Newsletter

Food Protection Committeeof IEHA

Volume 1, Issue 2

Summer, 2015

What are the latesttrends in food prepara-tion? Members andguests of the recentmeeting of the IEHAFood Protection Com-mittee listened as ChefThom England, Head ofIvy Tech’s Culinary ArtsProgram, told them.

He discussed SousVide first. With SousVide, food like raw meat(for example) is placedin sealed food-gradeplastic bags. The bagsare then placed in acontainer of hot waterin a unit capable ofvery tight temperaturecontrol. Recipes cancall for preparation tobe done by using a wa-ter temperature thesame as the intended

serving temperature,compensating for thelower cooking tempera-ture by an extendedhold time. One plus ofthis method is said tobe improved quality.

Inspectors shouldnote two factors. One,this is an ROP (reducedoxygen packaging) pro-cess, and two, it is notallowed in the foodcode. So a variance isrequired from ISDH,and this includes aHACCP plan.

Another comingtrend, according toChef England, is fer-mented foods like sau-erkraut or kimchi. Be-cause these processeslack a heat treatment, a

variance would also benecessary. The properacid level (pH) is im-portant for safety.

A third food trendtaking hold is the use of“locally produced”

(Continued on page 2)

The Sous Vide methodcooks bagged food in tem-perature controlled water .

Wet wiping clothsThe food employee

checks the sanitizingsolution in the bucketused to store wipingcloths, and it checksOK with a test strip.But is it?

Many inspectors,like food employees,believe that storing in-use wiping cloths in asanitizing solution is all

that matters. The clothsare immediately“sanitized.”

The science tells usthat sanitizing chemicalmolecules will bondwith organic material(food residue) andsoaps. Only the “free”sanitizing molecules areavailable to actually killpathogens. Tests kitsdo not tell you about

effectiveness, only thatthe sanitizing chemicalis present. Once even aclean cloth contacts thesanitizing solution, thatsolution changes be-cause of soap residuescontained in the cloth.Then once the cloth isused and food particlesare picked up and thecloth is placed back in

(Continued on page 2)

What you should know about...

Food trends equal inspector challenges

A certificate vscertification

2

Rodents are adisease threat

3

Taking control oftemporary events

4

Staying above “C”level with training

4

Box checker oreducator?

5

Inside this issue:

Special points ofinterest:

Many believe thatwiping cloths are“sanitized” whenplaced in sanitizingsolution.

Time and contamina-tion of the sanitizingsolution changes ef-fectiveness.

Test strips don’t tellthe whole story.

Certificates, certification cause common confusionKatie returned to her desk at

the health department and founda plan review packet waiting. TheChew & Chat Café wanted to openas soon as possible. In an earlierconversation with the owner,Katie had reminded him that aCertified Food Handler was neces-sary.

Katie opened the envelope andon the very top, before the pro-posed menu, she spied a singlepage that said, “Certificate of At-tendance.” It was from the SafetyFirst Food Corp.

Although the certificate con-tained the company logo andlooked official, Katie knew it didnot meet the legal requirementsof “certification.” Certificationrequirements in Indiana arespelled out by law, and mustmeet the national requirementsset forth by the CFP (Conferencefor Food Protection) and ANSI(American National Standards In-stitute).

Deb Scott, Director of Opera-tions for the Indiana Restaurant &Lodging Association, says the AN-

SI logo might appear on some cer-tificates since lesser courses domeet some ANSI guidelines. But

she says an ap-proved certifica-tion will showthe ANSI/CFPlogo illustratedhere.

Katie called the Chew & ChatCafé owner to tell him what wasneeded and how to secure an ap-proved certification that meetsIndiana’s legal requirements.

“learning curve” for food workersdealing with locally grown pro-duce.

“It might take additional train-ing for workers to learn how towash it properly and not cross-contaminate,” he said.

So how do inspectors know?By asking the right questions,like, “how did you make this?”

meats and produce. Meat mightcome from a local producer andmight also be cured in the estab-lishment to allow the preparers tocontrol factors like flavors. Butagain, a HACCP plan and a vari-ance are needed.

