by Melissa Vaccaro, BSEd, MS, CP-FS, FMP 1 HOUR CE CBDM Approved SAN Food Defense

FOOD PROTECTION CONNECTION

PROTECT YOUR CLIENTS FROM DELIBERATE FOOD CONTAMINATION WITH VIGILANCE AND SOUND STRATEGIES

We must be concerned with food defense and food safety. Each country, the United Nations, and the World Health Unfortunately, acts of food terrorism—both foreign and Organization define Food Safety, Food Security, and domestic—have already been documented and have Food Defense differently. The FDA (US Food and caused injury and death. As a responsible manager, Drug Administration) through the FSMA (Food Safety educate yourself and your employees about the safety Modernization Act) has mandated that all manufacturers, issues in your operation, the food industry, and the entire processors, holders, packers, and distributors of food in country. We must make every effort to identify and stop the US have proactive Intentional Food Adulteration Plans any potential deliberate food contamination. As managers in place. Facilities covered under this rule must develop and employees in the food service or retail industry, it’s and implement a food defense plan that includes an your responsibility to take action! analysis of vulnerabilities and implementation of mitigation strategies. This is not mandated for foodservice and retail facilities, but these facilities are at high risk as well and

6 NUTRITION & FOODSERVICE EDGE | July-August 2018 [email protected]

should do an assessment of than the employees who will assure that, as an Melissa Vaccaro, their facilities, have a plan work there. Does something employee, you understand BSEd, MS, CP-FS, FMP in place, and train their seem different? Is your responsibility and the is the Vice President employees in food defense, something out of place? Do important role you play in of Consulting for PTI Consulting Group, defined below. not let anything out of sorts food defense every day. a division of Paster go unreported. Do not get These standard operating Training, Inc. Vaccaro Food Defense complacent or lazy about procedures can include four is a 24 year alum of Food defense is the your work environment and broad categories: Employee the PA Department of prevention of the deliberate think ‘That would never Awareness, Customer Agriculture as a Food Program Specialist, contamination of food. happen in food service Awareness, Vendor this and is an Executive Note that the action of or retail establishment.’ Awareness, and Facility Board member for the the person contaminating Be prepared! Though it Awareness. Central Atlantic States the food is deliberate may not occur often, food Association of Food and and not accidental. These tampering, food hoaxes, EMPLOYEE Drug Officials (CASA). individuals and their actions and deliberate food AWARENESS She is co-author of the SURE ™ Complete are designed to cause harm • Be a responsible contamination can happen HACCP Food Safety to people. and has happened. employee. Communicate Series. any potential food Do not be overly distrustful Food Safety defense issues to your or paranoid. The best Food safety is the manager. defense is to simply be prevention of the accidental • Be aware of your contamination of food. This alert and aware of your environment, with a few surroundings and pay accidental and unintentional attention to employees contamination occurs from daily precautions always in place. Food defense training who are acting unusual, chemical, biological, or different from their physical hazards. will help both managers and employees know what to do normal behavior. No matter how these to protect their workplace • Limit the number concepts are defined, by and customers. This will of personal items any given organization, also define what to do if you brought into your work together they each are very suspect or become aware of establishment. important to providing the a food defense issue. • Be aware of who is safest supply of food to the working at a given time public. Your responsibility as a manager or food employee and where (in what area) UNDERSTANDING is to prepare, serve, and sell they are supposed to be FOOD DEFENSE safe food. Understanding working. AND EMPLOYEE food defense will protect • If you are assigned RESPONSIBILITIES you, your family, your to the salad bar, self- Food defense is simple business, and the food service food, or displays, to practice; be aware, service or retail industry. constantly monitor them. and pay attention to your The FDA recommends Let customers know there surroundings, fellow you take food defense is employee presence in managers, employees, steps to ensure the safety that area. Salad bars and customers, vendors, and of customers, coworkers, your facility. No one knows and country. Standard a work environment better operating procedures Continued on page 8

NUTRITION & FOODSERVICE EDGE | July-August 2018 7 Continued from page 7

open food displays are easy targets for someone wanting to do harm. • Make sure labeled chemicals are in a designated storage area away from food, and not easily accessible. • Ensure you and your coworkers are following company guidelines. If you have any questions or believe company guidelines are not being followed, ask for manager assistance. • Take all threats seriously, even if it is a fellow coworker or customer blowing off steam. Report it! • If the back door is supposed to be locked and secure, make sure it is. • Look at food products every day for irregularities. If you use a food product and it’s supposed to be green but today it’s blue, stop using the product and notify your manager immediately. ALWAYS ASK FOR IDENTIFICATION • If you know an employee is no longer with your from any vendor or service person that company and this person enters an “Employees Only” area, notify your manager immediately. enters restricted areas of your establishment. • Never allow strangers and friends of employees in the If you do not recognize the regular delivery food prep area. person, ask for their ID. • Cooperate during all investigations. • Do not talk to the media; refer all questions to your they are doing while in the establishment. We assume they corporate office or an official spokesperson. know what they are there for and allow them to go about • If you are aware of a hoax or threat, alert your manager their business. Unfortunately, this can also be an easy immediately. entrance for someone wanting to do harm.

