Arby’s Raises over $2 Million for Share our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign
From QSR, Read Blog

Image: Share Our Strength

We’ve really enjoyed seeing how successful Share Our Strength has been this year with the “No Kid Hungry” campaign.  From events such as the Dine Out for No Kid Hungry or other promotions, they are truly working hard to achieve their goal to end childhood hunger in America by 2015.  Arby’s is one of several restaurants helping Share Our Strength meet their goal.  QSR reported Arby’s recent announcement that they have raised over $2 million in the fourth quarter for the cause.  Read more about Arby’s involvement here and visit Share Our Strength’s website for more information.

Top Searched Restaurants on Google for 2011
From FastCasual, Read Article

In a recent article from Fast Casual, they reported on Google’s Zeitgeist list that covered the top searched restaurants on Google this year.  It was a mix of all types of restaurants with some being McDonald’s, Starbucks, Buffalo Wild Wings, Subway and Papa John’s.  But who topped the list?  You’ll just have to check out the article for yourself and find out! Read the full article here.

Wendy’s Taking in the No. 2 Spot for Fast Food Chains
From Wall St. Cheat Sheet, Read Article

Image: Reverendb/MorgueFile

Normally the order of top fast food chains started with McDonald’s, then Burger King then Wendy’s.  But it looks as though Wendy’s is moving into second place.  According to a Wall St. Cheat Sheet article, Wendy’s will have $53 million higher sales than Burger King–but we won’t know for certain until the end of the fourth quarter.  Either way, Wendy’s has been working hard this year and even working on a few different redesigns of their buildings.  To read more about how they are possibly going to take the No. 2 spot, read the Wall St.’s article here, and to learn more about the redesigns, view this Huff Post Food article.

Airports Becoming More Nutritious
From USA Today, Read Article

It’s easy to slack off when it comes to eating healthily during the holidays, especially when traveling.  But it looks as though foodservice establishments in airports across America are providing healthier menu items for travelers.  USA Today covered a survey which reported 15 of the country’s biggest airports now offer healthier menu offerings.  According to the study, many airport foodservice establishments are offering more low-fat, vegetarian and cholesterol-free meals.  Read more about airports becoming healthier here.

Holiday Recipes
From Delish.com, Go To Website

Image: Cohdra/MorgueFile

And finally, 2011 is coming to a close and Christmas is just days away!  (So if you haven’t started your shopping, you  better get started.  And as a side note–restaurant gift cards make an excellent present).  We always are excited to see what kinds of recipes Delish.com has, so here are a few that you can bookmark and possibly cook up for the holiday weekend.

• Christmas Classic: 12 Ham Recipes
• Easy Appetizers and Drinks for the Holidays
• Simple Holiday Recipes: Prep in 15 Minutes or Less
• Top 8 Hanukkah Dishes
• 9 Christmas Cookies from Celebrity Chefs

Central wishes you and yours a very happy holiday!

1. Thoroughly cook food. 

Under-cooking food runs the risk of making your customers ill in a variety of ways from food poisoning to E.Coli.  Use a thermometer to ensure foods are cooked thoroughly and maintain a safe temperature if left out.  Food Safe Schools put together this PDF which gives a reference on control time and temperature.

2. Avoid cross contamination.

From our Cross Contamination Prevention Guide, did you know cross contamination is the sixth largest contributing factor to food borne illness?  Avoid cross contamination and make it easier for restaurant workers by using a color coded system. There is a commonly used color scheme used for cutting boards, knives and gloves. Read more in our Cross Contamination Prevention Guide.

3. Wash hands and change gloves frequently.

There are times when it’s okay to be conservative to save money, but when it comes to food safety, it’s never okay to put anyone at risk for the sake of saving a few dollars. Employees must wash hands and change gloves frequently, especially between tasks and upon exiting/entering the kitchen.  To put the importance into perspective, review Foodbeast’s “Handwashing Awareness & Helpful Tips” infographic.

4. Stick by the two hour rule.

If food has been sitting out at room temperature for two or more hours, get rid of it.

