Keeping Ice Safe

When most people think of what causes a foodborne illness, they often think of undercooked meat, raw shellfish or ready-to-eat produce like lettuce. They don’t often think of ice as a cause. There have been many studies that have found germs like E. Coli and Norovirus on or in ice. Most food establishments use ice, either from their own ice machines or bagged ice. Ice should be considered a food and it should be kept safe just like other foods. Train employees on how to work with ice safely. Employees should know the following ice safety rules:

Wash hands before working with ice and do not touch ice with bare hands.
Clean and sanitize ice machines regularly. Ice is only as clean as the machine that makes it and the container it is stored in. Follow the instructions provided by the ice machine company. The ice machine should be located in an area where there is less chance of cross contamination. Keep them away from other appliances, dirty dishes, garbage, or recycling containers.
Only use bagged ice from an approved source. Bagged ice is regulated by the FDA. Do not drop ice bags on the floor to break it up. The ice pieces could puncture the bag and those holes could allow the ice to become contaminated.
Do not store the ice scoop or tongs in the ice machine storage bin. This can result in contamination. Make sure that Ice scoops and tongs are cleaned and sanitized regularly and stored in a sanitary location. Never use a glass as a scoop and never scoop ice with your bare hands.
Store ice in clean containers that are safe for storing food. Make sure to cover ice to prevent contamination.

Pathogen Profile: Salmonella

Salmonella is a bacteria that can be found in meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, and some fresh produce, like peppers and tomatoes. A recent outbreak found Salmonella in peanut butter causing a major recall of those products. Other outbreaks were caused by petting and holding chickens, ducks and turtles. Salmonella is carried by these animals, so touching them and then touching your mouth or food can cause you to get sick.

People usually get sick 6-48 hours after eating the bacteria. It doesn’t take many bacteria to make someone sick and the more bacteria that are eaten results in more severe symptoms. Symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, fever and chills. Most people infected with Salmonella recover without treatment after 4 to 7 days. However, some people may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization. Someone who had Salmonella can be contagious for weeks after they have recovered from symptoms.

Prevent Salmonella by cooking foods to their proper temperatures, which kills the bacteria. Keep raw meat and poultry products away from produce and ready-to-eat foods and keep employees with symptoms of Salmonella out of the facility.

New Food Code Educational Period Ending

When the new food code changes went into effect on March 1, 2022, the Washington State Department of Health decided that there would be an educational period to help transition to the changed rule until August 31, 2022. This was a time to focus on continued education for food establishments. It was a time for food establishments to get prepared by educating their staff, creating necessary written procedures and asking for clarification from the state or the Snohomish Health District.

When inspections were carried out during the educational period, inspectors would identify food safety risks that would need to be corrected, but points for the revised code change violations were not assigned. Starting on Sept 1^st, the new code change requirements will be written up as violations.

For more information on the new food code changes, or to find helpful templates for different required written procedures, go to our Food Code Updates page. You can also email us with questions at foodsafety@snohd.org.

New Handouts

Handouts on Proper Temperatures, Reheating, Cooling, Sanitizer use, and Parasite Destruction have been updated or created. We are working on getting them translated into languages such as Spanish, Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese. You can find all of our handouts and past newsletters on our Educational Resources page.

Certified Food Protection Manager

This is another reminder that the new food code will require a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) for each food service establishment by March 1, 2023. The CFPM will need to have passed an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved FOOD MANAGER TEST. This is a list of the ANSI six approved courses that will meet that requirement.

Five things to note about the new requirement:

The CFPM does not need to be on-site, although a copy of the certificate does. This means that not all managers need to be certified. You could have one person designated as the CFPM for the food service establishment or even several establishments.
An establishment will have 60 days to replace a CFPM if their previous CFPM leaves.
The CFPM will be responsible for implementing a food protection program which helps each Person in Charge (PIC) and any other employees follow the food code.
The CFPM will be responsible for training each PIC so that they understand food safety concepts and are able to demonstrate knowledge and maintain Active Managerial Control (AMC).
A CFPM is not required to take a class, although it is encouraged. They are just required to pass one of the ANSI approved food manager tests.

Street View of the Rucker Building and SHD

Snohomish Health District to Merge into County Health Department

The Snohomish Health District Board of Health and Snohomish County Council have voted to merge the Health District into county government. This means Snohomish County will be forming a new health department effective January 1, 2023, and the Snohomish Health District staff will become part of that new department instead of continuing as a separate public health district. Environmental Health and the Food Safety Program will remain a core piece of our work. For our partners, including the many food businesses we work with, our work and services won’t change. We look forward to continuing to work with everyone to keep our community safe and healthy.

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