CUSTOMER AWARENESS Always ask for identification from any vendor or service person that enters restricted areas of your establishment. • Be aware of any unattended bags or briefcases that If you do not recognize the regular delivery person, ask for customers bring into your operation. their ID. • Be aware of any unusual behavior of customers. Some • When items are being delivered, stay with the delivery examples are uneasiness, pacing around, and attempts person. to enter areas that are not for customers. • Monitor all products received and look for any signs of • Monitor salad bars and self-service food areas or open tampering. Do not accept questionable deliveries. food displays for any unusual customer activity. • Never accept items not listed on your invoice. If the • If a customer walks into an “Employees Only” area of vendor attempts to give you additional items not listed, your operation, politely ask the customer if he or she notify your manager. needs help, then notify a member of management. • If a service person arrives, do they have an approved VENDOR AWARENESS work order? Where are they scheduled to do work in the Vendors and service personnel are commonplace in food facility? If you are unsure, verify with your manager. service and retail establishments. They tend to come and

go. Employees and managers pay little attention to what Continued on page 10

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To learn more, visit vulcanequipment.com © 2018 Vulcan Continued from page 8

• Do not allow vendors or service persons to roam freely FDA A.L.E.R.T. throughout your operation. The Food and Drug Administration has a Food Defense • Also, though not a vendor or service person, always ask training program called A.L.E.R.T. Food Defense 101 was for identification from your inspector or any person designed by FDA to provide a resource for preparedness claiming to be a government or regulatory employee. against an intentional attack against the nation’s food supply. This training is intended to provide understanding FACILITY AWARENESS and guidance for implementing common sense, realistic, No one knows the surroundings more than the employees and effective Food Defense Plans. You can find this who work there every day. If something seems wrong or program at: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/ out of place, report it. FDTraining/index.cfm • Report and document all equipment, maintenance, and It’s very important we all do our part to ensure a safe security issues to your manager. food supply. Don’t have the attitude “It won’t happen to • Be aware of the inside of your facility, including me.” The risk of intentional contamination is real! Though unusually open doors and windows. the risk may be relatively low, the consequences can be • Be observant of the outside of the facility, including the extremely high. E dumpster and outdoor storage areas. • Always report anything out of the ordinary.

DEALING WITH HOAXES SOURCES False accusations or fraudulent reports of deliberate contamination of food can be equally damaging to your • www.fda.gov • Paster, T., & Vaccaro, M. (2013). The HACCP Food Safety Manager facility. As a responsible employee, notify your manager if Manual for Food Service and Retail Establishments, Chapter 2, you suspect a false alarm has occurred. Food Defense. Abington, PA: Instruis Publishing Company. A.L.E.R.T. FOOD DEFENSE 101 @ ASSURE How do you ASSURE that the supplies and ingredients you A use are from safe and secure sources?

LOOK How do you LOOK after the security of the products and L ingredients in your facility?

EMPLOYEES What do you know about your EMPLOYEES and people E coming in and out of your facility?

Could you provide REPORTS about the security of your R REPORTS products while under your control?

THREATS What do you do and who do you notify if you have a THREAT T or issue at your facility, including suspicious behavior?

10 NUTRITION & FOODSERVICE EDGE | July-August 2018 1 HOUR SAN CE Questions | FOOD PROTECTION CONNECTION CE CBDM Approved SAN

This Level II article assumes that the reader has a foundation of basic concepts of CBDM II the topic. The desired outcome is to enhance knowledge and facilitate application of continuing competence knowledge to practice. where education advances performance

Reading Food Defense and successfully completing these questions online has been approved for 1 hour of Sanitation continuing education for CDM, CFPPs. CE credit is available ONLINE ONLY. To earn 1 SAN CE hour, purchase the online CE quiz in the ANFP Marketplace. Visit www.ANFPonline.org/market, select “Publication,” then select “CE article” at left, then search the title “Food Defense” and purchase the article.

1. Food Defense is 5. All vendors must A. Prevention of the accidental contamination of food. This A. Enter through the front door unintentional contamination occurs from chemical, B. Show identification when they arrive biological, or physical hazards. C. Be allowed to roam freely throughout the facility B. Prevention of the deliberate contamination of food. The action of the person contaminating the food is not 6. The four categories of food defense standard operating accidental. procedures discussed in this article were C. Having a two year supply on hand in case of food A. Vendor Awareness, Consumer Awareness, Facility emergency Awareness, Employee Awareness B. Disgruntled Employee Awareness, Customer Complaint 2. Employees must Awareness, Facility Repair Awareness, Vendor Identification A. Be aware of their surroundings and pay attention to Awareness employees who are acting unusual, different from their C. Vendor Compliance, Consumer Compliance, Facility normal behavior Compliance, Employee Compliance B. Be aware of their surroundings, however realize that some people may act unusual, but this is ok 7. The FDA program offered online for Employee Food Defense Training is C. Be aware of their surroundings, but not report something if they see it for the first time A. D.E.F.E.N.D. B. A.L.A.R.M. 3. Monitor the ______for any unusual customer activity. C. A.L.E.R.T. A. Storage room B. Deli counter C. Salad bars and self-service food areas MAKE YOUR CE HOURS AUDIT PROOF 4. Hoaxes are Attention CDM, CFPPs! Purchase your online CE products in A. False accusations or fraudulent reports of deliberate the ANFP Marketplace and your completed CE hours will be contamination of food automatically reported in your continuing education record. This B. True accusations or reports of deliberate contamination includes all ANFP online courses, archived webinars, and online CE of food articles. C. Calls from concerned customers

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NUTRITION & FOODSERVICE EDGE | July-August 2018 11