1. School Food Safety Programs: Why Do We Need Them?
Presented by:
Doreen Iovanna, LDN, DT
August 12, 2013

2. What’s The Big Deal?
School food safety programs help to ensure the safety of the school meals served to children across the Nation…
Who’s more important than your customers.. The children in each of your schools. Also increasing number of staff are using the school cafeteria as their dining source. This includes vended programs such as day cares, adult day health day cares.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

3. Traditional Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
HACCP is a systematic approach to construct a food safety program designed to reduce the risk of food borne hazards by focusing on each step of the food preparation process– from receiving to service.

4. Section 302 of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA)
The School food safety program is based on the Hazard
Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles to be
applied to any facility or part of a facility in which food is:
Stored
Prepared
Served
Reference: Updated Memo
USDA SP 37 – 2013/April 26, 2013

5. When are Food Safety Programs Required?
National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
School Breakfast Program (SBP)
Special Milk (SM)
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP)
After School Snack Program
After School Supper Program
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
Reference: Updated Memo
*USDA SP 37 – 2013/April 26, 2013 Page 1

6. Where are Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) Needed?
Classrooms
School buses
School courtyards
Kiosks
Vending machines with reimbursable meals
Hallways
Field Trips
Any other location(s) outside the cafeteria
Receiving Deliveries
Reference: *USDA MEMO: SP /April 26, 2013

7. How Can Food Safety be Managed by Other School Staff?
Some examples are:
Select single-serve items that are portioned and wrapped.
Provide serving utensils, or single-use disposable gloves.
Provide basic food safety training to staff.
Reference: *USDA MEMO: SP /April 26, 2013 Page 3

8. Essential Key Points of the Food Safety Program
Sanitation
Temperature Control
Standard Operating Procedures
Reference: Updated Memo
*USDA SP 37 – 2013/April 26, 2013, Page 2
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

9. Sanitation Food preparation areas need to be clean and sanitary:
Workers’ hands
Utensils
Food contact surfaces
Most important: Avoid cross contamination

10. Temperature Control Keeping cold food cold and hot foods hot.
(below 41 degrees and above 140 degrees)
Cook to proper temperatures and hold at proper temperatures; and
Recording of proper temperatures using a properly calibrated food thermometer.
Review food temperature log (location on units) and maintenance of log book.
Refrigerator , freezer and milk refrigerators. All locations, separate classrooms where food and milk is held.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

11. Food Production Record Documentation of HACCP

12. Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s)
Definition: Written instructions for a food service task that reduce food safety hazards.
Uses:
Sanitation purposes
Verify proper temperatures
Any other aspects of foodservice operations
Examples are:
Transport to other food service locations in school
Receiving foods from a vendor

13. Sample: Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Is Training Evident and Implemented?
Personal Hygiene, continued
(Sample SOP)
Monitoring:
A designated foodservice employee will inspect employees when they report to work to be sure that each employee is following this SOP. The designated foodservice employee will monitor that all foodservice employees are adhering to the personal hygiene policy during all hours of operation.
Corrective Action:
Any foodservice employee found not following this procedure will be retrained at the time of the incident. Affected food will be discarded.
Verification and Record Keeping:
The foodservice manager will verify that foodservice employees are following this policy by visually observing the employees during all hours of operation. The foodservice manager will complete the Food Safety Checklist daily. Foodservice employees will record any discarded food on the Damaged or Discarded Product Log, which will be kept on file for a minimum of one year.
Date Implemented: By:
Date Reviewed: By:
Date Revised: By:
This is on Pg. 40 of the manual.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

14. Purpose of School Food Safety Plan
Ensures the delivery of safe foods to children by controlling hazards that may occur from flow to receiving.
Help control food safety issues during the receiving, storing preparing, cooking, cooling, reheating, holding, assembling, packaging, transporting and serving.

