Overcome Communication Barriers to Food Safety

Restaurants are not perfect, either. In an ideal world, food workers would be taking the temperatures of every burger that comes off the grill. But reality includes milk leaks in coolers, bare hands contacting ready-to-eat foods, improper food rotation, and sick employees. Add to this the multicultural workforce that comprises the food industry, and we have challenges in the food safety system that cannot be taken lightly.

Recognizing the fact that restaurants have a lot on their plates, Eastern Food Safety conducted a study of certified food managers at 400 restaurants on the East Coast, asking them, “What keeps you up at night?” Staffing issues were the most pressing concern for 47%, followed by time constraints and customer satisfaction at 15% each. When asked how comfortable they feel calling their health inspector if they have a problem, only 35% stated that they would feel very comfortable. The million-dollar question, “How do you feel when the health inspector comes to do an inspection?” found 61% responding that they feel anxious and panicked.

These results may not come as a surprise to anyone who’s been in the field for any length of time, no matter what their position, and the challenges become magnified by cultural variations and language barriers in the workplace.

Cultural diversity often makes people think of unfamiliar foods, and they are unsure how to evaluate them during an inspection. Are the baluts or scorpions on a skewer safe to eat, even if they are unrecognizable by the inspector? It is important for both industry and regulators to understand an item’s characterization as a TCS [time/temperature control for safety] food and apply food safety measures accordingly. For example, traditional Middle Eastern shawarma meat, which rotates constantly on a vertical “rotisserie,” should be evaluated on its exposure to elevated ambient temperatures during the service period, with particular focus on the internal temperatures of the meat, not on the familiarity of the product. In other words, we should worry more about the internal temperatures, product sources, and sanitary conditions of the workplace rather than the food in question.

While our stated goal may be cultural sensitivity, especially given the explosion of ethnic restaurants and imported foods in the U.S., it is easy to judge foods by their “familiarity quotient.” For example, one local health inspector, unfamiliar with the particular risks of making sushi and unsure of how to validate a HACCP plan as required by law, blankly forbid the licenses of sushi production in her jurisdiction. She is doing a disservice to conscientious operators who have the ability and knowledge to produce these food products safely.

However, there are instances of language barriers posing true potential risks to food safety, as evidenced during some recent inspections. When asked to calibrate her bimetallic stemmed thermometer, a manager demonstrated the process using hot oil. In another restaurant, a young food worker was trying to cool hot diced cooked potatoes by piling them 12 inches deep in a bus bucket sitting on a thin layer of ice. Although he was trying to do the right thing, something was lost in translation.

In a large seafood processing plant, a woman power-washing the floor of the production room was spraying contaminants over floors, drains, and surrounding equipment. Training employees is challenging enough without the extra hurdles of language barriers, as in these cases.

Industry needs communication and support from regulators, suppliers, and management in order to operate efficiently and safely. Employees appreciate practical solutions to everyday challenges, and it can be something as simple as a more effective way to cool foods, date-mark products, or prevent cross-contact of allergens.