Food safety might not be the hottest item on the menu, but it is definitely a key ingredient to getting your kitchen running efficiently. At Phenium, our food safety mascot, Elliott the fox advocates for kitchen common-sense  – he can sniff out kitchen fail at ten paces! And, as he says, nobody wants a side of food poisoning with their meal.

One of the biggest troublemakers in food safety is cross-contamination. It is sneaky, preventable, and far more common than most people realise. Bacteria can spread faster than gossip at brunch when proper precautions are not in place.

The good news? Preventing cross-contamination is usually less complicated than people think. A few smart habits, consistent hygiene practices, and a little extra attention can help keep food fresh, customers happy, and food safety standards simmering nicely in the background.

Cross-contamination happens when harmful bacteria, allergens, or other unwanted contaminants are accidentally transferred from one food, surface, utensil, or person to another. In simple terms, it is how germs hitch a ride around the kitchen without anyone noticing.

This can happen at almost any stage of the food journey, during preparation, storage, transportation, or even while serving food in busy restaurant environments. Something as small as using the same chopping board for raw chicken and salad ingredients can be enough to spread contamination.

The tricky part is that cross-contamination is usually invisible to the naked eye, which is why good hygiene habits and proper food safety procedures are such an important part of every food-handling environment.

The main types of cross-contamination

1. Food-to-food contamination

This type of cross-contamination happens when raw or contaminated food comes into contact with ready-to-eat food. It is one of the most common food safety risks in kitchens and food preparation areas.

Examples include raw poultry dripping onto fresh produce in refrigeration units, unwashed vegetables contaminating cooked foods, or raw seafood being stored beside prepared meals. Raw meats can commonly carry harmful bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, which can cause serious illness if transferred to food that will not be cooked again before serving.

2. Equipment-to-food contamination

Kitchen tools, utensils, and food-contact surfaces can quickly become sources of contamination when they are not properly cleaned and sanitised.

This can happen when the same chopping board is used for raw meat and vegetables, utensils are reused without washing, preparation counters are not sanitized correctly, or equipment is shared across different food preparation tasks. Without proper cleaning procedures in place, bacteria can survive on surfaces and spread throughout an operation far more easily than people realize.

3. Person-to-food contamination

Food handlers play a major role in maintaining food safety standards. Poor personal hygiene can easily transfer harmful microorganisms directly onto food.

Examples include failing to wash hands after handling raw products, touching ready-to-eat foods with contaminated gloves, working while unwell, or coughing and sneezing near food preparation areas. Consistent staff training, hygiene awareness, and good workplace habits are essential for reducing these risks.

Best practices to prevent cross-contamination

1. Separate raw and cooked foods.

Keeping raw and cooked foods separate is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent contamination.

This includes using colour-coded chopping boards and utensils, storing raw meat on lower refrigerator shelves, keeping food in sealed containers, and creating designated preparation areas where possible.

2. Implement proper cleaning and sanitising procedures

Cleaning removes visible dirt and debris, while sanitising helps reduce harmful microorganisms to safe levels. Food businesses should follow scheduled cleaning routines, use approved food-safe sanitizers, regularly disinfect high-contact surfaces, and check that cleaning procedures are being carried out effectively.

3. Prioritize hand hygiene

Handwashing remains one of the easiest and most effective food safety controls.

Employees should wash their hands before food preparation, after handling raw food, after touching waste materials, after using restrooms, and after completing cleaning tasks. Proper handwashing should involve soap, warm water, and at least 20 seconds of washing time.

4. Maintain safe food storage practices

Temperature control and proper storage organisation are essential for reducing contamination risks.

Recommended practices include monitoring refrigeration temperatures regularly, labelling and dating food correctly, separating allergen-containing products from non-allergen foods, and rotating stock using FIFO (First In, First Out) principles.

5. Invest in food safety training

A well-trained team is one of the strongest defences against cross-contamination.

Training should cover hygiene procedures, cleaning standards, allergen management, safe food handling, hazard awareness, and emergency response procedures. Ongoing education helps reinforce accountability and keeps food safety at the centre of day-to-day operations.

6. Consider using an automated food safety system

Using an automated food safety system can help businesses simplify daily checks, improve consistency, and reduce the risk of human error. From temperature monitoring to digital hygiene records, automation helps teams stay organised, compliant, and focused on maintaining high food safety standards.