Chef England said there is a

(Continued from page 1) And, “where did this come from?”Answers will lead to follow-up

questions. The informationgleaned can help inspectors guideoperators as to what they must doto be safe and comply with thesafe food requirements.

Food trends equals inspector challenges (continued)

The short answer is you can’t, solook for visual cues.

Inspectors must be observantand ask questions about wipingcloth use. When was the solution

made? If more than an hour or so,make a fresh batch. Is there visi-ble debris floating? Make a freshbatch.

Any wet wiping cloth shouldnever be used in more than onefood establishment area.

Remember that sanitizing so-lutions don’t really sanitize, buthopefully slow pathogen growth.

What you should know about… (continued)

the bucket, it degrades more. Addto this the material of the clothmight prevent sanitizer from pene-trating all parts of it. It can hap-pen that the cloth is spreadingaround more germs than it’s pick-ing up.

So how does one tell if thewiping cloth solution is working?

(Continued from page 1)

Page 2 Newsletter

“Inspectors must beobservant and ask questions

about wiping cloth use.”

Kramer said food trucks haveto think about filling the potablewater tanks, emptying waste wa-ter, finding power at remote sites,and work with limited space.

Surveys have shown thatmany temporary vendor inspec-tions are done when units are notoperating, so potential food safetyviolations are missed. It can ap-

Bob Kramer is the director offood safety for the Economic andCommunity Development Instituteand vice president of Savour FoodSafety International. He told agroup gathered at the Food SafetySummit in Baltimore that foodsafety is “more of a challenge”compared to regular restaurants.His comments were reported inFood Safety News.

pear there are few violations whenin fact that is not the case.

The concepts of food flow andfood safety SOPs remain as im-portant as with permanent opera-tions. It is important to look atthose factors that are unique totemporary vendors, like wasterwater disposal.

Rodents,especially miceand rats areendemic andare known tospread diseasesto people. Foodestablishmentinspectorsmust be alert tosigns of a ro-dent problemand assure theoperator has a plan to handle in-festations.

Diseases from rodents comefrom handling rodents directly,from a bite, or from contact withurine or droppings.

Food establishments shouldconsider contracting a pest con-trol operator rather than going italone, but there are steps the op-erator must take in order for pro-fessional services to be effective.

How do you know there maybe a rodent problem? Droppingsare the clearest clue. Fresh rodentdroppings are shiny black, indi-cating activity in the last day orso. Greyish droppings are older. Ablack light will show rodent urine.

Step One - Seal It Up.An opening as small as onehalf inch is large enough for amouse to wriggle through. Onetechnique inspec-tors can use is tostand in the prep orfood storage areasand look toward anouter door. If day-light is visible alongthe bottom (or sides)of the door, then

there is enough spacefor a rodent to enter.Even if the opening isnot big enough, ro-dents can gnaw theopening until it is big enough.

Advise operators to sealaround doors,foundations,pipes, andvents thatprovide a pathoutside. Usematerials ro-dents are not likely to chewthrough, like good quality caulkand steel wool. Look up. Some-times rodents will enter alongelectrical wire conduits and downfrom ceilings.

Step Two - Clean It UpTake away what rodents are

looking for, mainly food, water,and warm places to nest. Remem-

ber that theseattractants arestronger thananything a pro-fessional can doto rid the estab-lishment of ro-dents.Clean up all foodspills and takeout garbage be-fore going homeat night. Don’t letfood residue sit

in an unattended facility after-hours.

Clean up papers, box-es, etc. that could beused as nesting mate-rials. If a rodent canchew it, it might be-come a nesting site.Be careful cleaning up

rodent droppings or urine. Onepart bleach to 10 parts water willdisinfectant contaminated areas.Use paper towels to clean thenthrow away. Then wash hands!

“The CDC says rats and micespread over 35 diseases that

can spread to humans directlyand indirectly.”

What’s bugging you? Rodents are a disease threat

Are temporary vendors as safe as permanent facilities?

Volume 1, Issue 2 Page 3

Rodents can transmitmany pathogens to peo-ple. Watch for clues of

infestations.

Put food in glass or metal con-tainers as necessary to prevent

rodents access.

