Prevention

Where are you getting your food from?

A few questions need to be considered for Bed and Breakfast establishments: Are foods prepared at another location and if so, where is that location? Would these foods be made at someone’s home or at a commercial food facility? Food must not be made in an individual’s home as inspectors generally do not inspect private homes as they do with commercial food facilities. The sanitary conditions at one’s private home may not be upheld in contrast to a commercial facility.


Approved Sources:

Purchasing food from safe sources is essential to ensure high-quality, safe food products be served to customers.

An approved source is a supplier that has met the standards for cleanliness and safety in the production and processing of food as designated by the Canadian government. Generally, foods bought from well-known wholesalers and supermarkets are from an approved source. Foods from approved sources are less likely to be contaminated and also have lower levels of pathogens than un-approved sources.

• Bills and invoices should be kept as transaction records with approved sources so that contact tracking for an outbreak investigation can be done or a recall can be easily completed.


Foods that must be bought from approved sources

• Eggs, cannot be bought from a farm as these eggs may contain cracks, blood, or feces on the shell and this is not safe for use

• Meat and Seafood (that may be in breakfast casseroles, quiche, etc) should not be bought from un-approved sources as unsanitary conditions may contaminate the meat as harmful bacteria may be introduced if meat is improperly slaughtered.  Additionally, seafood may be contaminated in hazardous waters if not purchased from an approved source.

• Dairy must be purchased from an approved source as it is pasteurized to reduce the number of harmful bacteria unlike raw milk from local farms

• Canned goods – home canning is not recommended as home canned foods may not undergo adequate processes to kill bacteria and their spores


Unapproved Sources:

Potentially hazardous foods from an un-approved source have been implicated in past foodborne illness outbreaks. The reason why people purchase food from un-approved sources in rural areas may be due to:

• Easy access to local farms as shipment to grocery stores may not be frequent enough

• Food from un-approved sources are cheaper

While food from un-approved sources may be a more economical choice, the risk is greater buying from these sources as you are not aware of the unsanitary conditions the food may be processed and handled with. Operators minimize the possibility of foodborne illness by choosing to buy their food from approved sources.


Foods that can be bought from un-approved sources

• Vegetables and fruits from local farms


Water Source :

• Well water, if not connected to a municipal source of water, is safe to use in a rural Bed and Breakfast so long as a proper disinfection system is in place to ensure adequate levels of Chlorine to reduce bacteria in the water.  Below are some recommendations from Health Canada on the amount of household bleach that can be used for disinfecting a particular well

For more information about well maintenance, water testing, steps for Chlorine disinfection, alternate disinfection processes, chemical and aesthetic problems with water, visit Health Canada's Website

• Frequent testing of well water should be done to ensure the water is safe to drink

• We would also recommend a back-up source of water to use if something happens to the well, for example have bottled water or purchase large water jugs at a supermarket
 
_________________________________________________________________________________
How should I store my food?

Bed and Breakfasts must separate food for personal consumption from food that is made for customers of the Bed and Breakfast. Separate storage areas are recommended for personal and commercial storage of food.


Cold Storage – for goods that are potentially hazardous if kept at room temperature

• Store items in sections inside the refrigerator (ex. vegetable section, meat section, etc)

• Put meat items on the lowest shelves in the refrigerator to prevent dripping of blood into other food items

• After cooking a large servings of a such as soups, sauces, or stews, separate them into smaller/shallow containers so that may be cooled properly before putting them away into the cooler – do not stack these containers in the cooler if they are actively cooling

• Store foods with the exception of vegetables and fruits in their original packages, wrapped, or in containers

• Keep cooler/refrigeration temperatures at or below 4°C(40°F) and freezer temperatures at or below -18°C (0°F) to stop the growth of bacteria

• Put labels on food items to indicate the date made or the date received for the food item and have a system in place to get the older food out sooner (first in, first out) or to know when to get rid of the food products as they are reaching their expiry dates

• Store food into refrigerator quickly after receiving a shipment of food

Dry Storage – for dry goods that are not potentially hazardous

• Proper ventilation and flow of air must occur in the dry storage to prevent accumulation of humidity

