Food Safety Training Manual – Print Download

Food Safety Training Manual – Digital Download

Transcript:

I’m Ethan Minton, major gift officer here at Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine. Pleased to meet you. I’ll be your guide throughout this four-video food safety training course. During this training, you’ll watch the following course videos, understanding the importance of food safety and the role we play, transporting and receiving products, inspecting products, and food safety recalls on how to store food safely. Once you have completed this food safety training, you will need to take a knowledge assessment. A score of 70% or better must be achieved in order to receive a valid certificate of completion. Your food safety certificate will be emailed to you using the email address you enter on the assessment. At least one person at each food pantry must be trained in food safety. The agency is responsible for ensuring all program staff and volunteers are trained properly in hygiene and safe handling of food.

This food safety training is specific to food pantries. Agencies preparing food for the public must complete more in-depth training around food preparation. Please contact your Good Shepherd Food Bank Community Resource representative for more information. Thank you for your attention and commitment to food safety. Your first of four videos is about understanding the importance of food safety and the role we play. Ready? Here we go. Food safety is extremely important in the role we play as hunger Fighting organizations helping our neighbors in need. Many times visitors to food pantries fall into the high-risk and vulnerable population. This includes infants, children, the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals who are malnourished, physically disabled or have compromised immune systems. In this video, you’ll learn the hazards that make food unsafe. You play a specific role in keeping food safe by cleaning and sanitizing and preventing cross-contamination.

People who receive support from food banks or agencies trust you to keep them safe. Foodborne illness is a major concern for many agencies and is classified as a disease transmitted to people through food. Many hazards can make food unsafe and cause food-borne illnesses. These illnesses are almost always preventable as long as precautionary steps are taken. There are three types of hazards that make food unsafe. Chemical hazards such as cleaners, sanitizers, and pesticides. Physical hazards, which usually occur when objects fall into foods such as plastics, glass, metal, and bandages, and biological hazards known as pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. You cannot see, smell or taste these pathogens. There are many ways food safety can be compromised in your agency. Making sure your volunteers and staff are fully trained is imperative to the health of your patrons. One of the easiest ways to maintain food safety is good personal hygiene. Use proper hand washing techniques, and be sure to post hand washing instructions at your agency near sinks, including in the bathrooms. Be sure to use the proper hand-washing sink, and if you don’t know the location of the correct sink, please ask.

Bad personal hygiene is the number one cause of foodborne illness outbreaks. Now more than ever, it is extremely important to stay home if you’re feeling sick, and please always wear clean clothing and aprons. Please visit the Center for Disease Control website for illness signs and symptoms, as well as guidelines and instructions on what to do if you’re feeling ill. Cleaning and sanitizing are one of the best ways to combat unsafe conditions. Remember to always follow the directions on cleaning solutions to ensure the best results. Regularly inspect for rodents and insects. Keep an inspection log and contact a local pest control company immediately. If you find traces of nests, droppings, and or damage to products. Cleaning removes food and dirt from surfaces. While sanitizing reduces pathogens to safe levels, be sure to always clean and sanitize anything that comes into contact with foods being distributed to your neighbors in need.

Remember to remove garbage recycling and cardboard as quickly as possible and ensure that garbage receptacles, both indoors and outdoors, have lids and are always covered. Cross-contamination can occur between foods, equipment, or people. Food-to-food contamination can cause serious illness. To avoid food-to-food contamination, always store ready-to-eat foods above raw food in the refrigerator. Never store raw food in the same box as ready-to-eat food. Store raw food in containers to avoid leakage or spillage. Equipment to food contamination may occur when any surface is not clean or sanitized. Avoid this type of contamination by regularly cleaning and sanitizing food storage areas. This is extremely important to maintaining a safe food serving area. Remember that any item that touches raw meat can contaminate other foods. Never use a box that contains raw meat for distribution, and always allow sanitized areas to air dry.

Food contamination was addressed in the good hygiene portion of this training. Remember, always wash your hands. Food allergies can be deadly. For some allergens are proteins that cause allergic reactions. Here are eight of the most common food allergies. People suffer from peanuts, tree nuts like almonds, walnuts, and pecans, wheat milk, soy eggs, crustacean, shellfish like lobster, crabs, and shrimp and fish to prevent cross contact. Always be sure to clean and sanitize any surfaces that come into contact with one of the stated allergens. And if there has been a spill, inspect the surrounding areas to ensure other products have not been contaminated and clean right away. If other contaminated products cannot be safely cleaned and sanitized, dispose of the product if possible, store food with allergens separately to avoid the chance of cross contact. Keeping food safely at correct temperatures is imperative for food safety. The temperature danger zone is between 41 degrees and 135 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the range when pathogens can grow the fastest on food and creates unsafe food conditions. Do not leave refrigerated or frozen product at room temperature and try to transport cold products in as little time as possible. Taking these precautions are extremely important to cold and frozen food. Being shuttled from location to location,

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It is important to minimize the cumulative time products spend in the temperature danger zone. This includes transport to your agency, distribution and handling time and transport to the patron’s home. Thank you for completing the first of four videos in Good Shepherd Food Bank’s Food Safety Training course. Yes, that’s one down and three to go. Next up transporting and receiving product.