Taking control of your temporary eventsAll of Indiana’s larger

health departments have de-veloped a plan to controltheir temporary events, ra-ther than let the events con-trol them. But some smallerhealth departments have yetto develop an effective plan.

Don’t do it all yourself.Every event of any size has an

“event organizer” or similar per-son, who is in charge of acceptingapplicants and assigning vendorspace. As soon as an event is an-nounced, contact this person tolet him or her know what will beexpected of food vendors.

Set deadlines.Have a deadlinefor acceptingfood vendor ap-plications andstick to it. Re-member, themore responsi-

ble vendors plan ahead. Makesure the event organizer knowsabout the deadline, and that latearrivals won’t be allowed to sellfood. Educate the organizer aboutfood safety and ask him or her totell all prospective food vendorsabout the requirements concern-ing preparation, storage, and that

proof of a food handler certifica-tion might be needed.

Prepare needed materials.With a deadline, permits and

inspection forms can be preparedahead of time. Don’t accept moneyat the event. And don’t be bulliedby late arrivals. Remember, you’redoing the vendor a favor by allow-ing him to operate, not him doingyou a favor by showing up.

The event organizer can rejectvendors they choose not to accept.Potential liability can convincehim or her to reject food vendorswho are out of compliance.

code section and how it applies tothe foodservice establishment?

Does the operator have theseCONCEPTS under CONTROL?

Does the inspector suggestappropriate CORRECTION alter-natives? Does the operator havehis own suitable ideas for COR-RECTION?

With food inspectors, it shouldbe all about staying above “C” lev-el. A list of “C” words illustratesthe point. The answer should be“YES” to each of these questions.

Does the inspector understandthe CONCEPT of each code sec-tion and does he or she know howto apply it? Does the operator un-derstand the CONCEPT of each

Does the inspec-tor know how toachieve COMPLI-ANCE with prop-er due processunder the law ifvoluntary COM-PLIANCE is notsuccessful?

(Continued on page 5)

Staying above “C” level with proper training

food facilities since literal compli-ance with many sections of 410IAC 7-24 are hard to achieve.

Krista said that the way to handlethis best would be to issue generalguidance instead of having to deal

with each facility on a case bycase basis. “We don’t have the re-sources to do that,” she added.

Krista also commented thatwork on the updated food code isongoing, but will not be completedand available until sometime in2016. She added that the currentreview process is time consumingas they go through the proposeddocument line by line.

Outdoor cooking guidance, new food code coming soonKrista Click, Director of the-

Food Protection Program (FPP) atISDH announced at the recentFood Protection Committee meet-ing that a guidance document willbe coming to help inspectors atlocal health departments dealwith the increasing popularity ofcooking outdoors by restaurants.

Questions have come to theFPP about how to deal with such

Page 4 Newsletter

“Krista believes the updatedfood code will be ready

sometime in 2016.”

Raw milk may be to blame fora recent Campylobacter outbreakin Indiana. As reported in FoodSafety News, the Daviess CountyHealth Department says severalchildren under the age of two be-came ill with some cases linked toraw milk.

Although serious in adults,immune comprised persons likethe toddlers involved here canface a life-threatening blood-

Is the inspector CONSISTENTin his application of the CON-CEPTS of each code section withinan establishment and among es-tablishments? Is the inspectorCONSISTENT with ISDH and FDAtraining regardless of his or herpersonal views?

Don’t let a lack of trainingsink your boat.

(Continued from page 4) stream infection.Onset of the disease can come

two to five days after exposure,with the risk of infections fargreater with immune compro-mised individuals.

Bacteria like Campylobacter,E. Coli, and Salmonella can con-taminate milk during the milkingprocess. Pasteurization kills thesepathogens.

I recently read an editorialcolumn in the IndianapolisStar about how physicians

have been impacted by the gov-ernment’s mandate to have EHR(Electronic Health Records) byJanuary 1, 2015, or face reducedMedicare payments. Anyone whohas visited a healthcare providerrecently has certainly noticed thatmuch of the visit is spent scroll-ing, checking boxes, and clickingon a computer screen and thatthere is a lot less listening, exam-ining, and eye contact. Politicsaside, this got me thinking aboutour profession and the use of elec-tronic inspection reports.

