Employees with non-infectious ongoing conditions may work in a food establishment
Foodborne illness is a very common cause of diarrhea and vomiting, however, other conditions may cause similar symptoms.
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- “Morning sickness” associated with pregnancy
The Minnesota food code requires employees to report diarrhea and vomiting to the person in charge (PIC), regardless of the cause.
When an employee has an ongoing condition causing chronic diarrhea and vomiting, common guidance (not a requirement) is to get a note from their health care provider. The note should state that the employee has a condition that is non-infectious.
If symptoms change, report to PIC
If the employee experiences new symptoms or if their symptoms change, Minnesota food code requirements apply. Both the employee and the PIC have responsibilities:
- The employee must report their symptoms to the PIC.
- The PIC must exclude the employee from the food establishment for at least 24 hours.
- The PIC must record the report, including onset date, in an Employee Illness Log.
For example, if a woman is pregnant and vomits every morning, but then begins vomiting multiple times a day or also develops diarrhea, she must tell the PIC. Because her symptoms have changed, the PIC should exclude her.
Exclude during an outbreak investigation
This common guidance changes during a foodborne illness outbreak investigation. Because it won’t be possible to know the cause of the symptoms, the PIC must exclude all employees with vomiting and/or diarrhea until at least 72 hours after symptoms end.
If your establishment experiences a foodborne illness outbreak, your health inspector will work closely with you. Together you can ensure your customers and your staff are protected and the outbreak is controlled.
Non-infectious conditions are not spread through food
IBS or morning sickness which cause diarrhea and vomiting are not spread through food and beverages. The PIC should still take advantage of the opportunity to have an open discussion with the employee.
Some key ways to help control foodborne illness risk factors are:
Develop an employee illness policy
Developing an employee illness policy is an important first step to meeting Minnesota food code requirements for reporting, exclusion and restriction of employees with diarrhea or vomiting.
The establishment’s certified food protection manager and PICs can work together to ensure that all employees understand and follow the policy.
Learn more about employee health and hygiene
- Print copies of the Employee Illness Log and use it to record symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting.
- Read the code – go to 4626.0040 through 4626.0123 in the PDF of the rule language for requirements relating to employee health and hygiene and duties of the PIC.
- Check out our other employee illness resources on the Food Business Fact Sheets web page. Click on the images below to download and print these free resources from Minnesota Departments of Health and Agriculture.
This postcard includes helpful reminders of what to look for, record and report when food employees are experiencing symptoms that could be associated with foodborne illness.
PICs can use this decision guide to help determine when an employee needs to be excluded from the establishment.
Good personal hygiene, including proper and frequent handwashing, is an important part of preventing foodborne illness.
Ill employees are the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks. An effective employee illness policy reduces the risk of food contamination by ill employees.
Handwashing signs, such as this poster, are required at handwashing sinks used by employees in retail food establishments in Minnesota.
FSP SC met April 22
The Food Safety Partnership of Minnesota Steering Committee met on Monday, April 22, with four members present and nine more participating using Skype and phone conferencing. The FSP SC provides guidance and resources for planning and presentation of FSP and FSP+ video-conferences, and sponsors food safety initiatives throughout the state.
The objectives of the meeting were to:
- Debrief the March 13 FSP meeting.
- Discuss upcoming and ongoing projects and tasks for the remainder of this year.
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Meeting highlights
Here are a few highlights from the meeting. If you would like more information about the committee’s discussion, please contact Sarah Leach.
Governor’s Food Safety and Defense Task Force report
- The Food Innovation Team (FIT) subcommittee has reviewed two cases and made recommendations.
- Next Task Force meeting is May 21.
Food safety initiative discussion
- A great new norovirus poster is available from MDH-Epi.
- Epi has more norovirus awareness campaign plans for the fall.
Upcoming Rules in Brief topics
- Articles following up on some of the questions and answers provided at the March 13 FSP meeting will be featured in coming issues of the PWDU-FSP Update.
- Topics have been selected based on questions MDH has received from regulators, industry and food safety trainers since the adoption of the new Minnesota food code.
Remote participation report for March 13 FSP meeting
- About half of verified attendees used WebEx.
- Based on comments and feedback from users, we will offer WebEx again for the Sept. 11 meeting.
- MDH staff are exploring ways to improve audio quality.
Continuing education for Minnesota CFPM
- The Steering Committee recommended we require a written assessment before releasing the continuing education certificate.
- Format of the assessment will be further explored, and will be designed to measure learning objectives at a low cost to the Committee and MDH.
- Because the FSP coordinator holds the Minnesota CFPM, FSP meetings meet the instructor requirement.
Planning discussion for Sept. 11 FSP meeting
- Epi review an industry perspective on a recent Cyclospora outbreak in Minnesota.
- EHS-Net cooling study data for Minnesota.
- Top food code violations cited by state agencies (MDH and MDA) under the revised Minnesota food code (Jan. 1 through time of data pull).
Next meeting in November
The FSP Steering Committee will meet again in November. If you are interested in attending the meeting, please contact Sarah Leach.
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