[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNI4lz7_scE]
Petra Risk Solutions’ Director of Risk Management, Todd Seiders, offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Report – ‘Food Poisoning Claims’.
P3 ( Petra Plus Process) is the Risk Management Division of Petra Risk Solutions – America ’s largest independent insurance brokerage devoted exclusively to the hospitality marketplace.
For more information on Petra and P3 visit petrarisksolutions.com or call 800.466.8951.
Comments Off on P3 Hospitality Industry Risk Report: "Food Poisoning Claims" Discussed By Todd Seiders, Director Of Risk Management For Petra Risk Solutions (Video)
Filed under Food Illnesses, Guest Issues, Health, Insurance, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training
 Calling for continued improvements in food safety, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that all restaurants and retailers employ 
certified food protection managers, according to a report by Nation’s Restaurant News.
Donald Kraemer, the FDA’s acting deputy director for operations, told Nation’s Restaurant News that the agency plans to add a provision requiring restaurants to employ certified food protection managers to a future edition of the federal “FDA Model Food Code.”
The recommendation, which was met with support from both the National Restaurant Association and the National Council of Chain Restaurants, came Friday as the agency released the results of a 10-year study of retail food risk factors. While the study found overall improvement, the FDA said the presence of a certified food protection manager correlated with significantly higher compliance levels with food safety practices, the report stated.
“In looking at the data, it is quite clear that having a certified food protection manager on the job makes a difference,” said Michael R. Taylor, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods. “Some states and localities require certified food protection managers already, and many in the retail industry employ them voluntarily as a matter of good practice. We think it should become common practice.”
The FDA has no timeline for adding a food protection manager provision to the Food Code, but Kraemer said the agency will work to that end through normal channels involving the Conference for Food Protection (CFP). The CFP provides the FDA with input and recommendations, and is made up of members of foodservice trade groups, the food industry, government, academia and consumer organizations. The group meets biennially and convenes next in 2012.
NRA spokesman Mike Donohue said 24 states currently require restaurants to have certified food protection managers. He added that in the other 26 states, some local jurisdictions may have requirements for the employment of such specialized employees, or the state may require such a hire for a specific restaurant or chain that has had food safety problems.
Taking the concept further, some states — including Oregon and, beginning next year, California — require all food handlers to undergo basic safety training and pass an exam attesting to their understanding of the coursework, according to the report.
The FDA’s 10-year study of retail food risk factors found full-service restaurants with certified food protection managers had a 70-percent compliance rate with food safety practices, vs. a 58-percent compliance rate at restaurants without such an employee. In delicatessens, compliance was 79 percent with a manager, compared to 64 percent without, the FDA reported.
Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Food Safety: U.S. Food And Drug Administration (FDA) Is Recommending Restaurant Operators To Employ A Certified Food Protection Manager
Filed under Food Illnesses, Guest Issues, Health, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training
Among the 497 foodborne outbreaks with a laboratory-confirmed single etiologic agent reported, norovirus was the most common cause, followed by Salmonella. Among the 18 reported deaths, 11 
were attributed to bacterial etiologies (five Salmonella, three Listeria monocytogenes, two Escherichia coli O157:H7, and one Clostridium botulinum), two to viral etiologies (norovirus), and one to a chemical (mushroom toxin).
Foodborne agents cause an estimated 76 million illnesses annually in the United States (1). Outbreak surveillance provides insights into the causes of foodborne illness, types of implicated foods, and settings of foodborne infections that can be used in food safety strategies to prevent and control foodborne disease. CDC collects data on foodborne disease outbreaks submitted from all states and territories. This report summarizes epidemiologic data for the 1,097 reported outbreaks occurring during 2007 (the most recent finalized data), which resulted in 21,244 cases of foodborne illness and 18 deaths. Among the 497 foodborne outbreaks with a laboratory-confirmed single etiologic agent reported, norovirus was the most common cause, followed by Salmonella. Among the 18 reported deaths, 11 were attributed to bacterial etiologies (five Salmonella, three Listeria monocytogenes, two Escherichia coli O157:H7, and one Clostridium botulinum), two to viral etiologies (norovirus), and one to a chemical (mushroom toxin). Four deaths occurred in outbreaks with unknown etiologies. Among the 235 outbreaks attributed to a single food commodity, poultry (17%), beef (16%), and leafy vegetables (14%) were most often the cause of illness.
For more:Â Â http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Non-food/Disease/foodborne_illness_1208100621.html
Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Foodborne Illnesses: Poultry (17%), Beef (16%) And Leafy Vegetables Cause Most Illnesses Reported That Included 18 Deaths In 2007 In U.S.
Filed under Food Illnesses, Health, Insurance, Liability, Risk Management
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztzZJye-D58]
Foodborne diseases cause an estimated 75 million illnesses in the
United States each year. To keep you from getting sick, some area
restaurant owners are brushing up on their skills
Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Food Safety: Restaurant Owners Must Improve Food Handling And Cooking Skills
Filed under Food Illnesses, Health, Injuries, Liability, Risk Management
A norovirus usually comes on suddenly, with 24 to 48 hours of exposure, with symptoms lasting one or two days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can spread by eating food or drinking liquids or touching contaminated surfaces.
“…the Country Springs kitchen has been cleaned and kitchen staff have been informed about proper hand washing…”
Waukesha County health officials confirmed Monday that a norovirus is behind the outbreak of gastrointestinal illness reported by many of the 500 people attending a fund-raising luncheon last week at the Country Springs Hotel.