7. Cross-contamination and allergen safety

Cross-contact involving allergens is another major concern within food operations. Even trace amounts of allergens can trigger serious allergic reactions for some individuals.

Common allergens include nuts, dairy, eggs, soy, wheat, and shellfish. To reduce these risks, food businesses should implement strong allergen control measures such as dedicated equipment, accurate labelling, staff awareness training, and segregated storage procedures.

8. Building a strong food safety culture

Food safety works best when it becomes part of the workplace culture rather than simply another checklist to complete.

A strong food safety culture includes leadership commitment, employee accountability, clear communication, ongoing training, continuous improvement, and regular compliance monitoring. Businesses that prioritise food safety not only create safer environments for customers but also strengthen operational performance and brand confidence.

Here at Phenium, a recent poll of our wider audience, uncovered a stark reality: those in the food service are struggling to produce audit-ready documents quickly. Audits may be a standard part of doing business, but our results highlight a deeper, systemic challenge; many organisations remain unprepared to respond with speed, accuracy, and confidence when it truly counts. In our latest article, we explore how digital record-keeping can be streamlined to make compliance simpler and more efficient.

The audit readiness gap

Audit readiness isn’t just about compliance, it’s about control, visibility, and trust. Yet many organisations still rely on fragmented systems, manual documentation processes, and siloed data spread across teams. As a result, when an audit is triggered, teams often find themselves scrambling to gather evidence, verify records, and ensure accuracy under intense time pressure. Having a digital system helps avoid these problems. By centralizing records, automating data capture, and providing real-time visibility across operations, digital tools ensure information is always accurate, accessible, and audit-ready. Instead of reacting under pressure, teams can respond with confidence

Why this problem persists

Despite advances in technology, audit preparation is still often treated as a reactive exercise rather than a continuous process. Many organisations continue to face challenges such as disconnected data sources, with information spread across emails, spreadsheets, and legacy systems; a lack of real-time visibility, making it difficult to track updates or changes to records; and inconsistent documentation standards, where different teams capture information in different ways. The result is that even organisations with otherwise strong processes in place can struggle to present a clear, consistent, and auditable trail at short notice.

The shift to digital record keeping

Digital record keeping is transforming how organisations approach audit readiness, shifting from a reactive process to a proactive, continuous one. Rather than scrambling to prepare once an audit is announced, organisations can maintain a constant state of readiness through centralised data systems that provide a single source of truth, real-time updates that ensure information is always current and accessible, automated documentation that reduces manual effort and human error, and standardised processes that drive consistency across teams and departments.

Tools like Phenium support this shift by bringing these capabilities into one intuitive platform, making it easier for teams to capture, manage, and retrieve records in real time. With everything organised and accessible in one place, audit preparation becomes less of a last-minute challenge and more of a seamless, everyday process.

A competitive advantage, not just compliance

Audit readiness is often viewed as a regulatory burden, but it can also serve as a significant strategic advantage. Organisations that invest in digital record keeping are able to make faster, more informed decisions through improved data visibility, strengthen their risk management capabilities, and enhance transparency across stakeholders. In addition, this level of operational clarity contributes to greater organisational resilience, enabling businesses to respond more effectively to change, disruption, and regulatory pressure.

The fact that every respondent reported difficulty in producing audit-ready documents quickly is a clear signal that current approaches are no longer fit for purpose. Audit readiness should not begin when an audit is announced, it needs to be embedded into everyday operations as a continuous discipline. Digital record keeping is no longer simply a helpful improvement; it is fast becoming a fundamental requirement for organisations that want to operate with confidence, efficiency, and resilience in an increasingly regulated environment.

That’s where Phenium comes in, helping organisations move beyond reactive compliance and towards a smarter, more controlled way of working. By simplifying how records are captured, managed, and accessed, Phenium enables teams to stay consistently audit-ready, reduce risk, and focus on what matters most: running their operations with clarity and confidence.

Safety audits are an important part of keeping your workplace safe, compliant, and running smoothly. Staying prepared and on top of potential hazards helps meet legal requirements and builds a strong culture of safety throughout your organization. Whether you’re getting ready for an internal review or an external inspection, a little preparation goes a long way toward making the audit process smooth and successful. Here’s a few tips to get you on the right track.

