Kitchen Safety Audit & COVID-19 Measures

As COVID-19 continues to present itself as an unprecedented challenge for millions of individuals, those
in charge of enforcing food safety measures struggle to maintain routine protocols. For example, many food
safety authorities are working from home or must be staggered out of the office with other employees. This makes
achieving routine check-ins on regulations difficult and time-consuming, as there is often few to no people in
office and miscommunication happens often. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FOA), these
specific protocols that are not being executed include: “inspection of operations, certifying exports and imports,
sampling and analysis of food, managing food incidents, providing advice on food safety and food regulations for
the food industry, and communicating on food safety issues with the public” (1). Fortunately, The World Health
Organization (WHO) in accordance with the FOA have presented new food and safety kitchen audit standards
that should be implemented universally as of 2021.
An important change that has been implemented is prioritizing certain tasks over others. The creation of
contingency plans is high on the list of things that needs to be done as soon as possible, as well as reducing in-
person staff and food testing as much as possible. However, food safety testing and in person audits is still vital to
make sure companies are complying. According to WHO, the prioritization of tasks does make executing audits
more difficult and makes it a longer process, but it is also re-shaping the way audits are done. For example, the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released specific forms and guidelines for situations such as closures of
facilities, what to do when an employee gets COVID, and how to structure a re-opening. All of these forms and
guidelines can he found here (2). Based on the research I have done; I have provided a COVID specific Kitchen
Safety Audit Form that was originally outline by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, to which I edited for needed
updates. These guidelines are tailored more toward larger scale operations. When assessing my household’s
ability to follow kitchen safety audit, I focused more on the safety of the equipment we did have, and how to
assure household members will not contract or spread the virus to each other. For example, when leaving the
home, what precautions would each person plan to take? Additionally, what cleaning practices could be
implemented? I decided weekly deep cleaning of kitchen supplies as well as daily cleanliness practices by
household members would result in the greatest prevention of spreading the virus.

Resources:

[1] CDC: Reopening Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting Public Spaces, Workplaces, Businesses, Schools, and
Homes

[2] CDC: Guidance for Reopening Buildings After Prolonged Shutdown or Reduced Operation

[3] OSHA: Guidance on Returning to Work

[Link]
 Mock Employee Schedule
Introduction:
When assembling a schedule for a food service establishment, there are several things to keep in mind. Based on
OSHA standards, as well as The National Restaurant Association’s accounting an research on this topic, the
following are the main things to outline prior to scheduling:

I. Determine how many of your employees fall into restrictions due to labor regulations,
such as hours allotted to minors.
This is vital when calculating FTE, as well as determining late-night schedules. For example, in
most states the age of legal hire is 16. In some states, this age may be less, or the curfew of minors
may differ. Taking this into consideration is mandatory when making sure your establishment follows
legal guidelines.

II. Indicate each person’s days off

Your employees at the end of the day are human and have lives. It is important to get sense of
who your employees are when you interview and hire them to get a feeling for future dates they may
need off. Ask for these days in advance to make scheduling for everyone easier.
III. Figure out what roles need to be filled at different points during the day (i.e. what time should
the prep cooks be there vs. when should your second bartender arrive to help cover the rush)
By making sure roles are scheduled at appropriate times, this will lessen the cost of possible overtime
or “wasted” pay, but an employee coming in to just sit and do nothing. However, it is also important
that employee schedules could overlap, since there may be times that extra help is required i.e during
a rush.

IV. Make sure you stagger your managers’ schedules. And everyone else’s schedules, for that
matter.
Staggering schedules allow for employees to take needed breaks, as well as for everyone to meet
needed FTE. Manager’s schedules should be staggered during COVID since there a fewer of these
trained employees, and if they all get sick at one time this could create problems for the business.
V. Calculate your FTE (full-time equivalent) for accounting purposes
This is also the time to consider which employees have tipped wages and which do not. Those
who do not—for accounting and taxing purposes—need to be calculated and provided a proper wage.
When tax time comes around, accurate calculation of FTE can ensure you have enough people on
staff for coverage without having too many bodies on shift at once. The best way to do this is to not
only calculate FTE, but to reach out to employees to create a culture of honesty and respect. Ask them
if they are feeling over worked or like they do not get enough hours. This may also be the perfect
time to ask them if there is anything else they are needing to make their daily experience at work
more enjoyable.
Below is a Mock schedule designed for both day shift and night shift. FTE indicates full time
while PT indicates part time. This is in general a simpler way to observe employee scheduling to
calculate overall FTE’s and determine payout for employees.
Food Safety Audit: Household
Monthly version

