THE FEEDING    FRENZY 

June 11, 2007

Food Newsletters

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Contents 

Food Advisory Committee Meeting Notes      Recent Outbreaks Lessons Learned      Hand washing poster alert   

Speaking of Hand washing      Food worker card testing       Email Addresses wanted     Staff Updates

Food Service Industry Partners,

Please find below a summery of our Spring 2007 Food Advisory Committee meeting:

Members present included: Tim Wick; Bill Lewis; Jay Robins; Marcia Clute; Margaret Viebrock; Allen Hunter; Laura Martin; and Marc Marquis

• Bill Lewis requested that the Health District review its mailing procedures to insure renewal invoices are delivered at least 30 days prior to September 1st expiration date
• Marcia Clute and Margaret Viebrock offered to host additional food safety testing computers at their public business offices in Cashmere & Waterville;
• General group discussion concerning the success of last year’s initiatives including: computer-based food safety testing; District hosted ServeSafe Training; and revised permit renewal procedures with reduced late fees
• General group discussion concerning the future application of compliance data to support the Food Program’s community health outcomes
• Proposed 2007 initiatives included: District hosted annual ServeSafe Training; investigate application of fines/fees for red item violations; investigate use of increased reinspection fees to help minimize fee increases for facility permits; implement web-based food safety training & testing

The FAC was expressly created to enhance the District’s service delivery to our Food Industry Partners.  If you have any questions concerning the committee’s activities, I encourage you to contact your FAC representative directly or myself @ 886-6483.

Sincerely,           

Marc Marquis, Environmental Health Division Director

Inspectors and Areas

Laura Martin – Wenatchee River Corridor from Monitor to Lake Wenatchee, 5th to Palouse Wenatchee 

Wayne Liao - Lake Chelan; Stehekin; Entiat; Olds Station; North of 5th St., Wenatchee 

Pete Jacobsen – Douglas County and South of Palouse St., Wenatchee

Lessons Learned

From Recent Outbreaks in Chelan and Douglas Counties

In the past 6 months we have had some illness outbreaks in our two counties.  While investigating these outbreaks, we visited food establishments that provided some of the implicated food.  The findings indicate that unclean produce and/or bare hand contact with ready-to-eat food could have been the cause of the illnesses.

You may not be able to stop bacteria and viruses from entering the door, but there are basic measures

 you can take to help STOP THE SPREAD of disease in your establishment.

“Take home” messages to STOP THE SPREAD of disease in

your food establishment:

Viruses and bacteria that cause foodborne illness may potentially be spread by

a food worker during the following times:

• Prior to symptoms of illness,
• During symptoms of illness,
• For days (or longer) after the symptoms end, and
• When they have no symptoms but have the organism in them, (or have changed a diaper of an ill child with or without symptoms),

Therefore, it is REQUIRED that food workers:

• Wash their hands thoroughly after going to the bathroom, (or changing a diaper),
• Use utensils or gloves to eliminate bare hand contact with food,
• NEVER work if they have symptoms of gastrointestinal illness such as diarrhea, vomiting or jaundice (unless they have written medical documentation that the symptom is due to a medical condition not transmissible through food), and
• Immediately report to the Chelan Douglas Health District when a possible foodborne illness incident is reported to any food employee.    

Since contaminated food can spread disease, it is important that:

• Food does not become contaminated by unclean gloves, knives, cutting boards, utensils and other food contact surfaces,
• Produce is properly rinsed under running water, with the drain open,
• Produce washing sinks are clean and accessible when produce needs to be washed,
• Rinsed produce (and other ready to eat food) is not handled with bare hands,
• All ready to eat food is protected from contamination during storage,
• It is recognized that plastic packaging or bags may leak (in and out),
• Food and ice (yes, viruses live on ice) storage containers are cleaned on a regular basis and filled with fresh product so contamination does not remain for extended periods of time, and
• Foods suspected in an illness complaint must be removed from sale and refrigerated until released by the Chelan Douglas Health District.