1. Understand the purpose and scope of the audit

Consider the codes for your area. Consider what they will be checking  internal, external, compliance, or system audit. which departments, processes, or systems are being reviewed. what standards or regulations (e.g., ISO 45001, OSHA, local laws) the audit will use.

2. Conduct an internal pre-audit

Start by understanding why the audit is being conducted and what it will cover. Identify whether it’s an internal review, an external inspection, a compliance check, or a full system audit. Determine which departments, processes, or systems will be assessed, and review the standards or regulations that apply, such as ISO 45001, OSHA, or local food safety laws. Knowing the audit’s purpose and scope helps you focus your preparation and ensures that everyone involved understands what to expect.

3. Educate and upskill your employees

Brief all staff about the audit’s purpose and schedule. Train them on how to respond to auditor questions confidently and truthfully. Reinforce key safety practices and emergency procedures – In essence it’s important to encourage openness, auditors value honest communication over perfection

4. Make sure your processes and paperwork are up-to-date

Before the audit, review all your food safety processes, procedures, and documentation to ensure they are current, accurate, and compliant with the latest standards. This includes cleaning logs, temperature records, maintenance reports, and staff training files. Keeping your paperwork organized not only helps the audit run smoothly but also demonstrates consistency and accountability.

5.  Address previous audit findings

Take time to review the results of previous assessment.. Confirm that all corrective measures have been properly implemented, documented, and communicated to relevant staff. Check whether any additional improvements are needed. 

6. Consider traceability and trackability

Implementing robust traceability and trackability systems is key to both food safety and reducing waste. Trackability complements this by providing real-time monitoring of critical conditions such as temperature and humidity, with alerts triggered if anything goes wrong. Overall digital systems can allow businesses to respond quickly to potential issues, optimize inventory rotation, and minimize unnecessary food waste while maintaining high safety standards.

7. Optimize your cold chain management

When preparing for a food safety audit, it’s important to ensure that your cold chain management processes are reliable and well-documented. Smart sensor-driven monitoring systems can continuously track temperature, humidity, and other critical conditions during storage and transport, providing real-time alerts if anything goes outside safe limits. Demonstrating that you actively monitor and manage these conditions shows auditors that your organization prevents spoilage, maintains product quality, and reduces the risk of unsafe shipments. Clear records and responsive corrective actions strengthen your audit readiness and highlight a proactive approach to food safety.

8. Prepare, prepare, prepare

In the days leading up to the audit, ensure that everything in the kitchen is clean, organized, and audit-ready. All work surfaces should be thoroughly sanitized, equipment properly maintained, and tools stored in their designated areas. Check that calibration records for critical instruments are up to date, safety signage is clearly visible, and all labels are accurate and legible. Documentation such as cleaning logs, temperature records, and maintenance reports should be readily accessible to the auditor. 

9. Follow up after the audit

Once the audit is complete, take time to review the auditor’s feedback carefully and share the results with your team. Address any issues promptly by developing a corrective action plan that assigns responsibilities and sets clear timelines. It’s also helpful to communicate positive outcomes across departments to reinforce good practices and motivate staff. Using data from sensors or monitoring systems can support these efforts by tracking progress over time, identifying recurring issues, and helping ensure that corrective measures are effective and sustainable.

10. Learn and improve

A food safety audit should not mark the end of your efforts but rather the beginning of an ongoing process of improvement. Use the insights gained from the audit, along with any data you have to analyze trends in temperature control, spoilage rates, and logistics performance. This information can help identify inefficiencies, refine standard operating procedures, and strengthen overall food safety systems. By continually reviewing performance data and implementing targeted improvements, your business can ensure long-term food safety and operational excellence.

Food waste is a global crisis with economic, environmental, and social implications. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, approximately one-third of all food produced, roughly 1.3 billion tons, is wasted every year. This not only contributes to food insecurity but also generates significant greenhouse gas emissions. As the world seeks sustainable solutions, technology is stepping up. 

