Tag Archives: Restaurants

by | October 26, 2010 · 12:14 pm

Hospitality Industry Food Safety: U.S. Food And Drug Administration (FDA) Is Recommending Restaurant Operators To Employ A Certified Food Protection Manager

 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.

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by | August 3, 2010 · 3:15 am

Hospitality Industry Food Safety: Restaurant Owners Must Improve Food Handling And Cooking Skills

[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

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by | May 18, 2010 · 5:24 am

Hospitality Industry Food Safety Training: Foodborne Illnesses Cause About 5000 Deaths And Over 200,000 Hospitalizations Per Year (Video)

[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.

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by | May 12, 2010 · 6:01 am

Hospitality Industry Health Insurance: New Health Care Law Puts Restaurants, With A Higher Percentage Of Unskilled And Part-Time Workers, At A Disadvantage In Finding Cost-Effective Health Insurance

The new health care law will make it far harder for the restaurant and retail sectors, the primary employers of part-time and low-skill workers, to operate. 
 
Restaurants and drugstores that are open 24 hours a day will be disadvantaged, because they need several shifts of workers to stay open.
 
Firms with more than 50 workers will have to offer the right kind of health insurance, costing no more than 9.5% of the employee’s income, or pay a $2,000 penalty.
 
This will give small restaurants and stores a substantial cost advantage.  It will wreak havoc with franchisees, who frequently own groups of small establishments.  
 
 
(From a GLGroup.com article)   In 2009, 50% of restaurant employees and 36% of retail employees worked part-time, i.e. under 35 hours per week. A higher percentage of women, 58% in the restaurant industry and 44% in the retail industry, work part-time.  
 
With higher-skill jobs, employers can offer the required benefits and pay for them by cutting the wage. But low-wage jobs in the restaurant and retail sectors leave little room for cuts in wages.
 
So firms will have an incentive to become more automated, or machinery-intensive—and hire fewer workers.  Fast food restaurants could ship in more food and have it reheated, rather than cooking it on the premises. Department stores could have fewer sales clerks and more price-scanning stations, so that shoppers could scan labels for prices rather than asking sales assistants.
 
 

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by | May 9, 2010 · 6:08 am

Restaurant Food Safety: Oregon Restaurant Salmonella Poisoning Outbreak Highlights Risks Of Food Contamination And Need For Strict Food Preparation Safety Training

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.

http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/20114

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by | May 4, 2010 · 4:18 am

Restaurant Food Safety: Some Counties Are Now Posting Restaurant Inspections Online With Explanation Of Findings

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)   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.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/20100430_Most_restaurant_inspections_now_posted_on_the_Web.html

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by | May 1, 2010 · 5:41 am

Restaurant Accident Liability And Prevention: Preventative Maintenance And Workplace Safety Save Owners Money In Long Run

The average slip-and-fall accident costs a restaurant about $12,000, and since most locations will experience between three and five of these per year, anything that can bring those figures down is good for the bottom line.

“When the budget’s lean, owners often look at a growing problem and say, ‘We don’t have the personnel or money to fix this right now,’” Riggs says. “But preventative maintenance is always easier than trying to fix a catastrophic problem after something’s been neglected.”

(From a QSRMagazine.com article)   Before Peter Riggs became a vice president with the 173-unit franchise Pita Pit, he was a franchise owner. Starting out in the business, Riggs thought he knew what to look for when it came to preventative maintenance and workplace safety. He watched for spills on the floor. He made regular equipment service appointments. He did all the things an owner-operator should do to ensure his location is in top working order. But one day a chair broke, and he realized he still had a lot to learn.

“The chair got old and one of its parts just came loose and broke,” Riggs says. “There was no particular reason beyond wear and tear. You know stuff like that happens, but you really don’t think about it in relation to your own business unless someone tells you to watch out for it.”

