The Ultimate Guide to the ServSafe Exam: Food Safety Management

Systems of Food Safety Management

Everything learned thus far can be applied to a food safety management system. These are practices and procedures that identify risks and hazards in your facility and ways to control them in order to prevent foodborne illness. Food safety principles presented in this guide provide the basis of safety management. The types of management programs needed are listed below.

Types of Management Programs

There are many types of food service management programs. Here are some of them:

  • Personal hygiene program
  • Food safety training program
  • Supplier selection and specification program
  • Quality control and assurance program
  • Cleaning and sanitizing program
  • Standard operating procedures (SOPs)
  • Facility design and equipment maintenance program
  • Pest-control program

The Manager Is in Charge

Active Managerial Control is a proactive initiative to identify and actively control the risk factors along the flow of food that contribute to foodborne illness. The 5 common risks you’ve learned about are:

  1. Purchasing from an unsafe source
  2. Not cooking food properly
  3. Not holding food properly
  4. Using contaminated items
  5. Having poor personal hygiene

The FDA suggests using training programs, employing manager supervision, and incorporating your SOP to achieve active managerial control. A more complex food safety system is a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) program to help anticipate the points along the flow of food where potential food safety risks could happen. Take these steps when implementing managerial control:

  • Identify risksLocate the possible risks in your facility so they might be controlled or eliminated.
  • MonitorCritical points along the flow of food should be monitored.
  • Corrective ActionProper monitoring allows for corrective action to be taken if needed.
  • OversightManagers should verify that all policies, procedures, and corrective actions are followed.
  • TrainingStaff should be trained and retrained on all policies, procedures, and corrective actions.
  • Re-evaluationThe system should be assessed from time to time to ensure it works correctly and effectively.

FDA Recommendations

The FDA’s public health interventions are designed to control common risk factors that lead to foodborne illness and protect public health. These specific recommendations are:

  • Knowledge—Be certified in food safety and demonstrate your knowledge.
  • Health—Ensure your staff have good personal hygiene and are required to report illnesses.
  • Hands/food handling—Bare-hand contact must be controlled when handling RTE foods.
  • Time and temperature—Hot held foods should be checked every 2 hours, and limit the foods’ time in the TDZ.
  • Consumer advisories—Provide a menu notice if you serve raw or undercooked foods that includes a statement about possible risks.

HACCP

A Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) program is a specific food safety management system based on identifying the biological, chemical, or physical hazards that might occur in your facility at specific points along the flow of food. Once identified, hazards can be prevented, reduced to safe levels, or even eliminated. Your unique HACCP plan must be specific to your menu, customers, staff, equipment, processes, and operations.