Since unclean food contact surfaces can spread disease, it is important that:

• Food contact surfaces are washed, then rinsed, then sanitized after using or if they have become unclean.
• Disposable food contact surfaces, such as gloves, are discarded promptly when they become unclean.  
• If they have touched raw meats, unclean produce or other unclean surfaces, throw them away, wash your hands and
• put on new gloves or use a utensil to handle ready to eat food. 
• Eliminate ALL bare hand contact with ready to eat food.
• Use utensils with handles and keep the handles out of the food.

Remember, gloves are not meant to keep food worker hands clean, but to prevent food from becoming contaminated from hands.

Alert! Hand washing poster misguidance

A company identified as the Washington Food Service Compliance Center sent a mailing to businesses encouraging them to purchase hand washing posters for use in restrooms and at hand washing sinks.

There is no requirement to purchase these signs; they are available FREE from the Health District.

Signs can also be downloaded free from the Washington State Department of Health at:

www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/sf/food/handwashsigns.htm   or   www.3.doh.wa.gov/here

Speaking of hand washing…

Good personal hygiene of each food service worker is important to good food handling practice. Improper hand washing is known to be the number one cause of foodborne illness in Washington State.

Food service workers should wash their hands by applying soap and using warm water, scrubbing thoroughly, rinsing, and then drying using paper towels or a drying device.

Food service workers must wash:

• before starting to work
• during work as necessary to prevent contamination of foods      
• after handling unclean items
• after handling raw meat, poultry, or aquatic foods
• after using the restroom (wash twice, once in the restroom and again in the kitchen)
• after eating or smoking
• before putting on food service gloves and after taking them off.

Food service workers are required to use utensils to handle ready-to-eat foods. (i.e. tongs, spoons, tissues, foil, gloves). Do not use bare hands to  contact ready-to-eat foods.

Food service workers must maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness and restrain hair as necessary.

Food Worker Card Testing

Food worker card testing has expanded to include four new testing sites:

See our home page for more details…

• Peshastin Library
• Chelan Library
• Chelan County Fairgrounds office, and
• Waterville WSU extension office

Food worker card testing can still be done at the computer terminals at the Health District office at 200 Valley Mall Parkway, East Wenatchee.  Computer based testing is available weekdays on a first come first served basis. 

WE WANT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!

Would you like to receive updates regarding current food safety issues via email?  Please send a message to the email address listed below and be sure to include the name of your establishment in the body of the message:

environmentalstaff@cdhd.wa.gov

Staff Update

This month the Food Program says good bye to Dean Butz as he prepares to transfer to the Health District’s Onsite Wastewater/Drinking Water Program.  Dean has been inspecting food establishments since June, 2002.  In addition to the food inspections, Dean also coordinates the pool and spa inspections for Chelan and Douglas Counties and will continue to do so.  Dean will continue to work with the Food Program during the training and transition of his replacement.  He will also keep one foot in the Food Program by inspecting temporary food events and helping out when needed. Thanks, Dean for your contributions to the food program. 

More Staff Updates

Wayne Liao will begin employment with the Health District on June 13th.  He is a graduate of the University of Washington’s Environmental Health Department.  He is tri-lingual with speaking ability in both Chinese and Spanish.  Wayne will work in the Food Program to replace Dean Butz who is moving into the Onsite Program.

Harry Luu will begin a summer internship with the Health District beginning mid-June.  Harry is a University of Washington student studying Environmental Health and will be working in the Pool and Spa program.  He will also be helping the Food Program from time to time.

Helpful web addresses:   

Chelan-Douglas Health District:

www.cdhd.wa.gov

Washington State Department of Health, Food Safety program:

www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/sf/Food/food.htm

Gateway to Government Food Safety Information:

www.foodsafety.org

Tacoma Pierce County Health District: 

www.tpchd.org