I. Personal Hygiene
NO. Items to check Yes No N/A Total
Points
1. Handwashing & cleanliness practices
- Soap is present at handwashing Yes 1/1
area Yes 1/1
- Use of hot water when washing No 0/2
- Area is not same as kitchen sink
a) Hands washed correctly and frequently:
- After using the bathroom Yes 2/2
- After touching hair, face, etc sometime 0.5/1
- After working with raw meats, Yes s 2/2
poultry or fish
- After handling trash, dirty items, Yes 1/1
or chemicals
- Before prepping fruits veggies, Yes 2/2
ready to eat foods
II. Time and Temperature Control
1. Hot holding of foods Yes 2/2
- Foods are in safe temperature
ranges
2. Thermometers
- Members of household have Yes 1/1
access to proper, calibrated
thermometers
2. Taking temperatures Comments: members of
- Members of household sometime household were able to recite
understand how to properly take s temp ranges for beef, lamb,
temperatures on meats, fish, and poultry and fish, but were
hot and ready fruits and unsure of fruits and veggie
vegetables temps

III. Preparing and serving Food

1. Raw foods kept separate from ready Yes Points
to eat foods 2/2
2. Separate and appropriate utensils No 0/0.5 Comments: most utensils
used for separate items over-lapped usage of meal
items
IV. Sanitizing Practices
1. All nonfood contact surfaces are Yes 2/2
clean
2. All Food Contact surfaces cleaned Yes 3/3
and sanitized
3. Sanitizing solutions are safe and in N/A 1/1 Comments: no high
proper concentrations concentration solutions
 located in home.
4. No signs of insects, rodents, or any Yes 2/2
other pests

Post Audit Summary:

This audit was performed in my household during dinner time on January 16 th. The items I focused one
were just a few of many that most food inspectors will evaluate. Audit items such as if HAACP recording is
taking place (including temperatures of fridges, hot holding records, etc), employee trainings are on file, manager
certificates are up to date, and purchasing and receiving specification, were not applicable to this setting.
However, I did explore what this would look like when actually evaluate and used Sodexo Form #827 to guide
my understanding. There were additional items included in “general observations” on the Sodexo form that were
not pertinent to my household, but that I thought would be good to explain here. This included the sanitation of
receiving areas such as food storage, cash registers and check out areas, and cleaning supplies such as mops and
brooms. Under general observations was also an area to check off sustainability practices. This is an optional
practice, but can earn businesses back points that may have been loss in other categories.
From the items I did evaluate my family on, you can see that most were met with 100% compliance.
However, there were some items that were met with only half or no compliance. When we are in our own homes
we are more relaxed with certain measures, such as using separate utensils for each items. For example, my
family was having slow cooker rosemary chicken with roasted vegetables and rice. All of these items seemed to
share the same scoop or tong but it does not really matter in the grand scheme since we are all family and no real
concern for cross contamination was present. However, this is an inexcusable practice in the food service industry
since this mixes allergens up, causes flavors to carry over, and is ultimately not the most cleanly standard practice.
Also, my family was well versed in proper temperatures of raw foods that need to be cooked for safe consumption
such as meat, but were unsure of hot holding temps for things such as the roasted veggies. Overall, I think this
was a great activity to compare and contrast the requirements of household versus larger scale food operations.
Lastly, it is important to mention that there are categories assigned to food safety audit evaluations. If an
operation meets 98% of points it is consider Gold. 98-94 is Green, 94-88 is Yellow, and anything under 88%
compliance will not pass and is considered RED. According to the findings in my household. My family would
meet Green standard since they were slightly below 96% compliance. From there, a food service operation is
required to complete a corrective action plan that is to be addressed in the following months audit. Food Service
Audits such as the one I performed are monthly; daily audits are performed by the managers and are to be
recorded for the monthly auditor to review, and yearly inspections are carried out by a certified Food Inspector.