Years ago when I was a foodsafety auditor for Steritech, I

found myself check-ing 900 boxes on acomputer screen dur-ing audits of Dardenfacilities. There waslittle time to“educate” food ser-

vice employees or see the “big pic-ture” as my eyes were focused ona computer screen and not whatwas going on in the kitchen. As Ichecked away, employees were

filling soap and towel dispensers,reorganizing shelves in the cool-ers, picking up boxes off the floor,and putting on hair restraints andgloves! Much to the dismay of mysupervisor, I decided to do inspec-tions the old-fashioned way with apen and notepad in hand…andalso received a reprimand frommy employer!

After I completed my inspec-tion, I sat down to enter the datainto my laptop and educate themanager about food safety. It ismy hope that as more and morecounties move towards electronicinspections, we still find a way tobe educators and food safety pro-fessionals rather than just box-checking inspectors. The industrywe regulate and the public weprotect will thank us for it.

Sylvia

FPC tasked with findingconference speakers

The Food Protection Commit-tee has again been asked to rec-ommend suitable speakers forthe Annual Fall EducationalConference of IEHA. The speak-ers will fill out the agenda of thefood area concurrent sessionsthat will run Monday and Tues-day afternoons. The conference isset for September 21, 22, 23, atMorris Inn, on the University ofNotre Dame campus.

Nominate candidates

Nominations are beingsought for the Tim Sullivan Me-morial Award intended to honorand IEHA member who has madesignificant contributions andachievements to food protectionand toward the goals of IEHA.More information and nomina-tion forms may be found atwww.iehaind.org.

“We need to find a way to beeducators and food safety

professionals rather than justbox-checking inspectors.”

Box checker or educator? Musings from the FPC chair

“C” level (cont.)

Volume 1, Issue 2 Page 5

Campylobacter linked to raw milk

IEHA Mission: To promote, preserve and protect environ-mental public health in the State of Indiana, and to encour-age a spirit of cooperation among all environmental healthstakeholders while serving its members in the regulatory,industry and academic communities.

The Food Protection Committee (FPC) is one of four stand-ing subcommittees of the Indiana Environmental HealthAssociation. The committee meets approximately four timesper year with dates and locations chosen by the members.Its focus is to discuss food safety related issues of interest toits members. While all IEHA members and guests may at-tend meetings, only voting members, as specified in the IE-HA Constitution and Bylaws, may vote. Meeting informationis disseminated by email. To be added to the email list, con-tact one of the co-chairs, or your IEHA chapter representa-tive.

FPC Co-chairs: Sylvia Garrison and Kris Thomas.

FPC Newsletter Editor: Ed Norris

has released findings from its2013 Surveillance Report show-ing that from 818 outbreaks,Salmonella was the culprit 34%of the time. Chicken was themost common vehicle and 60%

of the out-breaks hap-pened at res-taurants. Butfood preparedat banquetsand at privatehomes hadsignificantnumbers. No-rovirus ac-

counted for 35% of the cases,and is still the leading cause.

Gleaners Food Bank in Indian-apolis is the nation’s secondlargest facility of its type at297,000 sq. ft. It handles 30million pounds of food yearly.

It is estimatedthat the totalcosts caused byfoodborne illness-es each year isaround$15,600,000,000.Virtually all out-breaks could havebeen prevented.

Salmonella illnesses are on therise. The Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention (CDC)

Blue Bell Creameries based inTexas has voluntarily recalledall its products after findingthat samples of some poroductswere contaminated with Lis-teria monocytogenes, an organ-ism that cancause serious,and sometimesfatal infections,especially in im-mune compromised persons.Products were distributed in 23states including Indiana. BlueBell has now signed agree-ments with several states totake actions to prevent futurecontamination, necessary tobring products back to market.

Morsels

Food Protection CommitteeIEHA

P O Box 457Indianapolis, IN 46206-0457

Indiana EnvironmentalHealth Association

Food ProtectionCommittee

FPC Email:sgarrison@co.monroe.in.us

FPC Newsletterfsio9@yahoo.com

Check the IEHA website:

www.iehaind.org