With real-time monitoring and predictive analytics, reducing food waste across the supply chain has never been more achievable. By using a comprehensive sensor-based AI solution, those in the food industry can cut waste without cutting corners. From farms and fridges to restaurants and retail shelves, this technology helps keep food fresh, tracked, and on track.

1. Prolonged shelf life

In a holistic way clever food tech solutions can track temperature consistency throughout the cold chain, from farm to retailer. A clever sensor can monitor storage conditions during transportation and in warehouses, ensuring food is kept at optimal temperatures and humidity levels. The data from sensors, whether tracking the temperature through transportation or during storage, can ultimately predict shelf life more accurately based on real-time conditions, not just static expiry dates.

2. Accurate forecasting

With accurate forecasting you can go one step further and use sensor data to predict shelf life, the likelihood of any spoilage risks, and overall demand for the product more precisely, based on actual conditions, not just standard expiry dates or historical averages.

3. Operational efficiency

Operational efficiency is about doing more with less, maximizing productivity, minimizing waste (time, energy, resources), and streamlining processes across the food supply chain.

Automated monitoring is a perfect examples of where sensors come into their own to continuously track conditions (temperature, humidity, stock levels, etc.) without manual checks.

Sensors can also be used to produce faster response times when anything goes wrong (e.g. temperature spike or door left open). An Ai solution can also provide real-time insights into stock freshness and rotation needs. For example: Staff know exactly which pallets to move first, avoiding unnecessary waste and overhandling.

4. Environmental impact

If global food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases after the U.S. and China. That’s a pretty sobering statistic. Producing food creates waste, for example, irrigation systems for water, fertilizer, and fuel. It’s important we try not to waste any food. Infact wasting one pound of beef is like pouring 1,800 gallons of water down the drain.

5. Cost-saving

The U.S. restaurant industry incurs massive financial losses from food waste, generating around 11.4 million tons annually, which equates to an estimated $25 billion in direct costs. The potential for cost savings is significant. By using sensor technology, restaurants can catch issues early, like equipment malfunctions or shipment delays, preventing the loss of entire food batches. These early warnings also help avoid costly equipment repairs by allowing problems to be addressed before they escalate. Additionally, sensors automate routine tasks, such as temperature monitoring, reducing the need for manual checks and freeing up staff for more valuable work.

6. Traceability and trackability

Sensors help reduce food waste by improving both traceability and trackability across the supply chain. Traceability ensures every product’s journey, from farm to shelf, is recorded, making it easy to pinpoint where spoilage or mishandling occurred. Trackability, on the other hand, provides real-time monitoring of conditions like temperature and humidity, triggering alerts if anything goes wrong. Together, these tools help businesses act quickly to prevent spoilage, optimize inventory rotation, and reduce unnecessary waste.

7. Improved cold chain management

Smart sensor-driven ai food monitoring solutions play a key role in improving cold chain management by continuously tracking temperature, humidity, and other critical conditions during storage and transport. Real-time alerts help identify issues, like equipment failure, before it leads to spoilage. This ensures food stays within safe conditions throughout its journey, reducing waste, protecting product quality, and avoiding costly losses from rejected or unsafe shipments.

8. Compliance

When it comes to regulatory and safety compliance, sensors can automatically record key data points like temperature, humidity, and handling conditions. This creates a reliable digital trail that meets food safety standards and simplifies audits or inspections. By reducing manual record-keeping and ensuring consistent monitoring, sensors help businesses stay compliant, avoid fines, and maintain consumer trust, all while minimizing food waste caused by undetected issues.

9. Improved collaboration across the supply chain

Sensors enable better collaboration across the food supply chain by providing all stakeholders, farmers, transporters, processors, retailers, with access to shared, real-time data. Everyone can see the same information about product location, condition, and handling, which builds transparency and trust. This connectivity helps partners coordinate more effectively, respond quickly to issues, and make informed decisions that reduce delays, inefficiencies, and ultimately, food waste.

10. Data-driven businesses

Any businesses that uses data in its decision-making will be seeing obvious results. By using sensors to analyzing patterns in temperature, spoilage rates, inventory turnover, and logistics performance, businesses can make smarter, faster decisions. This data-driven approach helps identify inefficiencies, optimize processes, and reduce food waste—turning insights into actionable strategies that improve both sustainability and profitability.

