How to Become Your Own Food Safety Advocate

Food safety is not optional. That should probably go unspoken. But, as we know, state and local regulations meet only minimum requirements. That’s why it’s important to become an internal food safety advocate within your company.

Know your own risks, set your own expectations, hold your staff accountable and most importantly, lead by example.

Make your food safety system as foolproof as possible.

How can you help ensure food safety at a minimal investment? Consider these action items:

• Train your employees about proper temperature monitoring.
• Incorporate food safety topics into your daily conversations.
• Collect data that is useful—and that you will actually use.
• Incorporate traceability into your inventory control operations.
• Get to know and keep up to date with food industry trends.
• Consult authoritative resources such as regulatory agencies, academic researchers, and trade associations.

• HACCP program
• Suppliers
• Internal practices 

• Tools & equipment
• Employees 


EHS-Net Study: Factors Affecting Safe Food Preparation by Restaurant Food Workers

A study conducted by the Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net) demonstrates the importance of internal food safety practices and management advocacy. The study described factors that restaurant workers believed made it either easier or harder for them to perform seven safe food-handling practices:

• Washing hands
• Preventing contamination of food
• Using gloves
• Cooking food to the right temperature
• Keeping heated food hot
• Keeping cooled food cold
• Reheating food to the right temperature

These practices were key to preventing the risk of foodborne illness in their consumer populations. It’s important to note that four of the factors concerned proper temperature maintenance. What the EHS-Net Study Found Not surprisingly, several factors corresponding to improper food handling were strongly influenced by management:

• Employee behaviors
• Food safety training
• Restaurant procedures
• Time pressure
• Inadequate equipment

The study concludes that food safety plans should focus on management, since managers play the most important role in advocating for food safety.Once you know you can’t pretend you don’t know!Isn’t it the truth? Once a food safety advocate, always a food safety advocate. Hold tight to the following principles as you create and encourage a food safety culture within your company:

• Don’t settle for “status quo”
• Create a system that works for you
• Generate a proactive mindset rather than reactive
• Be open to changes
• Maintain good records