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| NSF Certification
NSF Standards in Restaurants |
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Food Safety & Security
Health in your community |
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Overview |
CertifiGroup, through our
many partnerships and liaisons, is working with hundreds of clients
including farms, producers, retailers and government agencies to improve
the safety and quality of the feed and food supply chain, and to ensure
compliance with local and international requirements as well as
increased consumer confidence.
Food borne illness continues to present a public health challenge in the
US and the rest of the world. The CDC estimates that in the US each year, 76 million people become
sick, more than 325,000 people are hospitalized, and 5,000 people die
from food borne illness. The estimated economic cost of food borne
illness in terms of pain and suffering, reduced productivity, and
medical expenses is substantial, in the range of $10-83 billion each
year
Produce is recognized as an important component of a healthy diet
because it is a source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.
Produce can play an important role in weight management as well. Because
most produce is grown in a natural environment, it is vulnerable to
contamination with pathogens. Factors that may affect the occurrence of
such contamination include agricultural water quality, the use of manure
as fertilizer, the presence of animals in fields or packing areas, and
the health and hygiene of workers handling the produce during
production, packing, processing, transportation, distribution, or
preparation. The fact that produce is often consumed raw without any
type of intervention that would reduce, control, or eliminate pathogens
prior to consumption contributes to its potential as a source of food-borne illness.
Food safety training is a commitment and a smart business
practice for every restaurant and foodservice operation in our industry.
Food safety training doesn't end once a manager earns
certification: That's where it begins — by implementing food safety
practices on a daily basis. It's also critical that every person in an
operation meets today's food safety practice demands.
NSF Standards for Restaurant Equipment
Regularly public health inspectors come across food
equipment in the field that isn't certified. Non-certified
products are frequently rejected, and sometimes there may not be an
equivalent unit currently certified. To solve this situation, CertifiGroup uses NSF Standards for our Field Service
Inspection program.
At the request of the equipment owner or manufacturer, a CertifiGroup
field auditor visits the location where the equipment is installed to
conduct on onsite inspection. Your CertifiGroup inspector can evaluate the equipment to the requirements of the
applicable standard and issue a report identifying any items of
noncompliance. In addition to sending a copy of the report to the
customer, CertifiGroup can send a copy of the report directly to
the designated local health official for their records. The regulator
can then review the report to help them make a determination whether to
accept the equipment with corrections to the items of
noncompliance.
For further information about this program or to request a field inspection, contact us.
For information on US Requirements for Food Safety, visit the FirstGov site:
http://foodsafety.gov
CertifiGroup can also assist with Food Safety requirements for the European Union. For information on EU requirements, visit this site:
http://www.europa.eu.int/pol/food/index_en.htm
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