Getting your food safety certification may seem a little complicated, as there are all manner of new laws and regulations to adhere to. However, food safety certifications are essential for those working in the industry. It’s like following a recipe for success: ensuring you’re mixing the right ingredients of compliance with safe practices. So, lettuce make sure you check the specific requirements for your business type to ensure you and your customers stay safe. Here’s our run down of food safety certifications you need to know:

ServSafe is a food safety training and certification program developed by the National Restaurant Association. It aims to educate food service professionals about safe food handling practices to prevent foodborne illnesses.

ServSafe offers training for food handlers and their managers, The key focus is on safe food handling, personal hygiene, prevention of foodborne illnesses. ServSafe certifications are recognized across the United States and are often required by local health departments. ServSafe provides a variety of materials, including study guides, online training, and resources for maintaining food safety standards.

Overall, ServSafe helps ensure that food service establishments operate safely and effectively, protecting both employees and customers.

A Food Protection Manager Certification is offered by a range of different providers and focuses on managers learning the appropriate food safety regulations and best practices in order to get the best out of their staff. The certification focuses on risk assessment, employee training and food safety systems.  

HACCP which stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Is a way of managing food safety hazards. Food safety management procedures should be based on HACCP principles which focus on identifying and controlling potential hazards throughout the food production process. It is widely recognised as a key form of addressing food safety. It features monitoring procedures, corrective actions, record keeping and other procedures to allow food businesses to ensure the safety and quality of their products. Ultimately HACCP is about proactive food safety, preventing hazards before they occur. It is widely used in many countries as a benchmark for food safety and helps assures consumers that food products are safe to eat.

The ANSI-CFP certification is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). This certification is for the Accreditation of food safety training programs, but can also be applicable to those in finance. There are a range of CFP-board registered courses run around the US which ensure that candidates must complete several requirements, including food safety, education and planning..

SQF (Safe Quality Food) is a food safety management certification program recognized globally. It is designed to ensure that food is produced, processed, and handled in a safe and hygienic manner. The SQF program is part of the Safe Quality Food Institute and provides a framework for organizations in the food supply chain to demonstrate their commitment to quality and safety. The certification is based on food safety principles, practices, ensuring HACCP is adhered to and continuous improvement. 

ISO 22000 is an international standard that outlines the requirements for a food safety management system (FSMS). It aims to ensure that food is safe at every stage of the food supply chain, from production and processing to distribution and consumption..

Various state and local certifications. There are a number of state and local certifications and each stage may have specific food safety regulations – all of which may vary by state and locality. Local health department requirements and state-specific training programs.

Conclusion: Obtaining food safety certification is crucial for food industry professionals in the USA. It helps ensure compliance with regulations and promotes safe practices. Always check for the specific requirements applicable to your region or business type for the best certification path.

As co-founder and CEO of Phenium, I remember a time when there wasn’t the same widespread emphasis put on health and hygiene. In fact, I would often find myself explaining the value of a well-managed food safety system to those who played a more general role in the industry. 

From my perspective, as I navigate food safety in a post-covid world, I am leaning into new technology, pushing AI tech further and embracing changing legislation. As things change, I understand that it can lead to questions, concerns and implications – so over the past two weeks, you’ve been submitting your questions around food safety and I am super excited to be answering them today, on World Food Safety Day.

1. Food safety seems obvious and simple. Is it really?

Whilst many of the fundamentals of food safety might seem obvious, you are not alone in questioning the very notion of whether it is clear and simple. Food safety needs training, monitoring and collaboration, so you will need to make food safety an everyday topic with all staff members and assume that even the basics are worth covering. Not in a patronizing way, but in a clear and totally transparent way. From the four C’s: clean, cook and chill through to the need for keeping logs and understanding the basics around the kitchen, it’s vital that everyone plays a part – and what might seem obvious to you – needs to be also obvious to your staff f. The upside of good food safety practices is happy returning customers. The risk of a food safety incident can be costly, upsetting and in some cases, fatal – so it is worth being strong, clear and prescriptive about the way food safety is dealt with in your business. 

