It has been a long time coming, and now, the HHS and the FDA will release a list of foods described as “high-risk foods.” The agencies will also mandate that companies that deal with these foods keep records of them and make those records public by 2020. This new development comes on the heels of an order from a District Court Judge after HHS and FDA were sued for failing to comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
Foods Likely to be Considered “High-Risk”
High-risk foods are those that are usually contaminated with harmful bacteria because of how they are produced. Foods likely to be considered high-risk are not limited to popular ones like chicken or fish. Foods like vegetables, prepared fruits, and salads are also considered high-risk.
Some of these foods are more receptive to bacterial growth than others, and it is fairly tough to detect contaminated food. They mostly smell, look, and taste the same as healthy food.
Therefore, while the FDA and HHS have yet to list any food as high-risk, the following are the likely candidates:
- raw fruits and vegetables like romaine lettuce, spinach, and cantaloupe
- raw and cooked meat, including poultry such as chicken and turkey, and foods containing these ingredients, such as casseroles, curries, and lasagne
- dairy products such as dairy-based desserts and custard, like cheesecake and custard tarts
- eggs and egg products such as quiche
- small goods such as hams and salamis
- seafood such as patties, seafood salad, fish balls, stews containing seafood and fish stock
- cooked rice and pasta
- prepared salads like coleslaws, pasta salads, and rice salads
- prepared fruit salads
- ready-to-eat foods, including sandwiches, rolls, and pizza that contain any of the menus above
Read more: Best Recipe Nutrition Analysis Method: How to get Nutrition Facts for any Recipe
How Does This Impact Your Menu Items?
The record-keeping requirement that will be enforced next year applies only to middlemen, not to farmers or restaurants. This requirement will mandate that middlemen companies maintain an excellent record of where these high-risk foods come from and where they will end up. This is also for agencies to help them identify future contamination and prevent its spread by tracking its source and how it started.
However, that is not to say there are no repercussions for restaurants alike. Experience has shown that lists like these name-and-shame food companies and prompt them to change their products through adverse publicity. KFC, Subway, and Taco Bell are a few restaurants that had to stop using products that are considered ‘high-risk.’
In other cases, companies were required to add labels to their products, warning customers of the risks of consuming these foods, a move that usually leads companies to use alternative products rather than just slapping warning labels on their products.
Therefore, it is conceivable that some menus have to be dropped from your list. However, not all high-risk foods can be dropped. In this case, steps must be taken to mitigate the risk of food contamination.
What Can Be Done to Mitigate Risk to Your Bottom Line?
Every year, many people are hospitalized for food contamination. In the U.S. alone, food contamination affects one in six people and causes the death of about three thousand people yearly. Food poisoning also costs the U.S. economy about $15 billion yearly.
As a result, restaurants lose millions of dollars when food poisoning cases occur, as they are the most common source of outbreaks. An example of such a case was when Chipotle lost almost $11 billion in market value due to food poisoning in its outlets. It also suffered lower revenue and a 44% drop in profit, with a falling stock price.
The restaurant chain also faced government investigations and legal action. Even more so, it suffered severe reputational damage, and the company spent $50 million trying to gain new customers.
However, not many restaurants have the financial muscle to withstand the kind of damage Chipotle suffered. Therefore, it is always best to implement safe practices to prevent the risk of food contamination.
To mitigate the risk posed by high-risk foods, you can remove the most dangerous ones from your menu. For those you cannot remove from your menu, you should avoid contamination altogether. You can do this by breaking any of the three stages of food contamination.
The first stage is the existence of bacteria in the food. The second is favourable conditions for bacterial growth (between 5°C and 60°C is the temperature danger zone). The last stage is adequate time for the bacteria to grow.
Break any of these stages and food contamination will be prevented. This can be done by:
- safely preparing food in your restaurant
- following hygienic practices
- securely storing and displaying the food menu
- avoiding cross-contamination
- training your food handler in best practices
- properly serving and labelling food
- Taking good care of utensils
- maintaining a clean restaurant, etc.
Another way to mitigate risk is to use nutrition analysis software; an excellent choice is MenuSano Nutrition Analysis Software. Traditionally, obtaining nutrition information of a recipe or dish meant sending food items to a lab for analysis. This method is quite costly, and the turnaround time can take about a month.
MenuSano nutrition analysis software allows restaurants to analyze their recipes and dishes online with an advanced application. It allows restaurants to easily swap ingredients and find out the nutritional content of each meal.
Furthermore, MenuSano’s costing module also identifies how changing recipes will impact your restaurant’s bottom line. All of these features will enable you to make smart decisions on what works best for your restaurant. You can easily meet regulation standards, your customers’ expectations, and improve your bottom line all in one go. Clearly, the advantages of using MenuSano are indeed limitless.
Another benefit of using MenuSano is its easy to print nutrition labels. MenuSano’s trusted databases utilize the Canadian Nutrient File (CNF) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as their data sources, with the option to add custom ingredients. This makes it easy for restaurants to print nutrition labels for each meal they serve, including any custom ingredients they add. By using these advanced features, it will positively display your restaurant’s commitment to the health of your patrons.
Conclusion
Very few food businesses could survive the combination of a dramatic drop in diners, costs, and damage to reputation that Chipotle underwent. This demonstrates that food safety must be a priority for any restaurant if it wants to thrive in a competitive market.
As the adage goes, “prevention is better than cure.” Don’t wait for food contamination to occur at your restaurant. Prevent it before it starts. In this regard, use MenuSano to create nutrition facts labels from recipe-based calculations instead of manual estimates. It’s nutrition analysis software too, so you can review and refine nutrition as you develop products.