Resources:
Sodexo Food Service. “ FORM #827, #829, Daily and Monthly audit forms”.
[Link]
Human Resource Assignment
For my human resource assignment, I decided to focus on creating a Food Service orientated
employee evaluation sheet. Based on the research I’ve gathered; I utilized the SPIRIT Method to best
evaluate employees. SPIRIT stands for skills, passion, initiative, reliability, interaction, and trainability.
I adapted this handout from a universal evaluation sheet provided by the Society of Human Resource
Managment Organization website, which provides free business and HR resources backed by data
research. Additionally, upon researching content that is available locally, a local school district’s website
provided me with employee-based surveys that helped me create this overall assessment.
I decided for each area I would define the section of SPIRIT I was evaluating them on, and then
set a scale from 1-5. Each part of the scale was also defined so that the employee receiving the form
would understand why they got the score they did. After going through each element of SPIRIT and
giving the employee a raw score, the employer has the chance to then give comments on the second
page. These comments should be concise enough to fit in the given space but elaborate enough so the
employee understands their score. After finishing the employer should sign and sit down with the
employee to go over the form. If at any point after reviewing the evaluation the employee has questions,
the employer should answer them respectfully to allow full, open communication with those who work
for them.
Ultimately, I think is a great tool because it allows for feedback and praise, two elements that are
equally vital to improving an employee’s performance. There are so many evaluation templates or tools
out there for human resources to use, but not all of them are effective. Upon my research, I found
numerous tools not leaving room for comments, scoring, or room for encouragement and praise. These
tools assume the employee is not competent and will receive a bad score. There is still a lot of work to
do in the human resource sector but hopefully things will start to improve in the way of communication
by developing better evaluation tools.
Sources:
[Link]
Society of HR Management: [Link]
 Employee
Evaluation Form
You are being asked to review in the position of
.
As part of your responsibility, you are asked to review your employees on their performance working for
_______, the Food Service Department. The performance criteria for this position are based on our SPIRIT
program - Skills, Passion, Initiative, Reliability, Interaction, and Trainability. Please fill out both sides. Your
honesty is appreciated. If you have any questions, please feel free to talk to your direct supervisor about
filling out this form.

Skills: Mastery of position responsibilities and Department protocol and procedures

1 2 3 4 5 N/A Score (x2)

1 - Doesn't seem to know the requisite skill for the position.
3 – Understands basic practices and policies. Sometimes forgets minor details. Could use some improvement in
knowledge of job. 5 - Knows all procedures and performs work accurately, takes pride in quality/quantity of work
performed, does not need to ask for
help.

Passion: Enthusiasm for position, department, and wellness

1 2 3 4 5 N/A Score
1 – Shows no or little interest in mission of Campus Recreation.
3 – Understands mission of Campus Recreation, gets involved in some activities.
5 – Embodies mission of Campus Recreation, participates in events, sets standard for being involved in
programs and services, supports what we do as an area.

Initiative: Ability to take charge of situations and direct change appropriately

1 2 3 4 5 N/A Score
1 - Doesn't cooperate with co-workers in getting jobs done, tries to get out of
doing the work. 3 - Does things when asked, is responsible for his/her own
work.
5 - Self-starter, positive, reacts to difficult situations with spontaneity, takes pride in work.

Reliability: Accountable for work schedule and effectively completing tasks

1 2 3 4 5 N/A Score
1 – Repeated no-show shifts, doesn’t effectively
complete tasks. 3 – Late once or twice, overall
feel you can count on them.
5 - No missed shifts, consistently on time, shows willingness to sub for others.

Interaction: Works well with others and engages customers

1 2 3 4 5 N/A Score
1 - Does not interact with patrons or co-workers, spends a lot of time on homework, rarely helps when there is
a need to interact with customers.
3 - Interacts with patrons on a regular basis, helps customer with problem, gets along with co-workers,
demonstrates some interest in well-being of customer.
5 - Friendly and courteous with patrons, greets patrons, deals well with difficult situations, interacts great with
customers and co- workers, clearly invested in making this place a great place to be.
 Trainability: Willingness to be active in the learning opportunities presented
1 2 3 4 5 N/A Score
1 – Does not make an effort to learn new skills or implement new policies.
3 – Understands new policies, does not always enforce policies, and attends staff meetings.
5 – Implements new policies, acquires helpful new skills, learns new practices, and strives to grow through
constructive feedback.

Qualitative Comments
In the comments include examples on how the employee can improve in areas as well as specific
strengths he/she demonstrates.

