Foodservice professionals take food and workplace safety seriously or they don’t stay in the business for long. Safety and sanitation in the foodservice industry includes issues of storing foods to keep them safe from contamination, preparing foods in a way to minimize the chance of contamination, following proper cleaning protocols, and creating a workplace that is safe for the food handlers.

Recalls by manufacturers of “tainted” processed foods are mentioned in the news on a regular basis, but what doesn’t make the headlines are the instances of illnesses caused by foods served in restaurants or other eating establishments. Most localities have specific regulations for facilities that serve food and have government agencies perform regular inspections. There is even a national certification program for foodservice professionals in food safety and sanitation. Still, foodborne illness occurs and causes damage—from mild discomfort to death. Knowing the foods that are prone to problems and the precautions that can be taken to avoid serving such foods give the professional a fighting chance to avoid doing harm to customers.

It is especially important that foodservice professionals are committed to safety when serving a customer with a food allergy. A food allergy is a medical condition in which a person has a harmful immune response, or allergic reaction, after eating a food. Food Allergy Research and Education estimates that 32 million Americans have food allergies, including 5.6 million children under the age of 18. This course will build some basic awareness of food allergies and top food allergens, to help create a safe and trusted dining experience for customers.

Just as the professional must work to keep food safe for customers, that same professional must create a work environment that is safe for themselves and their co-workers. Few industries have so many potentially dangerous elements—flames, sharp objects, extreme heat, and heavy lifting—as part of a normal workday. Systems to minimize the danger, and agencies to oversee that people are abiding by those systems, are all part of the food professional’s world.

Certain foods are more prone to become contaminated or susceptible to pathogens, which are disease-causing microorganisms. For a pathogen to live, it needs protein, water, and an appropriate pH level. pH is the amount of alkali versus acid that’s in a food. Lemons have a low pH level while baking soda has a high pH level. Foods with just the right conditions for pathogens (high in protein and moisture, and with a mid-range pH) include meats, fish, poultry, and eggs (out of the shell) as well as cooked rice and cooked potatoes.

Risky Foods

Foodborne illnesses from pathogens fall into two categories: foodborne intoxication and foodborne infection. Foodborne intoxication is more commonly called food poisoning. It occurs when a person eats food that contains toxins from bacteria, molds, or certain plants and animals. The production of toxin is a part of the pathogen’s natural life cycle. These toxins act like a poison and cause symptoms in one to 12 hours, depending on the particular bacteria involved. The most common bacterium that causes foodborne intoxication is staphylococcus aureus, resulting in the foodborne disease staphylococcus. Foodborne infection occurs when a person eats food containing harmful microorganisms. They actually live and reproduce inside the body and attack the gastrointestinal tract. The symptoms start in 12 to 48 hours. The most common example is salmonella.

Certain foods are more prone to become contaminated or susceptible to pathogens, which are disease-causing microorganisms. For a pathogen to live, it needs protein, water, and an appropriate pH level. pH is the amount of alkali versus acid that’s in a food. Lemons have a low pH level while baking soda has a high pH level. Foods with just the right conditions for pathogens (high in protein and moisture, and with a mid-range pH) include meats, fish, poultry, and eggs (out of the shell) as well as cooked rice and cooked potatoes.

Risky Foods

Foodborne illnesses from pathogens fall into two categories: foodborne intoxication and foodborne infection. Foodborne intoxication is more commonly called food poisoning. It occurs when a person eats food that contains toxins from bacteria, molds, or certain plants and animals. The production of toxin is a part of the pathogen’s natural life cycle. These toxins act like a poison and cause symptoms in one to 12 hours, depending on the particular bacteria involved. The most common bacterium that causes foodborne intoxication is staphylococcus aureus, resulting in the foodborne disease staphylococcus. Foodborne infection occurs when a person eats food containing harmful microorganisms. They actually live and reproduce inside the body and attack the gastrointestinal tract. The symptoms start in 12 to 48 hours. The most common example is salmonella.

In a kitchen, chemical contamination can come from four possible sources:

• Residue left on or in foods from the supplier (pesticides, steroids, hormones)
• Cleaning compounds (ammonia, chlorine, silver polish)
• Toxic metals or compounds used for cooking utensils (chipped enamel cookware, cadmium-coated ice cube trays, ceramic baking dishes with a lead-based glaze)
• Water from old lead pipes

This type of contamination can occur with the supplier or vendor, such as when foreign particles get into the food product during the harvesting or packing. Or, more likely, the contamination occurs in the kitchen during food preparation and service. Some kitchens don’t require the kitchen staff to wear toques—the tall white straight-sided hats—but they do require some type of head covering. This isn’t a fashion statement; this is to prevent hair from falling into the food. Although hair in food is disgusting, the more dangerous situations occur when broken glass or pieces of wood or metal fall into the food. The use of glass is kept to a minimum in a professional kitchen for this very reason.

Physical contamination can also occur when cleaning. For example, scrubbing a griddle using an old or inferior-quality grill brick, can result in glass particles in the brick breaking off and getting into food being cooked on the grill.

Another example is when pieces of cleaning tools being used to clean pots and pans, such as pieces of metal from stainless steel scrubbers, contaminates the food being cooked. Always check that you have the right tool for each cleaning job to make sure you are not creating risks for contamination.