FDA’s Captain Wendy Fanaselle took attendees of the Food Safety Summit on a research guided graphical trip of the restroom to emphasize the importance of killing the fecal-pathogens before they escape into public areas. Toilet paper, designed by those more concerned about flushability than its barrier properties, doesn’t do the job. Single or double ply, […]
Hand Hygiene Outbreak Factor Established for Foodservice
The Southwest Environmental Health Association, during their 2013 annual meeting, volunteered to help establish a reference number for restaurant outbreaks due to poor hand hygiene. The group, largely local, state and national regulators, was asked What percentage of foodborne outbreaks are attributable to poor hand hygiene? They were given these choices: 20%, 40%, 60% or […]
Norovirus-Focused Handwashing in Restaurants (Part two)
Integrating Noro-effective Hand Sanitizer with Handwashing Routines A cleaning step followed by sanitizing has long been the most effective way to control surface cleanliness. This one-two punch should also be considered for hand hygiene, especially during high flu and norovirus periods. By choosing the products separately, a combination to best match your situation can be […]
Norovirus-Focused Handwashing in Restaurants (Part one)
Defining a safe level for handwashing frequency Norovirus outbreaks commonly raise this question: What is a safe level for handwashing frequency? If we look to the FDA for answers, the Model Food Code wisely avoids getting over prescriptive, considering all the variables. The CDC conducted a valuable observational study using the Model Food Code as […]
Cleanliness: A Brand Builder with Seniors
Richard F. Ghiselli, Head of Purdue’s School of Hospitality, is the lead researcher and author of a study which shows that senior diners value restaurant cleanliness above all else. In fact, it took home the top three spots: Cleanliness of kitchens Cleanliness of dining areas and tables Cleanliness of restrooms. Although hand cleanliness was not […]
Away-From-Home Healthy Habit #1
On entering your hotel room, place of work or study, wash your hands on arrival. Touch high-touch surfaces with care. On the first day of a recent hotel stay, a 4 star establishment, a MarX stamp was used to leave an invisible X on what we considered the 12 surfaces to most likely be touched […]
2014 The Year of the … Norovirus?
Norovirus or Winter Vomiting Disease. Vomitus or Diarrhea. Fecal or Faecal. Contaminated Hands or Surfaces. Foodborne or Person-to-Person. We hear a lot of conflicting distractions. The six simple truths about norovirus are these: 2013 had a fast start and now 2014 looks potentially bigger.Early in 2013 England and Wales have a total of 3,538 confirmed […]
Top Eleven Physical Handwashing Deterrents
The will to wash one’s hands can be easily sidetracked by any one of these situations. Corrective actions in bold. Faucet handles: Invisibly contaminated. Go touchless! Paper towel dispenser: Invisibly contaminated. Go touchless! Soap dispenser lever: Invisibly contaminated. Go touchless! Handsink blocked or used for temporary storage. Document with a photo. Discuss with Person-In-Charge. Handsink: […]
Martha Misses
Martha Stewart, like so many celebrity “demonstration” chefs, likely missed a handwash and paid a price, “spending days in bed.” We hope she is luckier than somewhere the salmonella retreats to slowly work on a weakened joint and ends up as a later-in-life knee replacement: New York Post Article » For those demonstration chefs working […]
The 5 Handwashing Hurdles
Twelve years of formal and informal research have provided the Handwashing For Life Institute with a long list of reasons and excuses for low handwashing rates. Operators seldom know their specific frequency rate but generally feel it is well below what they would like. This long list has been distilled into The 5 Handwashing Hurdles. […]