5. Accommodate guests with food allergies.

Food allergies are serious and create a variety of reactions from discomfort to anaphylactic shock.  Note on menus or menu cards if items contain or are around certain foods.  Also, post signage and put in menus a request for customers with allergies to inform the wait staff.  In return, employees must understand the seriousness of food allergies and convey the information to the kitchen.  Some of the top food allergies are peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, shellfish, dairy, eggs, soy, gluten and wheat. 

6. Have a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM). 

iPura covers this in their blog “FDA Retail Food Safety Initiative—Focus on Protection,” which is a FDA initiative that will become more well known as time moves on.  Establishments with a CFPM are more compliant with regulations and have less risk factors.  Straight from their action plan, the duties of a CFPM are to make their presence a common practice, strengthen active managerial control at retail to ensure better compliance, encourage widespread, uniform and complete adoption of the FDA Food Code and to create an enhanced local regulatory environment for retail food operations.

7. Utilize food rotation labels.

Food labels  help employees know which foods are fresh, which foods need to be used quickly and which foods are no longer good for use and need to be discarded.  Ecolab has put together an entire page dedicated to food rotation which includes their “First In, First Out” method to ensure food is served fresh and is safe.

8. Be familiar with your food supplier. 

Smart Blog on Restaurants covers this in their blog, “Food Safety Checklist for Restaurants.”  By knowing your food distributor and using a trusted one, you can work with them to ensure food is safe and of the best quality.  SmartBlog also has this reminder, which is similar to what we said earlier about never sacrificing food safety to save some money: “Be wary of suppliers that are guided solely by price; food safety as a cost, but it’s worth the investment.”

9. Wash foods properly.

Photo by Maxstraeten on MorgueFile.com

That being said, kitchens should also know which foods aren’t recommended for washing.  There are quite a few specifics when it comes to proper food washing and the USDA has put together this “Safe Food Handling” guide on their website to help with proper food washing methods.

10. Create a plan and stick to it.

Make sure you have safe food handling practices and your employees follow them.  It’s a serious matter.  Employees must know safe food handling practices are one of the most important aspects to their job and everyone needs to comply.

How does your foodservice establishment handle food safety? What are some methods that have been successful?

SNA’s “The State of School Nutrition 2011”

Image from SNA website

The School Nutrition Association (SNA) released their “School Nutrition Operations Report: The State of School Nutrition 2011,” and it looks like many schools will be guiding their students in a healthier direction.

They reported in this press release, “…more than 69 percent of the 1,294 directors surveyed consider implementing recently proposed nutrition standards for school meals, which require more of these healthy options, to be their top concern.” The lack of healthy foods was caused by a combination of funding limitations and food costs.  Now, schools all over the country are working hard to serve more nutritious meals. Click here for the full press release.

The USDA Grants Over $7.5 Million To National School Meal Programs

Totals from USDA website

Stemming from SNA’s “The State of School Nutrition 2011,” many schools claimed monetary issues as the reason behind a lack of healthier foods.  Well, it looks as though the USDA has recognized this issue, and found aiding this cause to be a great investment.

On August 18 they announced this grant, (stated in this press release), and said by granting this money, it will “improve efficiency and accuracy of National School Lunch and Breakfast programs.” States awarded grants include Hawaii, Indiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Washington.  They mention grant periods will be between one and three years.  To find full information, click here for their full press release.

Let’s Move! Holds Family Fitness Day

Image from Let's Move! website

First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative has been inspiring schools, children, parents, etc. to live a healthier lifestyle filled with nutritious foods and exercise.   On August 22, they held a Let’s Move Outside! Family Fitness Day at Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area.

According to the Let’s Move website, there were around 400 children and their parents in attendance.  The event held their first “Spectacle Island 5K Race and Kids Fun Run,” and also included various exercise and activity programs and workshops.

Resources

Below are a list of resources to bookmark to keep informed during this school year:

Afterschool Snacks

Let’s Move! Blog

National School Lunch Program

National School Breakfast Program

School Nutrition Association News

USDA Newsroom