Article

Fighting pesticides, pathogens, other brand-crushing problems

Produce is at the heart of most food borne illnesses attributed to restaurants, according to national statistics. What are your procedures for cleaning produce and other types of foods?

July 20, 2016 by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

When it comes to safety in food service, a lot of attention seems to go to meat products and their cleanliness, age and source. This is important, but the fact is that when it comes to foodborne illnesses attributed to restaurants, half of the items on the top 10 list are not meats — they are fruits and vegetables. In fact, neither chicken nor beef is listed in the top 10 sources of trouble, according to FDA data. 

So, it pays for every restaurateur to pay attention to how fruits and vegetables are handled, cleaned and stored because this can mean the difference between a brand-crushing foodborne illness incident and happy, healthy customers. Or, to quote Betsy Craig, a food safety blogger, menu labeling expert and CEO of MenuTrinfo LLC, "the difference between making headlines for a great brand or great food, and making headlines for a great tragedy."

In an interview with QSRWeb.com, Craig  emphasized the importance of vigilance in avoiding disaster:

Food safety should be at the front of everyone's mind for a successful operation. Incidents that happened as long as 20-plus years ago are still recalled from memory just by mentioning a brand name. Sadly for all, that's the wrong way to be remembered.

[If] someone gets sick and even dies, [it] could be a direct result of poor food safety practices. In the food allergy world not following proper food safety protocol could cause sudden death to one who has eaten their allergen. … On the pathogen side, it could as well cause death. As much as the incident is a scary thing, losing the consumer's trust is right up there with a massive fail in this space.

The problem
Experts in the area of food cleanliness and preservation say there are no set standards as to how produce, or for that matter, any food item is cleaned, stored or even preserved at the restaurant level. This leaves just about every restaurant doing something a little different when it comes to washing and preparing produce for presentation to customers, according to Mareya Ibrahim, patented co-creator of eatCleaner.

"In most food service operations, you will find only water being used, if that," she said in an interview with QSRWeb.com. "You may also find chlorine or peracetic acid being used, but these are not without risk to worker safety, equipment corrosion and customer issues related to wheezing, shortness of breath, etc."

Craig said that most of the clients she deals with have farmed out the task of finding the right products for cleaning foods and food surfaces to a third party.

"Most brands use a typical company, like EcoLab [national] or Dayton [regional] to purchase products that will wash, rinse and sanitize surfaces and all areas in a restaurant," Craig said. 

She went on to say that "It’s not just the cleaner that matters … it is also the tools that are used to do the cleaning, the frequency of the task, and ensuring the procedures and policies to keep the diner safe through cleanliness [are] paramount. [And] I must mention personal hygiene cleanliness here. It is an area we always hope and somewhat bet our lives on the fact that workers do not report to work sick, and making sure their personal appearance and proper personal hygiene are top shelf all the way." 

Ibrahim said these kinds of issues led to the development of eatCleaner all-natural fruit and vegetable wash. 

Wash away pathogens, preserve the flavor
Ibrahim said the product not only thoroughly cleans produce of harmful substances, but it also uses natural ingredients that work to preserve the produce and even enhance its flavor and appearance. 

"With the growing number of food service operations serving raw produce in the form of salads, juices, salsas and other uncooked preparations, the food safety risk associated with fresh produce items will continue to grow if no sound process is put into place for cleaning them properly," she said.

Ibrahim said that eatCleaner products are relatively inexpensive and fairly simple to use, requiring only that an employee dispense some powder in cold water. The product dissolves instantly, according to the company, and requires just a 15- to 30-second soak before produce is ready to be eaten, Ibrahim said.

Even if the produce is not served immediately after cleaning, the treatment still manages to help with restaurant operations since it works to naturally preserve freshness, inhibit mold growth, preserve fruit color and prevent oxidation.

"It is a patented, lab-proven, synergistic blend of natural ingredients that helps to chelate nonwater-soluble contaminants, such as wax and harmful pesticide residue, to truly clean the bacteria that could be lurking under the surface," Ibrahim said. "It is a food-grade cleaner that doesn't require any special handling and with no concerns for worker safety. You can consume it directly with no harmful effects, which is not the case with most of the sanitizers being used today. 

She said that the product is formulated to help extend produce shelf life. And that when used to strip away wax and residue, "It's amazing how enhanced the flavors and appearance become."

Ibrahim said the treatment provides additional benefits that include:

• longer produce shelf life with no corrosive effects;
• reduced shrinkage;
• better bacteria control than chlorine or peracetic acid;
• ability to kill 99.99 percent of salmonella, E.coli, listeria and coliform bacteria within 15 seconds; 
• removal of pesticide residue;
• reduction of odor from vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage; and
• classification as a minimum-risk EPA pesticide due to the use of FDA-GRAS ingredients.

Craig encourages brands to think about four major components as they move forward with a food safety plan: 

• Personal hygiene and health: Have policies in place specifying that sick workers stay home and mandating clean uniforms and other clothing, as well as restrained hair, overall cleanliness, covered cuts and lacerations, and no nail polish, among other priorities.
• Handwashing: Make it clear that anything less than scrupulous and vigilant hand cleanliness is unacceptable, and that cleansing needs to take place all day, but especially after bathroom use, before handling food and when handling products, such as peanuts, that are known to be potential allergens. 
• Purchasing from reputable suppliers: It is critical to work with food suppliers and distributors who are traceable, responsible and have clients who will readily testify to the same. There are programs available to help ensure that the supplier chain of custody is safe and free of pathogens and allergens.
• Ensuring that workers understand thorough and proper cleaning and sanitizing practices for work surfaces and equipment:  Every employee should literally know by heart what equipment and substances are to be used to clean food, food surfaces, equipment and other areas of contact. They must also understand that strict cleaning practices must be in place for the use of raw foods, such as meats, ready-to-eat foods such as lettuce, and allergenic products such as peanut butter. 

About S.A. Whitehead

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Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb editor Shelly Whitehead is a former newspaper and TV reporter with an affinity for telling stories about the people and innovative thinking behind great brands.