With the increased emphasis on quality foodservice, maintaining in-store equipment is necessary for keeping a clean image.
By Howard Riell, Associate Editor
In the wake of the publicized instances of food-borne illnesses such as the Norovirus outbreak at Chipotle, more convenience stores are protecting their operations against similar operational risks.
Many c-store operators are looking at a variety of potential danger areas, from food preparation equipment to storage containers and ice machines, honing their food safety policies and procedures along the way.
Jeff Oppenheim, director of food service for Sampson-Bladen Oil, which operates 79 Han-Dee Hugo’s convenience stores throughout North Carolina, said his chain is working to grow its proprietary foodservice program in new stores, focusing on food safety.
Han-Dee Hugo’s foodservice program varies from location to location, but includes branded Subway sandwich outlets as well as fried chicken, hot dogs, burgers, pizza, taquitos, egg rolls, breakfast sausages and, coming in late spring, Little Caesars Pizza. Nine stores currently offer foodservice.
SELF-CLEANING
Many of Sampson-Bladen’s stores are equipped with self-cleaning ice machines, though managers are instructed to run a cleaning cycle once a week. The c-store also has an outside service vendor come in quarterly, break down and clean all units.
“But every month we break down those machines and clean them ourselves to maintain the quality because there is nothing like getting a piece of ice with a black chunk from mold,” Oppenheim said. “Mostly we go in and actually open the machine and clean behind the doors. We take out some of the shields and clean those pieces. We teach our managers how to maintain those.”
The self-cleaning feature helps out a lot with maintenance, he added. “I have one ice machine that does not have the self-cleaning piece in it; and that one is always heavily soiled, and so it is taken apart and cleaned more often.”
When food deliveries arrive the boxes are marked to ensure good first-in, first-out product rotation. To help expedite the process, the chain also uses automatic label printers in many locations.
“If you have a big operation, I recommend getting something like that,” Oppenheim said. “All you do is push a button and they print out a sticker based on your parameters. It’s good if you’re doing the same program at different stores.”
Newer models include time and temperature data, which are logged automatically. Store staffers do temperature checks at least twice per day, and up to four times at 24-hour locations.
STORAGE AND MORE
For food storage, Han-Dee Hugo’s stores are equipped with stand-alone refrigerators and freezers, and some have walk-in units. Managers and employees are trained to make sure their coolers are well kept and clean, especially the fins on the condenser unit.
“Make sure you clean those weekly,” Oppenheim said. “We have to go in and actually take a simple paint brush and keep those clean. Keep the dust off of them and over the long haul that will save you a ton of maintenance money. It’s as simple as giving someone a paint brush and wiping those off and keeping them dust-free.”
When it comes to the food prep area and equipment, Sampson-Bladen uses the cleaning and sanitizing products of a well-known supplier.
“They are nationally known, and the chemicals they use are safe for food,” Oppenheim said. “We break everything down every night and sanitize it from top to bottom.”
A maintenance schedule calls for managers to mark off individual tasks to make sure none are overlooked or forgotten. “That’s huge, too.”
Garry Thomas, district manager with Asheville, N.C.-based Mountain Energy Corp., which operates 20 Shell-branded convenience stores, pointed out that food prep is a challenge in c-stores due to the danger of cross-contamination from non-foodservice employees.
“What you could end up having is the manager or cashier come over to help with the food area without washing his hands simply because he is running and hustling over there and then coming back,” Thomas said. “If you have the sections side by side I think you are more apt to have cross-contamination coming over from handling money into food.”
Mountain Energy locations include four Dairy Queen units and a single Schlotzsky’s Deli restaurant, with more planned. The Schlotzsky’s section of the store operates from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., in a 600-square-foot space.
Cleaning the bake oven is less of a challenge, Thomas said. “Your baker is usually only baking five or six hours a day. Once that’s done, then his time is just designated to that oven to make sure everything is cleaned up.”
Ensuring effective food safety practice is simple but not easy. It consists mainly of drafting proper policies and procedures and making sure store personnel follow them carefully.
When it comes to food safety and storage in general, operators must be sure to follow the FIFO (first-in, first-out) storage practice. By doing so, said consultant Howard Algeo with ROG Consulting LLC in Fairfield, Conn., products are more likely to be used before their expiration dates.
“It also helps keep storage areas cleaner and free of pests,” Algeo said. When storing product, always avoid cross-contamination. Keep chemicals separate from food products and store ready-to-eat foods above raw products.
Freezers and cold storage equipment require constant monitoring. A major food safety concern with freezers and cold storage is overstocking. When storage units are overstocked it is harder to maintain temperature due to lack of air circulation. This will not only put the food temperature at risk, but it will also overwork the equipment, leading to equipment failure. Overstocked units are also more difficult to clean and make it more challenging to rotate stock.
Jennifer Vespole, director of foodservice for Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based Quick Chek Corp., which operates QuickChek Food Stores, said a crucial part of safe food storage is ensuring that food items are appropriately placed in the refrigerator or freezer.
“They should be off the floor, properly packaged and sealed, labeled, and code-dated—first in, first out,” Vespole said.
Managing the menu is also important, she added, since too many SKUs simply may not fit in the available storage space.
FOOD PREP
All food contamination begins with human behavior. First and foremost, all cooked food products must be cooked to the appropriate levels to kill off bacteria that cause food-borne illness.
“There are a few things to keep in mind when preparing food,” Algeo said.
These include practicing good personal hygiene, avoiding time/temperature abuse and preventing cross-contamination.
“Always wash hands before putting on gloves, and change gloves when switching products and before beginning a new task.”
Employees should be instructed to minimize the amount of time that food spends in the temperature danger zone by taking out of refrigeration only small amounts of a product at a time. “Put items back into the coolers and cold holding units as quickly as possible,” said Algeo, “and always prep food on equipment that has been properly cleaned and sanitized.”
Food-handling equipment and all contact surfaces must be properly cleaned and sanitized by using the proper procedures.
“Always test chemical sanitizers to make sure they are at a safe and effective level,” Algeo said. “Follow the proper cleaning and sanitizing procedures whenever beginning a new task, or switching products, or after four hours of continual use.”
“This is where 80% of diseases are transferred, whether it be the rhinovirus, the common cold, or the norovirus, which caused one of the Chipotle outbreaks,” noted Tim Powell, vice president and consulting food-and-beverage practice leader for Q1 Productions Consulting Services in Chicago, which designs and develops training courses for the food-and-beverage industry.