Are You Inspection Ready?

Have you recently been getting more visits from your health inspector or sanitarian? If you have, you’re not alone. Many areas have experienced more frequent inspections to assess and enforce COVID protocol compliance regarding social distancing, mask wearing, and capacity. Is your foodservice operation inspection-ready, both front and back of house?

Some of the most common back-of-house violations can sneak up on a busy operation at any time, and even more so with the additional responsibility of pandemic-era mandates. We’ve matched up five key requirements from the Louisiana Public Health Sanitary Code for Retail Food Establishments (which are also typical to nationwide standards) with a simple solution to help you protect food safety every day and be ready for smooth inspections, no matter when they happen. 

Requirement: Food shall be protected from contamination by storing the food at least 6 inches above the floor.

Solution: Cambro Dunnage Racks hold inventory 12" off the floor. A versatile solution for freezers, coolers, and dry storage, Dunnage Racks are constructed of durable, rust-proof material that never dents, corrodes, or bends. Cambro offers both slotted or solid tops and a wide range of sizes for a custom solution, joining racks securely with the easy-to-use Camlink Connector.

Requirement: Food shall be protected so that cross-contamination of raw animal foods of one type with another, or ready to eat foods is prevented. 

Solution: The first line of defense is to always store ready to eat foods above raw animal proteins. A solid cover like the Seal Cover for Cambro food pans is an additional, cost-effective line of defense against cross-contamination. Foil wraps can tear, and plastic wraps can come unsealed, leaving gaps where contaminants can leak or fall in. Stacked food pans with soft covers sink down into each other allowing air, moisture, and contaminants from other containers or circulating in the air to enter, increasing risk of cross-contamination and rapidly reducing shelf life.

This is where the Cambro Seal Cover comes in. Made of translucent polypropylene, it provides content visibility, a tight seal, and a stable stacking platform all at the same time. Durable enough for years of use, it will be around far longer and cost far less over time than disposable foils and films while providing a solid barrier against cross-contamination. Seal Covers for Camsquares and Rounds provide the same type of protection.

Requirement: Ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous foods prepared on premise and held under refrigeration for more than 24 hours shall be clearly marked at the time of preparation to indicate the date by which the food shall be consumed, which is, including the day of preparation, seven calendar days.

Solution: To ensure that food that goes in first gets used first, dissolvable food rotation labels such as Cambro’s StoreSafe Labels make it a lot easier to manage a FIFO inventory system and consistently serve the freshest food while reducing waste. StoreSafe labels completely dissolve in the dishwasher or after 30 seconds under running water, leaving no residue behind.

Requirement: Clean utensils and equipment are to be air dried before storing. Do not “wet nest”.

Solution: The Cambro Angled Drying Rack securely and hygienically holds a variety of pans, pots, and kitchen wares. With removable, 8-slot drying cradles made of high impact ABS materials, this complete, non-corrosive drying rack provides a versatile, cost-effective, and space-efficient solution for sanitary drying and storage that is easy to move around. Available in mobile Camshelving® Premium Series and Camshelving Elements Series, it comes with a lifetime warranty against rust and corrosion.

Requirement: Employees shall thoroughly wash their hands and exposed portions of their arms with soap and warm water before starting work, before applying gloves, during work as often as necessary to keep them clean, and after smoking, using tobacco, eating, drinking, coughing, sneezing, handling raw food, using the toilet. All hand sinks must be supplied with soap and approved towels or blowers at all times. Hot and cold water must be provided through a mixer faucet.

Solution: The Cambro Hand Sink Cart provides a self-contained, hot and cold water supplemental handwashing station wherever you need it. With a double sink, fresh water and wastewater tanks, built-in hand soap dispenser and paper towel roll holder, this electric cart supports healthy hand hygiene and code compliance. Smooth surfaces make it easy to keep clean. Two 5-gallon fresh-water tanks supply enough water for up to 70 hand washings and two 7½-gallon waste-water tanks keep soiled water safely contained.  

We know that public health requirements are many. From safe food storage to sanitation to warewashing and everything in between, we can connect you with effective and reliable tools to protect your business and those you serve. Contact us.