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January 2, 2025
In this issue
Happy New Year! Here’s to 2025 being a great one.
The new year presents an opportunity to look ahead to the future and resolve to improve. Consider challenging your workplace, employees, managers and colleagues to build a food safety culture in 2025.
A culture of food safety protects customers, limits food waste, establishes a reputation in the industry and empowers staff. Building a strong food safety culture encourages pride across the entire staff.
Consider the following fundamentals to build a culture of food safety:
- Managerial dedication: actively encourage food safety and visibly set the standard
- Clear communication channels: make sure staff know expectations and management hears what staff are seeing
- Alertness and quality improvement: change your plans as situations evolve
- Empowered staff: challenge employees to buy in and give them to tools to do so
- Acknowledgement and accountability: applaud success
- Make it an identity: integrate food safety culture; don’t keep it separate!
If you are interested in assessing your culture of food safety use the food safety culture tool created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which can be found at this link: Food Safety Assessment Form.
To help build a food safety culture as a New Years resolution Hennepin County health inspectors compiled a comprehensive list of resources and tools.
Minnesota Food Code – Statute 4626
MDA: Minnesota Department of Agriculture
MDH: Minnesota Department of Health
Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management
Minnesota Farmers’ Market Association (MFMA)
FDA: Food & Drug Administration: Food
FDA: Food Defense Training/Educational Materials
USDA: United States Department of Agriculture – Food Safety
FoodSafety.Gov
Minneapolis Food Safety for Businesses
- Posters, training videos, checklists and temperature logs in English and Spanish
University of Minnesota Extension Service
AFDO (Association of Food and Drug Professionals)
State Food Safety
Minnesota Department of Education
- Trainings and resources for school nutrition programs
International Food Protection Training Institute
CDC: Restaurant Food Safety
NEHA (National Environmental Health Association)
Seafood Watch
Deli slicers are a commonly used piece of equipment we see in food operations that slice their own meats, cheeses or similar items onsite. Onsite slicing has many benefits, such as increased freshness of a product or the ability to select a specific cut style.
If your food operations use a slicer, here are some tips for making sure your slicer will remain in good, clean condition:
- Choose a slicer that is ANSI Standard 8 certified. For help determining if a slicer meets this certification check the manual or equipment specification document. Alternatively, look for a logo matching one of those shown below on the equipment itself. This helps make sure the equipment will hold up during normal use and can be easily disassembled for cleaning. If you’re ever unsure if a piece of equipment will be approved, ask your inspector before buying.
- Follow manufacturer’s cleaning instructions
- Disassemble and wash, rinse and sanitize all surfaces
- Clean after each use and at least once every four hours for places using the slicer all day long. Don’t let old food debris remain on the slicer. Foodborne outbreaks are often associated with these uncleaned areas. Make sure the blade, handle and crevices are free of debris after each cleaning
- Set a routine schedule for checking equipment for any defects or damage
- Do not use slicers that have damaged pieces, including scratches or cracks that could be difficult to clean and collect debris
Additional information can be found on the Food and Drug Administration website: Keep Commercial Deli Slicers Safe | FDA
- General environmental health
- Basic food safety classes
- Temporary food stand licensing
- Food license information, categories, and fee schedule
- New construction or remodeling application
Radon information and test kits
hennepin.us/radon
Septic system requirements and procedures
hennepin.us/septic
Body art licensing information (tattooing and piercing)
hennepin.us/bodyart
Beaches in Hennepin County
hennepin.us/beaches
Public swimming pool regulations
hennepin.us/pools
About us
Food Digest is a quarterly newsletter written by inspectors from Hennepin
County Public Health Department, and designed to support and educate Hennepin County food facility owners and operators. Articles focus on food
safety and requirements from the Minnesota Food Code and Hennepin County food ordinance.
Location
479 Prairie Center Drive
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
612-543-5200
hennepin.us/envhealth
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