• No window should be in the dry storage. To preserve the quality of food sunlight must be kept out (retention of heat could cause condensation to form and this could lead to mould growth)

• Should have a system in place to get older food out fast (first in, first out) and food items should be labelled as well with regards to best before dates and/or when the food item was received

• Food items should be stored on metal shelving units that should be cleaned regularly

• Food should not be directly on the floor (recommend: 6” off ground) so that pests may not get into the food and that under shelving units can be cleaned

• Ensure there are no holes or cracks that would allow for pests to enter into the dry storage room

• Only store food items in the dry storage (ie. no sanitizers/cleaners/chemicals as you would not want cross contamination to occur by having unlabelled containers mix with food)

• There should be adequate lighting in the storage room so that proper cleaning may be done

• Food in containers should be covered adequately while in storage

_________________________________________________________________________________

What are proper food handling methods?

• Use utensils as often to handle food whenever possible (ie. don’t use fingers)

• If a chef is tasting the food, don’t double dip

• Defrost food in the microwave, in fridge, or under a constant stream of cold running water

• Prepare ready to eat foods (ie. foods that do not have to be cooked) in a separate location away from the other food prep areas (ie. raw meat)

• Prepare ready to eat foods prior to preparing potentially hazardous foods to avoid cross-contamination. You should sanitize prior preparing any food though

• Utilize separate cutting boards, equipment, and cloths for raw and ready to eat foods

• Keep preparation areas sanitized

• Adequately cover cuts and utilize gloves if possible when handling foods

• Wash hands frequently to avoid contaminating food with dirty hands


_________________________________________________________________________________
What are some good personal hygiene practices?


The third biggest cause for food borne illnesses is infected food handlers (Bryan, 1988). Food handlers can transfer their infection to the food without even realizing. Some illnesses can be spread when the person has no signs or symptoms of being sick. This is why it’s important for food handlers to always make sure they are following proper hand washing procedures.

Food handlers should wash their hands:

• When they get into their kitchen to start work

• After going to the bathroom

• After handling different types of food (ex. handling meat then handling vegetables)

• After sneezing or coughing

• After touching nonfood surfaces or items (ex. garbage can)

• Before handling food

• After touching their face, hair or clothes

• After cleaning

• After smoking

Proper Handwashing

• add warm water

• add soap

• mix soap in hands and scrub for 20 seconds

• use a nail brush to clean debris under fingernails

• rinse soap off with warm water

• dry hands with a paper towel

• use that paper towel to turn the sink’s handles off

In addition to hand washing, there are other important personal hygiene considerations (Food Code):

• Clothing should be clean and light colored to see when they are dirty and to wash them as a result

• Aprons should be changed often and should not be worn outside the kitchen

• Hair should be restrained (tied back, hairnet, hat)

• Jewelry should be removed so it does not fall into food and because bacteria can harbor underneath the jewelry and contaminate food.

• Bandaids should not be worn when preparing food as they can fall off and end up in food. If a food handler has a cut, they should put a bandaid on it and then wear a food safe glove on their hand.

• Food handlers should not work when they are sick.

• Cover mouth by coughing/sneezing into sleeve

• When tasting food, use a spoon or ladle to pour it into a small bowl or cup to taste

• Food handlers should have short nails so that bacteria and dirt may not accumulate under nails

Click here for two Handwashing Posters you can use at your Bed and Breakfast.
_________________________________________________________________________________

How to Start Your Food Safety Plan

Sample Menu: http://www.armandheights.com/#/breakfast-menu/4530015034

1. Identify Food Safety Hazards and Potentially Hazardous Foods

Some potentially hazardous foods include:

• eggs
• dairy (milk, yogurt, creamers, whipped cream)
• seafood (shrimp, shellfish)
• mushrooms
• chicken, meat, and cold cuts/processed meats
• hollandaise sauce

Some questions to consider to determine whether something is a potentially hazardous food:

• If pastries are served, are they dairy cream filled?

• Is mayonnaise homemade or is it purchased?

• Are mushrooms picked in a field and if so, are what kind of mushrooms are these (ie. may be poisonous for human consumption)?