Skills

Comments:

Passion

Comments:

Initiative

Comments:

Reliability

Comments:

Interaction

Comments:
Trainability
Comments:

Evaluator’s Signature
Food Service Inservice Lesson Plan: Proper
Sanitation During a Pandemic
By: Riley Maloney

Lesson Plan:
Title: Proper Sanitation During a Pandemic
Use: A nutrition staff member (Registered Dietitian) or a food service manager should present
this in-service to all food services workers (Chefs, line cooks, prep workers, cashiers, waiters and
waitresses [if applicable], and dietary technicians/aids. This presentation has been designed to be
presented over zoom but could easily be transitioned into in-person. As encouragement to attend,
a certificate to receive one free food item from the food service department will be given upon
completion. If in person, healthy snacks will be brought for attendees.
Introduction: Keeping foods safe is critical to preventing illness carried to people by food,
which is usually our first and foremost concern in food service. However, as the pandemic
continues while establishments remain open or finally open once again, we must put forth a
higher level of effort to protect our customers and ourselves from the spread of COVID-19.
Objectives: Employees will be able to:
1. Understand and re-iterate the scientific basic understanding of COVID-19, including
what the effects of the virus are, how it spreads, and how to prevent the spread.
2. Identify CDC standards that should be put in place and be able to explain the purpose
behind each standard
3. Educate other employees and new hires about COVID-19 protocols
Outline:
I. COVID-19 Basics
a. SARS-CoV-2 survival and temperature
i. Temperature is inversely proportional to survival time; good to know for
food temp safety
b. Spreading and symptoms
i. Covid-19 spreads mainly through infectious respiratory droplets that enter
the air when someone who is infected coughs, sneezes, or talks. Many
people with Covid-19 have typical symptoms like fever, cough, shortness
of breath, or difficulty breathing.
ii. Some people do not have those typical symptoms, but may have
symptoms that are less common, like nausea, chills, muscle aches,
 headache, sore throat, or loss of taste or smell. Others may be “pre-
symptomatic,” meaning they have just recently been infected and have not
developed any symptoms yet
iii. Some people are completely “asymptomatic,” meaning they never have
any symptoms at all. We now know that anyone infected with Covid-19,
including those who are pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic, can spread the
infection to others.
II. What employees should do at home AND at work to prevent spread
a. Frequently clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces and objects in their
own homes, workplaces, and other spaces they can control
b. Avoid contacting commonly touched surfaces and objects
c. Wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (or sanitize them
with alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available) as soon as
possible
d. Avoid touching their face, mouth, nose, or eyes with unwashed hands in all
situations.
e. Everyone should wear face coverings so that if they happen to have Covid-19, the
face covering will prevent infectious droplets from getting on nearby people,
surfaces, or objects

III. Organizing and sanitizing the work place/ kitchen

a. In General
b. With managers and supervisors
c. Having specific areas for washing and checking temps versus food prep, provide
layout
Time: Presentation + activity + Q&A time = 60 minutes; activity = about 10-15 minutes.
Goal: For employees to be properly educated on COVID-19 sanitation practices as they pertain
to Food Service.
Activity: The Food Services Scaries: Cassie has COVID
You are Food Service Director at the renowned University establishment known as Bevier Café.
A student intern who works in the café has tested positive for COVID, the first “outbreak” the
café has seen all pandemic. After having all employees tested and having those who came in
contact with Cassie self-isolate, the next step is what to do about the café itself. Based on the
information you learned today, how should you:
1. Properly sanitize the facility?
2. Make sure employees are following standards (how to advertise them)?
3. Organize the facility moving forward to be more efficacious to COVID 19 standards?
4. Educate employees on standards? Which employees should be educated?
Answers vary, but generally attendees should discuss how to layout the kitchen and staff area for
temperature monitoring of employees upon entering, proper uniform for employees, and
handwashing stations. Discuss food preparation and how to stagger possible work schedules if
necessary. Education on these standards could be similar to what we are doing now—in service
—or an online module.
How does this relate to the target audience?
The target audience encounters food in a pandemic setting everyday. This activity allows
attendees to understand and problem solve what to do when an outbreak occurs in their food
service operation.
Discussion and Evaluation:
To test that we have fulfilled our learning objectives, we will have the employees answer some
trivia questions via Zoom Polls. This will help avoid employees influencing each other since
they are allowed 60 seconds to answer a question anonymously. There will be 6 questions total,
2 from each learning objective. If the group answers 80% of the questions correctly overall, we
will know that we have successfully completed our learning objectives. We will also have
participants compare there post test answers to their pre-test answers as a point of reflection on
their improved understanding.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Resources:
• NC State Extension’s COVID-19 Food Safety Resources [Link]
resources/

• FDA’s Best Practices for Retail Food Stores, Restaurants, and Food Pick- Up/Delivery Services During
the COVID-19 Pandemic - [Link]
retail-food-stores-restaurants-and-food-pick-updelivery-services-during-covid- 19

• Food Safety, Nutrition, and Wellness During COVID-19 -

[Link] nutrition-and-wellness-
during-covid-19/

• Food Safety and Coronavirus: A Comprehensive Guide: [Link]

safety-and-coronavirus-a- [Link]