and Compliance: The FDA has more authority to inspect food facilities and enforce compliance with food safety standards.
• Imports: Imported foods are subject to stricter scrutiny, with a focus on the foreign supplier’s compliance with U.S. safety standards.
• Traceability: New record-keeping requirements to help trace products in the event of a recall.

Guidelines To Follow

To make sure you’re complying with food safety regulations and protect your customers, consider implementing some of these best practices:

1. Regular Inspections: Conduct self-inspections to pinpoint any potential health hazards before they turn into serious issues. Aim for smaller spot checks once a day and more in-depth inspections weekly or monthly.
2. Supplier Verification: Ensure your suppliers meet food safety standards. Contamination can happen at any time in the supply chain, so it’s best to cut it off at the source. If there’s any odor or discoloration from a food delivery or if packages are damaged, you can and should reject a food shipment.
3. Temperature Control: Learn the proper temperatures for storing and preparing food and follow these instructions carefully. Refrigeration and cooking temperatures can help prevent foodborne illnesses.
4. Cross-Contamination Prevention: Implement measures to prevent cross-contamination between raw and cooked foods. This includes separating cutting boards, utensils, and storage containers.
5. Maintain Proper Hygiene: Washing your hands, wearing clean uniforms, and tying your hair up are just a few ways to prevent food contamination. Food handlers should also avoid going to work sick to keep customers safe.
6. Adequate Employee Training: Following the rules only works if you know what they are. Making sure you and your staff are properly trained in food safety practices can help prevent food contamination by ensuring you recognize food safety hazards and learn how to prevent and address them. Companies such as Learn2Serve by 360training offer comprehensive courses for managers as well as employees.

The Consequences of Non-Compliance

There can be major consequences if an establishment decides not to comply with food safety regulations. A single foodborne illness outbreak linked to your business can be devastating, both financially and personally. In certain states, restaurants can be held liable for causing food poisoning if their neglect is the direct cause. These kinds of financial penalties can end up in the millions, depending on how many people get sick and the severity of their illness.

What money can’t buy is your reputation, which can be tarnished in the wake of a food safety scandal. When customers doubt the safety of the food, they are less likely to return, leading to a loss of business. These types of scandals are also usually covered by the media, creating negative headlines and reviews on social networks. At the end of the day, people want to know what they’re eating is safe, and when it’s not, that trust is broken. Getting that trust back can take years to accomplish if it’s achievable at all.

Get Trained Today

The first step to maintaining a stellar reputation and a successful food service business is getting safety training. Learn2Serve by 360training is here to help! We offer food handler training as well as food manager certification courses in various states to help protect the health and safety of your staff and your customers. Head to our website and enroll today!