Weekly topics break down some of the most important food safety processes to help all employees understand the whys and hows of safe food handling

Every day in neighborhood restaurants, staffers are employing essential food safety skills to cook and cool foods to proper temperatures, clean and sanitize their workspaces and wash their hands, while managers run checklists to prepare for a health inspection. These are all food safety skills learned and honed over time with good training and practice.

“Sometimes, we can forget the ‘why’ behind the actions we take every day to ensure a safe dining experience. So, this year, we’re helping the workforce at every level brush up on how to execute world- class food safety and why each of these best practices is important,” said Sherman Brown, executive vice president of Business Services for the National Restaurant Association. “For more than 30 years, ServSafe has been the leader in preparing foodservice workers to deliver safe dining experiences for their guests, while also keeping themselves safe. NFSM is a good time to remind food handlers not just of the best practices but the science behind why we do them.”

This year for National Food Safety Month (NFSM), ServSafe® is cracking the code on the time-tested, science-based skills that help prevent foodborne illnesses. Between August 21 and October 2, the experts at ServSafe will curate free training and education content including e-books, checklists, posters, and infographics that are digestible, sharable, and easy to put into practice. This year’s essential topics include:

• Cracking the code on time and temperature – The importance of time and temperature control in thawing, preparing, cooking and holding foods can’t be understated. This week is all about why different food have different cooking temperatures and how to track and maintain the information.  
• Cracking the code on personal hygiene – Washing hands, keeping clean, wearing clean clothes, covering hair—sanitary habits cut down on the risk of cross-contamination.
• Cracking the code on health inspections – Nerves hit high-gear when the health inspector is due. The best way to ease unease is to understand what and why the health inspector will focus on certain things and have a checklist for how make sure everyone is ready for their visit.
• Understanding the latest food safety regulations – Every state sets its rules and regulations for food safety (most often based on the Food Code). Get up to date on the latest changes to the Food Code and find out how your local municipality is implementing the changes.
• Building a culture of food safety – It takes focus and teamwork to build a culture of food safety. Rely on all the resources presented this month to tie all food safety best practices together for your teams. Engage and remind everyone of why your operation is committed to food safety every day.

NFSM, recognized each September, was created in 1994 by the National Restaurant Association to heighten awareness about the importance of food safety education. The 2023 NFSM is sponsored by Tork, an Essity Brand, and Ecolab.

To join the NFSM conversation using the hashtag #NFSM2023. Follow ServSafe on Facebook and Twitter for the latest resources. For more information, visit FoodSafetyFocus.com.

Industry-specific tool from National Restaurant Association essential for preparedness planning and recovery

​Restaurant kitchens include open flames, hot surfaces, hot oil, cleaning chemicals, and a heavy electrical demand—all concentrated in one busy space. In the moment a fire breaks out, it’s hard to focus and plan. Always Ready: Fire(Opens in a new window) is the latest in a series of restaurant-specific guides designed to help restaurant owners and operators evaluate their risks and create a fire response plan so in the moment, they can focus on keeping people safe.

Restaurant fires account for about 6% of all nonresidential building fires reported to fire departments each year, causing more than $100 million in property damage, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Having a fire preparedness plan in place can mitigate losses, prevent injuries, and help a restaurant reopen faster.

“As business leaders, restaurant operators have many responsibilities for which they need to plan,” said Michelle Korsmo, President & CEO of the National Restaurant Association. “How best to protect their team members, their customers, and their restaurant from fires is important planning for every restaurant operator so they can more effectively respond to this type of disaster. The National Restaurant Association is proud to provide the industry with the resources and materials it needs to protect businesses and to know where and how to start recovery efforts if disaster strikes.”

The National Restaurant Association Always Ready: Fire pulls best practices from official sources and restaurant operators—including human resources and risk managers from independent restaurants and national brands—to share recommendations for what to do in advance of, during and after a fire occurs.

The guide includes:

• Vetting insurance coverage
• Assembling a crisis management team
• Assessing your restaurant’s risk for fire
• Taking fire prevention measures
• Creating an “In Case of Fire” action plan that includes practice drills
• Creating a contact list to address after-fire recovery
• Communicating with staff and customers

“This guide helps operators build a plan that engages their staff on how to prevent fires and how to keep customers and each other safe. We’ve brought together the knowledge and experience of fire safety authorities and industry experts who have successfully guided restaurants through fire losses with the aim of creating a resource that gets a damaged restaurant back open and serving the community as quickly as possible,” said Korsmo.

The Always Ready: Fire and Always Ready: Natural Disasters guides are available for free to all restaurant operators here.