Putnam's Annual Food Operators Seminar Focused On Safety

CARMEL, NY — More than 120 attendees, representing more than 80 different food industry-related organizations, attended the Fourteenth Annual Food Operators Seminar on Monday, focused about best practices with food safety issues and also covering essentials such as kitchen first aid and online branding.

The event, held at the Putnam County Golf Course in Mahopac, was offered by the Putnam County Department of Health to any food operator in the county.

"We are the only County in the region that puts together an event like this," said County Executive Kevin Byrne. "While utilizing the county owned golf course as a venue, our Health Department is able to directly connect with the individuals behind the businesses that make up so much of what makes Putnam County great."

Public Health Sanitarian and food inspector Andrea DeMarchi tackled the hot topic of the top 10 critical violations found in restaurants and how to avoid them. She led off with recent headline news from Long Island — the Stony Brook food poisoning outbreak, which resulted in multiple lawsuits and the restaurant’s closure within weeks. SEE: 28 People Sickened At Stony Brook Restaurant

The culprit, identified by Suffolk County health investigators, was cooked rice that was not held at proper temperatures. This allowed bacteria to grow, similar to what occurred in Putnam’s 2012 food outbreak at a large Mother’s Day event, county officials said.

Running a restaurant or other food service establishment is a complicated business, county officials said. Holding temperatures for food, cross contamination, food labeling, and food allergies or intolerances are just some of the things that require attention and care. One goal is to supplement facilities’ capacity to train and educate staff about food safety issues, while also facilitating access to industry vendors, safety experts and other resources at the seminar.

"Our approach has always been one of partnering with our food operators not just regulating,” explained Environmental Health Services Director Shawn Rogan from the Putnam County Department of Health, who was joined by County Executive Kevin Byrne in welcoming the crowd.

“This event is an outgrowth of that philosophy,” Rogan said.

Rogan also presented on power outages and food safety issues, one of the six breakout sessions.

He has seen his share of both short and long power outages, as well as multi-county, foodborne illness outbreaks, as his experience at the health department spans nearly three decades. He has worked with many establishments as they dealt with the year-round challenges of extended outages, food waste and insurance issues.

Solutions he discussed ranged from low-tech practices such as keeping refrigerators doors shut or adjusting incoming orders, to identifying the most insulated and efficient freezers, and standby generators.

The food safety message — for restauranteurs and home cooks alike — is to keep hot items hot above 140 degrees, and cold items cold below 41 degrees, and to refrigerate leftovers to keep foods out of the in-between danger zone when bacteria grow most easily. The food industry knows these foods as TCS foods, or time/temperature controls for safety foods — essentially perishable food such as meat, poultry, cooked vegetables and grains, soft cheeses and dairy, and sprouts. Even sliced melon and tomatoes are TCS foods since they become vulnerable to bacteria once the flesh is exposed by cutting.

Other presentations covered food allergies and intolerances, presented by Mindy Hermann, an independent food and nutrition product and service consultant; branding, websites and social media for restaurants, presented by Brian Austin, the creative force behind the Putnam County website and brand development consultant; kitchen first aid, by Ann Daros, EMT-B and educational coordinator for the Bureau of Emergency Services; and cardiac health and sodium, by Michael Nesheiwat, MD, interim health commissioner, who served on the County’s Board of Health for more than 25 years before being named commissioner in 2015.