Fortunately, no one was injured, but Riggs still likes to tell the anecdote because he says it illustrates an important point when talking about site maintenance: Attention to detail is everything. And as owners and operators look to save money during the troubled economy, it’s the small, preventative particulars that often get lost in the mix. And it isn’t just a matter of safety; it’s also a matter of profitability.

http://www.qsrmagazine.com/articles/what_matters_most/141/prevention-1.phtml

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by | April 24, 2010 · 5:51 am

Hospitality Industry Workplace Injuries: Over 4% Of California State Workers’ Comp Claims Filed For Hospitality Workers With Injuries Including Skin Wounds, Strains, And Other Injuries Leading To Over $1.1 Billion In Benefit Payments

The study detailed data on more than 137,000 claims filed by restaurant workers in California for work-related injuries that occurred from January 2000 through the end of 2008. Researchers said that more than 90 percent of the claims were filed by employees in restaurants and taverns. Workers employed in facilities such as wineries, country clubs and hotels were also included in the sample.

(From a RiskandInsurance.com article)   Total medical and indemnity benefit payments on these claims amounted to just under $1.1 billion. In addition to accounting for 4.1 percent of the state’s workers’ comp benefit payments, restaurant workers filed 6.1 percent of all California job injury claims.

Leading claims. The study found that the number one injury diagnosis for restaurant workers was minor wound/injury to the skin. Researchers said these injuries represented nearly one out of three restaurant claims, but only 4.4 percent of the loss payments because workers were treated quickly and returned to work with no lost time. On the other hand, medical back problems without spinal cord involvement — typically sprains and strains — made up less than one in five restaurant claims but carried a much higher average cost and consumed almost one-third of paid losses in this sector.

Rounding out the top five injury categories were shoulder, arm, knee and lower leg sprains (10.4 percent of the claims and 8.8 percent of paid losses); other injuries, poisonings and toxic effects (8.1 percent of the claims and 9.4 percent of the payments); and ruptured tendons, tendonitis, myositis and bursitis (3.8 percent of the claims and 6 percent of the payments). Researchers found that second- or third-degree burns represented 3.6 percent of the restaurant claims. However, burn injuries accounted for only 1.4 percent of the total dollars paid on restaurant claims (about five times the proportion found for all industries).

http://www.riskandinsurance.com/story.jsp?storyId=398239449

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by | April 16, 2010 · 6:53 am

Restaurant Food Safety: Foodborne Illness Outbreaks Will Force Restaurant Operators To Increase Use Of Disinfectants And Sanitizers

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)     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.

http://www.prlog.org/10627949-demand-for-food-safety-products-in-foodservices-industry-available-through-bharatbook.html

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by | April 8, 2010 · 6:33 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Issues: There Is No Clear Legal Guidance For Hotel And Restaurant Operators If They Suspect A Guest Or Patron Is Likely To Commit Illegal Acts

“A proprietor of an inn, tavern, restaurant, or like business is liable for an assault upon a guest or patron by another guest or third party where the proprietor has reason to anticipate such an assault and fails to exercise reasonable care to forestall or prevent the same.”

(From a Volokh.com posted article)   “The duty of a proprietor of a tavern or inn to protect his patrons from injury does not arise until the impending danger becomes apparent to him, or the circumstances are such that a careful and prudent person would be put on notice of the potential danger.” 

Other jurisdictions have applied the landowner-invitee analysis to determine whether a university has a duty to protect students from the criminal actions of third parties. In analyzing the issue, [most of the courts] relied upon Restatement (Second) of Torts § 344 (1964), which provides:

“A possessor of land who holds it open to the public for entry for his business purposes is subject to liability to members of the public while they are upon the land for such a purpose, for physical harm caused by the accidental, negligent, or intentionally harmful acts of third persons or animals, and by the failure of the possessor to exercise reasonable care to 

“(a) discover that such acts are being done or are likely to be done, or

“(b) give a warning adequate to enable the visitors to avoid the harm, or otherwise to protect them against it.”

The general rule is that a landowner has no duty to protect an invitee on the landowner’s premises from a third party’s criminal attack unless the attack is reasonably foreseeable. Prior similar acts committed upon invitees furnish actual or constructive notice to a landowner. A university owes student tenants the same duty to exercise due care for their protection as a private landowner owes its tenants.

http://volokh.com/2010/04/06/what-should-landlords-do-if-a-tenant-is-accused-of-a-violent-crime/

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