Julianne Klimetz, a county spokeswoman, said initial lab results confirmed the cause. In addition, investigators have confirmed that two people handling the food were ill at the time.
Health officials have not gotten reports of any secondary infection, in which someone who attended the lunch and became ill then spread it to someone else.
“It can be spread quite easily from one household member to another,” Klimetz said.
For more: Â Â Â http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/93988304.html
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PehFNG3qghI]
Foodborne illnesses are responsible for more than 75 million illnesses, more than 230,000 hospitalizations, and approximately 5000 deaths each year in the United States. In Part 1, we show you 3 types of contamination and how improper handling can allow them to become dangerous to your patrons.
The Central District Health Department provides a series of Basic Food Safety videos focusing on the causes, dangers and prevention of foodborne illnesses.
Salmonella, the most prevalent food borne pathogen in this country, is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis, and arthritis.
Salmonella poisoning can also lead to Reiter’s Syndrome, a difficult-to-treat reactive arthritis characterized by severe joint pain, irritation of the eyes, and painful urination. Some Salmonella bacteria are antibiotic resistant, largely due to the use of antibiotics to promote the growth of feed animals.
“….76 million people each year come down with some form of food poisoning; hundreds of thousands are hospitalized and about 5,000 die…”
(From a NewsInferno.com article)  Dawnelle Marshall of the Public Health Division of the Douglas County Health Department said that the source of the outbreak remains unknown and that interviews continue with patrons of the restaurant who visited the establishment during the outbreak period in order to determine the outbreak’s timeline and origin, wrote KPIC.
“We’ve not been able to pinpoint the source, whether that is a food item, whether there is cross-contamination. We have not been able to do that, but we do have sampling that is pending, and those results should be in later this week,†said Marshall. Los Dos Amigos is cooperating in the investigation, added Marshall.
“They’re taking suggestions, they’re sharing information about how they process food, and what they do with foods. So until we know what that source is, it’s hard to evaluate what that potential cause can be,†said Marshall, quoted KPIC.
Marshall also said that some people have fallen very ill with dehydration that required intravenous fluids, reported KPIC.
Most food establishments don’t publicize even their most positive inspection reports, and no government in the Philadelphia region requires that they be tacked up for easy viewing like a menu.
But more are going online. With the new Camden County database that went live Thursday night, the outcome of inspections are now posted for the vast majority of restaurants in the eight-county region.
(From a Philly.com article)Â Â Philadelphia and Bucks, Montgomery and Camden Counties post the actual inspection reports – complete with comments and compliance for dozens of categories – in searchable databases that often contain previous inspections and explanations of the findings.
“Who doesn’t want to know what their children’s cafeteria looks like?” said Carmen G. Rodriguez, the freeholder liaison to the Health Department in Camden County, whose new Web site, like those in the other counties, includes schools.
Still, interpreting the regulatory language of inspection reports for what patrons really want to ask – Is this a safe place to eat? – takes time and patience.
“Cross-contamination and hand-washing violations and temperatures,” thorough cooking, hot foods kept hot and cold foods kept cold – these are the most important risk factors for food-borne illness, said Ben Chapman, a food-safety specialist at North Carolina State University. Dirty bathrooms matter less.
Food safety product demand in the foodservice sector will also be boosted by efforts on the part of restaurant operators to avoid the devastating impact of a foodborne illness outbreak on their image. In particular, such efforts will include the use of more efficient disinfection products, which 
will fuel demand for disinfectants and sanitizers used in restaurants and other eating and drinking establishments.
(From a PRLog.org article)Â Â Â Â US demand for food safety products is forecast to rise 6.6 percent per year to $2.9 billion in 2014. Recent high-profile foodborne illness outbreaks, in addition to large product recalls due to food safety concerns, will continue to fuel demand, as the prevention, identification and traceability of food contaminants will remain key issues for consumers, food industry participants and legislators. Demand for food safety products will also be boosted by the adoption of more stringent food safety regulations. For instance, projected increases in the frequency of food plant inspections will raise demand for diagnostic testing products.
Advances will also be supported by growth in food and beverage production, and expansion in the foodservice industry, as food processing plants and foodservice establishments constitute the largest markets for food safety products. Sales of smart labels and tags will exhibit the fastest gains, driven by the rapid adoption of new smart label technology in food packaging.
And on the industry’s own initiative, Costco reached a new agreement with a major meat supplier that would allow Costco to test that company’s shipments of trimmings for E. coli before they are ground into hamburger, which Costco believes is a critical food safety step, and one that few other companies perform.
(From a DinersJournal Blog posting) The Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, responded to the article by saying what happened to Stephanie Smith — the now 23-year-old dance instructor who became paralyzed after eating a hamburger tainted by E. coli — was “unacceptable and tragic,†and vowed to press on with initiatives to reduce the incidence of pathogen contamination. Several pieces of legislation were introduced in Congress, including a bill by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York that would require hamburger grinding companies to test for deadly E. coli. And on the industry’s own initiative, Costco reached a new agreement with a major meat supplier that would allow Costco to test that company’s shipments of trimmings for E. coli before they are ground into hamburger, which Costco believes is a critical food safety step, and one that few other companies perform.
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/q-a-with-michael-moss-round-one/
