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 8 NUTRITION & FOODSERVICE EDGE | July-August 2018 DEALING WITH SCALE IS NOW A BLAST. Cooking with water means dealing with scale—until now. Only Vulcan integrates SonicSafe™ ultrasonic scale- fighting technology inside our generator-based, electric steamers to manage scale continuously and automatically. • Non-stop scale protection. 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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.