• Is milk purchased from a local farmer as this milk may be unpasterurized?

• Is sunny side an option to cook eggs (ie. eggs may not be cooked properly, egg yolk very runny and if egg was contaminated with Salmonella before, the bacteria would have not been killed in the cook step)

2. Identify High Risk Practices to Avoid

• cross contamination

• cooking temperatures are not sufficient to kill pathogens and PHF is undercooked

• serving raw meat and eggs

• improper thawing

• advance preparation

• preparing ready to eat foods and raw foods at the same time

• preparing foods that require a lot of food handling with bare hands

• foods that require multiple steps to prepare

• preparing and handling food if one has not taken a food safety course


3. Flow Charting and Identifying the Vital Steps That Must Be Controlled to Ensure Food Safety

Example of a food safety flow chart for Eggs Benedict:

 

 4. Identify General Critical Control Points for Cooking

• Cooking Step – Cook PHFs (ex. meat) to a reach a minimum temperature of 74°C

• Cooling Step – Cool from 60°C to 20°C within 2 hours and 20°C to 4°C within 4 hours prior to storing food into cooler

• Reheating Step – Internal Temperature must reach 74°C as soon as possible while cooking to kill bacteria

• Hygiene of Food Handlers – Do not let ill food handlers work, and ensure frequent hand washing

• Hot Hold Step – If foods are hot held, must make sure the food is being held at least 60°C

• Storage – Keep foods stored at 4°C or below for refrigeration if they are PHFs


5. Establish Methods to Observe and Correct Critical Control Points

• Ensure egg has been properly cooked

• May warn customers about the risk of eating sunny side up eggs and over easy eggs - recommend other ways to have eggs: scrambled, hard boiled, poached, etc

• Make a small cut in the centre of meats/processed meats and take the temperature to ensure that the inside is thoroughly cooked

• Cook seafood and do not serve it raw

• Take the temperature of foods via the use of a thermometer while cooking food

• Have a daily record of the fridge temperatures and take the temperatures twice a day – at morning and night. This will guarantee your refrigerator is holding foods at the correct temperature.

• Have food safety signs on coolers/freezers to remind staff about the importance of keeping food at the right temperature while it is in storage

• Make sure seafood, meat, eggs, and dairy from an approved source

• Do not home can goods, must buy them from an approved source

Click here to download a HACCP TIPS poster for your Bed and Breakfast.

How This Applies to You and Your Bed and Breakfast

• Buying food from approved sources, even though it is more expensive, is safer for consumption and less likely to cause foodborne illness

• Foods for personal use and commercial use in the Bed and Breakfast should not be stored together in one designated storage compartment

• Must have adequate space for cold and dry storage – must ensure cold storage is maintained at designated temperatures (4°C for fridge, -18°C for freezer)

• Proper personal hygiene and food handling must be done to prevent contamination of food

• In working with your food safety plan, it is important to identify items on the menu that are potentially hazardous foods and that you must establish what the Critical Control Points are for that food to minimize bacteria in the food

POP QUIZ:

Prevention » Quiz School

References:

Picture 1:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Bs9vvm9zgBQCUHgaLF4erpY49qx8ruU07pvGzALTP2NkUqfChtfAlApM21Z59bMOHQUZ523AFTnO0G633DFSqF0RoiiRDi4QnSyaSNuFCpoRe4QRZrGxXryRC-AKQZ1A-v8aC4QmHt3w/s1600/breakfastfoods.jpg
Picture 2: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/water-eau/well-puits-eng.php
Picture 3: http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/fridge.gif
Picture 4: http://allways-organized.com/images/pantry2.jpg
Picture 5:
http://www.sd23.bc.ca/CurriculumResources/0146B70F-00802CC4.12/pd_hand_washing_070917_main.jpg
Picture 6: http://www.motherearthnews.com/uploadedImages/Blogs/Relish!/Food-Safety.jpg

Health Canada. (2002). Canadian Food Inspection Agency: Fact Sheet - Safe Storage. Retrieved on April 20, 2010 from http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/tipcon/storagee.shtml