2. How is AI helping to ensure food safety?

As you know, I am passionate about AI  – the fact that it can offer so many ways to improve food safety is literally revolutionizing the way we monitor the safeness of our food. From quality control, such as an automated inspection that gives you a food safety score through to monitoring and compliance, ai is changing the way we manage our kitchens on a daily basis. When it comes to monitoring, AI-powered sensors and IoT devices can continuously record factors such as humidity and heat . By providing real-time data and alerts, these systems enable proactive interventions to prevent food safety incidents before they occur. Ai also plays an important part in keeping logs and checklists. In addition AI-powered software can analyze data to identify compliance gaps, assess risks, and recommend corrective actions to ensure you remain compliant at all times. It can even predict when refrigeration equipment maintenance is needed and alert you before the equipment fails. 

3. What is the worst food safety incident that has occured in recent years?

In 2020 Chiplote was forced to pay over $25 million in fines after more than 1,100 people became sick during a period between 2015-2018. The food safety incident occurred due to poor hygiene procedures as well as policies which forced sick employees to come into work rather than stay at home. However, whilst that is probably the most well-publicized recent foodborne illness incident, back in 2011 an outbreak of listeriosis, from cantaloupes grown in a farm in Colorado, led to devastating results. The outbreak caused a total of 33 deaths from the 147 infected patients.

4. What is the law around selling contaminated food?

Did you know that before 1906, we had no laws concerning food safety and regulating how food is produced, manufactured, and distributed here in the US? Thankfully today we have much more legislation around food safety, including the Food Safety Modernisation Act which was introduced in 2011. This is arguably the biggest change to the law as it moved the emphasis away from reacting to incidents and instead focused on prevention. Ultimately if you don’t follow the guidance set out by the FDA then you can be liable to pay fines, you are also at risk of being sued and your operation could be closed There are constant updates to the legislation around foodborne illness, so it is worth checking out the Phenium website to stay ahead of any new changes.

5. How can AI help make your kitchen more efficient?

From digitizing pen and paper checklists to monitoring fridge and freezers – as well a range of other kitchen temperatures, Ai can power a complete digital food safety solution for your kitchen.  Phenium’s AI-powered kitchen intelligence has avoided over 2,400 food safety incidents since it launched in 2019. The app has also saved over $1.2 million in food soiling costs, so it can clearly make your kitchen safer and more efficient. But don’t just take my word for it, book a demo today to see how it can help make your kitchen a happier, healthier place.

6. What California state laws and regulations are there?

California has its own set of food safety laws and regulations that complement federal regulations. At any location in the USA, which handles food, there are three levels of regulations, federal, state and city or county. Here are some of the key regulations and acts

The California Retail Food Code (CalCode) governs all aspects of food safety in retail food establishments. It includes regulations on food handling, preparation, storage, employee hygiene, facility maintenance, and pest control. 

The California Food and Agricultural Code covers areas such as food safety standards, inspection procedures, and enforcement actions. Key provisions include guidance around dairy, meat, poultry, and egg safety. There are also set regulations around seafood safety to ensure that seafood sold in California is safe, wholesome, and properly labeled. 

From a wider perspective, here in California we have the California Health and Safety Code. It includes requirements for food facility permits, foodborne illness reporting, and sanitation standards. There is also the Farmers Market and Community Event Food Safety and Cottage Food Operations which allows individuals to prepare and sell certain low-risk foods from their homes.

California’s Implements and enforces the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) at state level ensuring that food producers, processors, and distributors comply with both federal and state requirements.

And more recently, the California Food Safety Act bans the sale of food containing four possibly toxic additives. The law, which goes into effect on January 1, 2027, will require food manufacturers to reformulate their products or face a large fine. 

In addition, there is regulation around the issuing of a food handler card for every employee working with food. The onus is put on the employer to allocate time for training, pay for the examination and any necessary expenditures or losses associated with the employee obtaining a food handler card.

Since the Food Safety Modernisation Act was first introduced over a decade ago it has had many iterations and updates from the body that governs it; the FDA (The Food and Drug Administration). 

From new guidelines outlined in The New Era of Smarter Food Safety to Section 204, there are plenty of additional legislative measures that as restaurant owners and employees, we need to familiarize ourselves with.

At state level there are many complexities to navigate. California, for example, has been leading the charge with new legislation around food safety training and the use of certain food additives. 

In this article we look at ever-changing food safety legislation and ask what it means for you and your business.

