Jim Mann's blog

FDA's Captain Wendy Fanaselle took attendees of the Food Safety Summit on a research guided graphical trip of the restroom to emphasize the importance of killing the fecal-pathogens before they escape into public areas.

Toilet paper, designed by those more concerned about flushability than its barrier properties, doesn't do the job. Single or double ply, soft or strong, research indicates pathogens still escape the basic maneuver and often proceed beyond the restroom doors.

Toilet paper is an advance over at least three of its earlier substitutes:

 Integrating noro-effective hand sanitizer with

Richard F. Ghiselli, Head of Purdue's School of Hospitality, is the lead researcher and author of a study which shows that senior diners value restaurant cleanliness above all else. Read more about Cleanliness: A Brand Builder with Seniors

Norovirus or Winter Vomiting Disease. Vomitus or Diarrhea. Fecal or Faecal. Contaminated Hands or Surfaces. Foodborne or Person-to-Person. We hear a lot of conflicting distractions. The six simple truths about norovirus are these: Read more about 2013: The Year of the … Norovirus?

Martha Stewart, like so many celebrity “demonstration” chefs, likely missed a handwash and paid a price, “spending days in bed.” We hope she is luckier than some where the Read more about Martha Misses

Why poor hand washers need better paper

Single-use paper toweling is a critical component in professional handwashing, whether in restaurants, schools, the workplace or hospitals and nursing homes. The choice of drying method and materials is first driven by user habits and the risks resulting from potential failures in the hand cleansing process. Hand hygiene breakdowns are measured by some in illness outbreaks and by others in absenteeism rates.

First to Earn Handwashing For Life's 5 Star Hand Hygiene Award

The Atrio Restaurant's Chef Peter Fulgenzi had assessed his operation's risk if they were to experience a breakdown in their handwashing system. He set safe levels on both handwashing quality and frequency. His 12 handsink stations were optimized and he completed rigorous staff training along with a tightening of hiring policies. One gap persisted in his HandsOn process control system. Handwashing compliance monitoring remained compromised by observation only. 

Executive Summary:

The 12 questions, delivered in three short survey segments, were designed to raise awareness of some unaddressed sub-issues remaining from the 2012 Conference For Food Protection's Hand Hygiene Committee, charged with identifying alternate handwashing protocols.  This qualitative study was independent of the CFP process but conducted in a timeframe to capture and maintain the momentum from the May, 2012 Indianapolis session and serve as a bridge to the 2014 Committee which will be formed later this month.

Respondents were all attendees of the 2012 CFP meeting and included industry, regulatory and academia. 

The overarching goal of this study is to seek the 2014 CFP Hand Hygiene Committee's consideration of each recommendation. No direct response is anticipated. The final committee report will be presented at the 2014 session.