15. Purpose of School Food Safety Plan, cont’d.
Two types of hazards:
Specific to food preparation issues (i.e. improper cooking for the specific type of food (beef, chicken, etc.).
Non-specific hazards – developing and implementing Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) that affect all foods, such as personal hygiene.

16. A School Food Safety Plan Must Include:
Documented SOP’s: documentation to control hazards not specifically outlined in the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Plan (HACCP).
A written plan at each school food preparation and service site for applying HACCP principles.

17. Developing a School Food Safety Program
Prior to developing the program consider the
following as it applies to each school:
Types of facilities in your SFA
Existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s)
Number and types of employees at each site
Types of equipment
Processes for food preparation
Menu items

18. Developing A School Food Safety Program, cont’d.
Develop, document in writing, and implement SOP’s.
Identify and document in writing all menu items according to the Process Approach to HACCP.
Establish monitoring procedures.
Establish corrective actions.
Keep records.
Review and revise your overall safety.
Once you establish your goals follow the following steps.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

19. Successful Food Safety Plan Practices
Provide on-going food safety training for all employees.
Review food safety principles, including Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) guidelines, for all employees on an annual basis.
Require new employees, including substitutes and volunteers, to complete initial food safety training before handling food.
Maintain training and attendance records on all employees at each facility.
Hold facility managers responsible for maintaining employee training standards.

20. Where Do I Start? Guidance for School Food Authorities:
Developing a School Food Safety Program Based on the Process Approach to HACCP Principles
USDA
Food and Nutrition Service
2005
You can develop your own food safety program based on HACCP principles by applying the principles in this guidance.
These are in the process of being revised by USDA, but are still in effect.
Provides tools and resources, including recordkeeping logs, checklists, sample SOP’s (SAMPLES NOT TO BE XEROXED) and a sample food safety plan.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

21. Administrative Review Requirements
Does the written food safety plan contain the required elements?
Did the Fresh Fruits and Vegetable meal service follow HACCP principles and applicable sanitation and health standards?
Is the plan available at each site?
Is the plan implemented at each site?
Is there evidence of training by the district?
Is there evidence of implementation of procedures signed and dated?

22. Administrative Review Requirements, cont’d.
Were Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) principle observed?
Were temperature logs available for review?
Were on site (or off-site, if observed) storage violations observed?

23. Common Findings Temperature logs were not in use.
Thermometers were missing.
Freezer and dry storage products were not dated.
Central kitchen site had HACCP principles in place, however, the residential sites visited did not.
Standard Operating Procedure’s (SOP’s) were not being used for damaged foods as required by the School Food Safety Plan.
An SOP for the prevention of theft and damage for the district’s kitchen facilities was not constructed.
These are common findings that SFA’s have as a result of the review process.
Give examples:
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

24. Temperature Log

25. Damaged or Discarded Product Log

26. Resources Available From The National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI)
For Schools:
For non-food service staff (teachers/aides, etc.):

27. Other Mandatory Food Safety Requirements
Food Safety Inspections:
Required twice per year for institutions participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program
References:
SP Food Safety Inspections in Non-Traditional School Settings
SP Food Safety Inspections in Service-Only Sites Participating in the School Meals Program
Please remember to post the inspection in a conspicuous place in view of the public (i.e. in the cafeteria area)
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

28. Board Of Health (BOH) Inspections Submitted to ESE Due by October 4, 2013 (report of the previous year inspections)

29. MA Department of Public Health (MDPH) Allergen Awareness Trainings
105 CMR (G)(3)(a) at least one certified food protection manager per food establishment must obtain an allergen awareness certificate from one of these three MDPH – approved vendors:
Berkshire Area Health Education Center
CompuWorks systems, Inc.
Massachusetts Restaurant Association
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

30. Food Service Management Certification
105 CMR At least one certified manager is required per facility from an approved vendor.
Check your local Board of Health for current information on their requirements and vendor information: City and Town Requirements

31. Questions
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