What is the background to the Food Safety Modernization Act?

The Food Safety Modernization Act came into effect on January 4, 2011 and outlined a set of regulations for how food is harvested, processed and served.

The legislation allowed for the Food and Drug Administration to have new authority over food safety.

What does the Food Safety Modernisation Act mean to me and my business?

The Act outlined new regulations and requirements; a shift away from reacting to foodborne illness to preventing it happening in the first place.  The law gives the FDA new authority to enforce compliance around food safety standards – and to better contain problems when they occur. 

FSMA focuses more on risk-based food safety standards, which gives businesses the tools to better respond to and contain problems when they do occur. The law also gives the FDA the power to hold imported foods to the same standards as domestic foods.

What does the New Era of Smarter Food Safety update mean for me?

The blueprint outlined in the most recent update to the Food Safety Modernisation Act is the New Era of Smarter Food Safety guidance. The document includes four key elements; tech-enabled traceability, smarter tools, new business models and retail modernization and finally, food safety culture. 

The FDA outlines the need for technology, without giving too much detail on what that looks like. There is a Food Traceability Final Rule that is outlined in the Food Safety Modernisation Act and in reality this will involve access to data at all ends of the food chain. When it comes to food safety knowledge, the FDA has made clear headway, hosting webinars about traceability and technology around food safety, 

However, end-to-end food traceability requires a large commitment from countries globally who will need to be open to agreements that mean their produce can be tracked and traced. 

Another aspect of the New Era of Smarter Food Safety guidance is the need to instil a culture of food safety within our businesses. 

From an FDA perspective, it means there will be more than 1,000 newly trained inspection staff, a new set of documentation and a host of online resources made available from the FDA.

 What part of the Food Safety Modernization Act will come into effect in 2025?

Section 204 of the Food Safety Modernization Act will establish additional record-keeping requirements for certain foods, including dairy, seafood and ready-to-eat products. Ultimately this is about food traceability and understanding your supply chain.

 Section 204 will require companies to capture data and store it for two years. In the event of a recall, the FDA will want data within 24 hours. This means that data, checklists and record-keeping will be of utmost importance. These aspects of kitchen management take up a great deal of time, so technology could be a good option for restaurants to adopt – it will not only help with compliance, but also ensure their kitchen operations are running as smoothly as possible.

Is there more FDA legislation on the horizon?

It is not clear whether more food safety legislation or updated guidance will be unveiled by the FDA, but we know that the FDA is working hard to ensure we have high food safety standards, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic. 

As those of us working in the food industry know, staying safe when it comes to food preparation, handling and storing is incredibly important. Through new technology, we can ensure we remain compliant and high standards are continually kept, but we must create a strong sense of food safety culture in our businesses.

It is important to adopt a food safety culture that starts from the top, demonstrating that food safety is a priority and needs to be taken seriously by every employee, during every shift. Developing a corporate culture that emphasizes safety and uses technology to empower employees to manage it, is of utmost importance.

What is the California legislation around ServSafe?

The Californian legislature has undergone a series of new measures to install food safety standards across the state. ServSafe is a new food handler training outlined as a requirement by the state’s public health law. A new bill has been introduced that requires employers to compensate food service employees for the cost of food safety training. If this bill becomes law it means that staff will no longer have to pay for the training out of their own pocket.

Wondering why running a successful business is so stressful? From paperwork and staffing matters to customers and regulations, there are so many things to consider. According to the American Institute of Stress, as many as 83% of us experience stress in the workplace, which can have a profound effect on our health and wellbeing. In this article we look at some of the best ways to make your business run more efficiently, bringing you peace of mind and more time to spend focusing on the things that matter.

Automate procedures and processes

There are many ways to reduce paperwork when running a restaurant. The obvious start would be to ensure you are using a highly effective POS and ordering system. You can integrate these with online reservation systems and delivery apps, making the whole process streamlined and efficient. When it comes to the kitchen, try an automated food safety system that checks all your food storage, handling and cleaning procedures.

Embrace change

From smart sensors that measure your cold storage and cooking temps, to social media booking options, there are many ways to embrace change via new technology. Whether new policies, procedures or services, there will always be ways to improve your restaurant. Much of embracing change is communication — making sure everyone’s ideas are heard, people are onboard with any changes and you’re all working together towards a common goal.

