Food protection managers make restaurant meals safer

A national study, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that restaurants with Certified Food Protection Managers had fewer of most types of food safety violations. Such food managers receive special training and are responsible for monitoring and managing all food establishment operations. The manager must also be knowledgeable about foodborne illness symptoms, how to minimize risk factors and how make corrective actions if necessary.

Requiring CFPMs is a proactive way to prevent foodborne illness outbreaks in public eating establishments. According to the study, each year one in six Americans gets food poisoning likely caused by unsafe food practices either in the home, work, school, health-care facility, food packing facility or restaurant.

The Delaware Food Code requires food establishments to have a person-in-charge at the time of inspection, who is a CFPM. Because inspections in Delaware are unannounced, the food manager is required to be on duty at all times. Risk factors that contribute to foodborne illness can be minimized through training and active managerial control. A study published in Environmental Health Insights magazine suggests that restaurants with trained and certified food managers had significantly fewer critical food safety violations.

The Delaware Restaurant Association, in collaboration with the Division of Public Health, will be conducting a survey to identify the rate of food establishments complying with Certified Food Protection Manager requirements. The findings will ensure that DPH and DRA can identify those types of food establishments that require more education and outreach as it pertains to the CFPM requirements.

According to the DRA, challenges faced by restaurants that are trying to reduce the risk of foodborne illness outbreaks include high employee turnover and a labor force comprised of inadequately trained employees. Employees should have an understanding of the food handling and preparation practices and should follow those practices to mitigate risk factors. CFPMs play an important role in communicating information to food workers about the best practices to reduce foodborne illnesses and should be able to effectively convey information to employees who are not certified in food safety.

For more information, go to www.dhss.delaware.gov and search Delaware Food Code.