ANFP Resources to Assist with Coronavirus Crisis
Top 10 Tips to Maintain Successful Dining Practices During COVID-19
How do we adjust to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Communal Dining Restrictions in our care communities? The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) memo dated March 13, 2020 includes guidance to “cancel communal dining and all group activities in your Skilled Nursing Facility.” View the top 10 list for tips to maintaining successful dining practices!
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Additional Resources
Food Safety In-Service: Glove Use and Bare-Hand Contact Handout
The use of disposable gloves/single-use gloves in dining services operations is increasingly common. It is important to note that wearing gloves is not a substitute for appropriate, effective, thorough and frequent hand washing. Single-use gloves should be stored and dispensed in a manner that prevents contamination. Gloves should be intact and free of tears or other imperfections. Before putting on a glove, wash hands, following the established procedure. Replace gloves at least hourly; when changing food preparation tasks; or after sneezing, coughing, touching hair, face, or non-disinfected surfaces. Skin lesions, cuts on the hands, wrists, or exposed portions of the arm must be covered with an impermeable cover such as a finger cot or stall. If on the hands or wrists, a disposable glove should be worn over the impermeable cover.
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Food Safety In-Service: Preventing Cross-Contamination - Cleaning & Sanitizing
Sanitizing is the process of making equipment and work surfaces sanitary. There are two major methods of sanitizing: heat sanitization and chemical sanitization.
- Heat sanitization: The procedure is to expose an object to sufficiently high heat for a sufficient period of time to sanitize it. According to the FDA Food Code, cleaned food contact surfaces can be sanitized by immersion in water that is 171°F or above for at least 30 seconds.
- Chemical sanitization: Sanitizers are chemicals that destroy harmful pathogens. The dilution or strength of a sanitizing solution is measured in parts per million (ppm). Dispensing equipment for sanitizers should be calibrated on a regular basis and the strength of a sanitizing solution should be checked with a chemical test strip on a daily basis. Chemical test strips are often available from the chemical supply vendor. Keep in mind that the effectiveness of a sanitizer may be affected by the temperature, hardness, and/or pH of the water in which it is mixed.
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Emergency Preparedness
A Certified Dietary Manager, Certified Food Protection Professional (CDM, CFPP) should always have a written plan about how to feed clients in an emergency. Food preparation in situations where power is lost or food deliveries are impossible may require a pre-planned menu that includes foods that do not require cooking, such as peanut butter sandwiches, fresh or canned fruit, and similar items. In creating a plan, consider what supplies are likely to be on hand, how to handle a severe staffing shortage if employees cannot get to work, and whether the operation will feed extra people. In some healthcare facilities, an emergency staffing plan may include drawing on employees from other non-client care departments. Staff need to be aware of the emergency plan so they will be ready to activate it at any time.