Empower staff

Employee satisfaction is not something that should be overlooked. Happy, motivated and empowered staff will help you run your business more effectively. Think about four key areas: capability, knowledge, awareness and motivation.

First and foremost, make sure you have hired employees who are competent and capable. Secondly, employees must be armed with good information and be receptive to learning it. Ask questions and encourage their ideas on handling different situations. When sharing knowledge, anything that disrupts the typical learning model has a higher chance of sticking. Make sure your staff are aware of ways of working and they understand the implications of health, safety and other issues if they don’t follow certain guidelines. However, being sure to include positive reinforcement for good actions helps staff feel noticed, confident and primed to do good work, which in turn inspires others. This can be as simple as frequent praise, employee recognition awards, or even pay rises. Ultimately by empowering your workforce, they’re much more likely to invest in the job, helping you run an effective and successful business.

Refine your menu

The first step in shortening your menu is to understand which items are the most popular. Look through historical data to see which dishes are consistently ordered over a period of time. Calculate how much each of those dishes costs in terms of inventory and time to prepare. Also look at cross-use of inventory which can help drive the costs down further. Remember that a smaller menu means less food waste and efficiency overall, so it’s a great option to consider.

Be organized

It goes without saying that organization is key to making your business run more efficiently. If you are able to digitize all your POS and ordering system, along with reservations and deliveries, that should help when analyzing data for inventory. However, don’t forget bookkeeping. Make sure your payroll and accountancy system is working effectively for you too. Shop around and have a look at new software and new features that are on offer. Once you have something that covers all your needs, it should run like clockwork and again, improve your business’ efficiencies.

Recently a wave of TV shows and films, such as Boiling Point and The Bear have highlighted the hectic and fast-paced environment of working in a commercial kitchen. Stephen Graham’s character in Boiling Point is faced head-on with a health inspection and it couldn’t come at a more unwelcome time, the busiest night of the year. But do health inspections come served with a plate of worries and a side of stress? It definitely doesn’t have to be the case. As long as you know what health inspectors are looking for, stay calm during the visit and run a tight ship, you’ll be fine. And, there are a few technical things that can help ease the stress too. Read on to find out more.

When does a health inspection take place?

A health inspection can happen at any time and without prior notice. Usually health inspections take place around every six months. If a customer has complained that will trigger a health inspection visit.

What are health inspectors looking for?

Ultimately health inspectors for knowledge from your managers and staff. Restaurant owners are required to know all of the local health codes. Management is required to have all up-to-date training on food safety and all restaurant employees must demonstrate knowledge of safe food handling and preparation.

When the inspector arrives they will observe and ask questions to test the staff’s knowledge. They will want to see temperature readings, food safety logs, checklists and understand how the kitchen is managed.

How to make health inspections easy

The first thing to do is ensure your staff are well trained. With the Phenium app you can upload all your Standard Operating Procedures so that everyone in your team has access to them, anytime.

It’s vital that you and your team stay up to date with knowledge, new technologies and anything that can help mitigate risk in the kitchen.

It goes without saying that you need to ensure checklists, cleaning, and temperature reading are up to date and being regularly monitored. Again, Phenium can do this for you. Our smart sensors will read the temperature of your cooling or holding equipment. In fact, we can record up to 1500 temperature checks every day. We can also create automated food safety temperature logs so you don’t need to keep a paper record of every check you make.

Another great idea is to conduct your own health inspections on a regular basis, that way everyone knows what to be aware of when a real visit takes place and how to make them as stress-free as possible.

Case studies: What happens when something goes wrong?

Here at Phenium we are always working to ensure high food safety standards are kept. We know our customers rely on our technology to ace their health inspections.

A source from one of our long-serving customers described an incident where an employee placed warm soup in a fridge during a health inspector’s visit.

‘The soup was too hot, but because all records and temps were recorded, it was clear it was just human error and one mistake, not a wider problem, so no further action was taken from the health inspector,’ he said.

Another customer of ours, who managed operations across multiple locations, heard the health inspector had arrived, so he rushed over to the restaurant.

‘The health inspector had checked all our records and was so satisfied he left before I even arrived,’ he confirmed.