Issue View | Council I | 2020 Scribe Packet

This is a brand new Issue.

Sanitation Controls at Community Kitchens (AKA: Shared-Kitchens, Incubators

Lack of awareness, ownership & accountability for sanitary standards is a common theme observed during audits we've conducted in community kitchen settings. This includes the upkeep of the facilities (floors, walls, ceilings, related structures & welfare facilities) as well the sanitation of shared food processing equipment (FCS & NFCS) prior and in between uses. This is routinely demonstrated by:

1. The staff that is assigned to these tasks often do not have formal sanitation training and do not demonstrate proficiency in cleaning and sanitizing objectives and inspection standards.
2. Ownership does not have formal Sanitation SOP procedures in place (no pre or operation sanitation inspections/checklists)
3. Tenants of the shared spaces often report that maintenance work order related requests are typically met with slow response time and ineffective corrective actions.
4. Audits that we have conducted reveal that obvious deficiencies are either no being seen or not being attended to (we often point out deficiencies in very basic, fundamental requirements - broken or empty soap dispensers, broken dishwashing machines, leaks, etc.)
5. Confusion as to who is responsible for verifying the sanitation of common areas and shared equipment is a common theme amongst both ownerships and operators.

Since a wide variety of foods are being prepared in these facilities, including many RTE food products, the lack of effective sanitation programs poses risk for Listeria & other pathogenic contamination as well allergen cross-contact/cross-contamination.

a committee be created to identify concerns with shared kitchens. The committee charges are....

1. clearly identify roles and responsibilities amongst and between parties (tenant and facility management/ownership),

2. Identify job-specific training to reduce gaps in the prevention of food safety hazards (i.e. - facility porters commonly assigned to sanitation tasks do not have formal training on basic sanitary standards),

3. Recommend preventive controls based on the risks commonly associated with the diverse operations conducted within (examples. - Pre-operational and operation self-monitoring inspections are not commonly practiced (SSOPs), effective allergen cross-contact prevention procedures are not in place for shared equipment exposed to multiple allergen-bearing ingredients, facilities are commonly ill-equipped for the rapid and continuous cooling of TCS foods)

4. Recommend active managerial controls from an overall facility food safety oversight perspective (As just one of many examples - in a scenario where multiple foodservice operations are working in a common/shared production area and an unforeseen hazard was suddenly introduced [someone left the back door open allowing a swarm of flies to enter], who would take action to identify and eliminate this potential public health hazard?) It's highly unlikely that an independent operator would lead that charge, but without a qualified and dedicated individual on the facility management team who is charged with that level of oversight and control, it is highly likely that scenarios like this one would go without proper corrective actions or preventive measures.

5. Report back to the 2022 biennial meeting of the Conference for Food Protection