Be Careful about Food Safety

     How many times have you said, “It must have been something I ate.”  That’s the typical statement when a person develops some relatively minor symptoms from food.  Maybe not severe enough to go to the doctor so you choose to tough it out without medical care.  Sudden onset of flu-like symptoms such as onset of stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting and fever could possibly mean you are the victim of a foodborne illness.   The illness is sometimes referred to as “food poisoning”, but it’s often misdiagnosed.

 

     Who’s the Culprit? Foodborne illness has occurred when you are sick from eating food that has been contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi.  Causes of the symptoms vary greatly, but it’s help to know that misinformation exists via the customer route, the food service managers and crew, and even the medical professionals (if they haven’t had much specific training about foodborne illness).
     The Best Investigators –In the food service industry, we never want to get a call from a customer with a foodborne illness claim.  Prevention of such an incident is what food safety is all about.   If the restaurant manager does get a call, you need to take it seriously and record the facts from the customer for further investigation.  Many times the consumer does an incorrect self-diagnosis based upon the last meal that they ate at a restaurant – never from food out of their own refrigerator or from a meal eaten days before the illness symptoms show up.  Health department professionals trained in food protection are the best source of helping to correctly diagnose a foodborne illness (contacted as soon as possible), provided the consumer has also contacted their doctor if they have acute symptoms.

The Common Foodborne Illness Myths:

1. Myth: Foodborne illness is caused by the last meal or food item eaten.
FACT:  Foodborne illness can be caused by foods eaten a few hours to several days prior to your illness.   A graphic point is that when symptoms show up, for example vomiting, you would throw up the last meal you ate, even though that is not the food that made you sick.  In the case of the Hepatitis A virus, you may not have symptoms for up to 50 days.  Can you remember what you ate for every meal up to a week ago, much less 50 days?  It’s a tough task.

2. Myth:  Foodborne illness is caused by eating foods from restaurants.
FACT:  Bacteria and other pathogens (germs) can live and multiply in both the home and restaurant kitchens.  Foodborne viruses are the very tiny hitchhikers that travel via fingertips and sometimes are airborne. Foods can be contaminated on counters, sinks, cutting boards, utensils, or via hands, resulting in a cause known as “cross-contamination”.

3. Myth:  Foodborne illness is caused by food that has “gone bad”.
FACT:  This is seldom the cause of foodborne illnesses.  You CANNOT see, taste, or smell the food poisoning organisms in the food.  Foodborne illness is usually caused by food becoming contaminated from the food preparers hands not being properly washed, incorrect time and temperature control, poor food handling practices, and unsafe preparation methods.

4. Myth:  It must have been the mayonnaise that made me sick.  It was not refrigerated.
FACT:  Commercial mayonnaise and most bottled salad dressings are what we call “acidified foods”.  They are safe at room temperature even after opening, although most restaurants and the manufacturer want them refrigerated to preserve the freshest flavor.  Mayo and salad dressings have an acid level low enough that they do not support growth of microorganisms, unless they are heavily contaminated by a dirty utensil or mixed with other foods changing the acidity level of the mixture (such as in potato salad).  Mayo all by itself and unrefrigerated is perfectly safe.

5. Myth:  Foodborne illness is easily diagnosed.
FACT:  In order to make an accurate diagnosis, the ill person must give a history of the symptoms and the foods eaten within the last three days.  A stool specimen is the most telling clinical sample and should be collected from the victim for lab testing to identify the organism.  Other samples to be collected might be emesis (vomit), the suspect foods from the restaurant or home kitchen, any leftover food from the suspect meal, and sterile swabs of equipment or food workers skin or nasal passage.  These samples are now like a fingerprint and organisms can be matched to one another or to other victims in many cases.  On a more positive note for food service, they can also be used to clear a restaurant of being the cause.  Viral foodborne outbreaks, such as the #1 leading foodborne enemy, the “Norovirus”, are also tougher to diagnose than bacterial illnesses and have an incubation time of 24 to 48 hours before the victim has symptoms.  Infection rate for Norovirus is high, but is sometimes not reported so continues to spread.

6. Myth:  All foodborne illnesses are the same
FACT: Foodborne illness is caused by many different organisms. For example, “Salmonella” has approximately 2000 identified types.  The organism determines how long it takes for illness to occur, signs, symptoms and duration of the illness. The illness can vary from mild flu-like symptoms to very serious illness or even death if the victim is a high risk individual (children, elderly, pregnant women, people who are immune compromised or on certain medications).

Are You Ready for Gen Z?

     Millennials. How can we engage them, how can we influence them, how can we gain their loyalty? ,How can we evolve with them as they age? How can we meet their shifting needs? Still others are starting to ask how to reach Millennials without alienating Boomers.

     These are all great questions, and all worthy of research, but there’s a major question that’s largely gone unasked: What’s next? Or more specifically, who is next.

MEET GENERATION Z

     Gen Z, Gen Next, Gen Tech, Post-Millennials. Regardless of what you call them, and of the larger societal factors that will ultimately determine how we classify this generation, they are next. With some defining the generation as those born as early as 1995, by some accounts they are already here. They share many traits that set Millennials apart from other generations, often to an even greater degree, but there are also important differences. The first true digital generation, Gen Z has never known a world without instant access to information via the Internet and mobile technology. They are highly multicultural—according to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly half (47%) of all Americans under the age of 20 are non-white. And they are grounded. Coming of age in a post-recession, post- 9-11 era has tempered the optimism seen among many Millennials.

     So why does Gen Z deserve our attention? Buying Power and Influence.  If you think Gen Z isn’t worth your time yet due to a lack of spending power, think again. Many are teens or college students, already with an estimated $250 billion in spending power and primary decision makers for both their retail and foodservice food and beverage purchases. Many college students, teens and, increasingly, even older tweens routinely visit restaurants outside of family-dining occasions.

     While the youngest in the cohort may not earn an income beyond an allowance, they have considerable pull when it comes to their parents’ purchases and dining decisions. Moms tell us that most family-dining decisions are made as a group and that children’s preferences are strongly considered. Technomic’s Teens & Tweens study found that parents also often comply with specific restaurant requests from their children. For example, 80% of parents whose child suggested a restaurant after seeing a television ad agreed to the visit Patronage and Reliance on Foodservice Gen Z uses foodservice heavily, and chances are good they will eventually be heavier users than any other generation.

     Technomic’s recent Generational Consumer Trend Report found that 68% of Gen Z consumers (defined as those aged 13-21) and 73% of older Gen Z consumers aged 18-21 already use foodservice at least

once a week. Their visitation is on par with Boomers (67%) and in the same ballpark as Millennials

(77%) and Gen X consumers (74%) — pretty remarkable for a group largely not yet earning a substantial income. Their usage will likely grow—and not just as a result of greater earning power as they age. Gen Z is poised to be especially reliant on foodservice because it’s deeply ingrained in their lifestyle. It fits their needs for a wide range occasions: a place to socialize, a place to work or study, and an easy source for the fast, convenient meals their busy schedules require. They’ve grown up using foodservice more than other generations and will likely continue the trend of increasingly opting for foodservice over cooking family meals at home.

     Expectations and Loyalty Gen Z is a highly demanding consumer group. Just as they were

raised to rely on foodservice, they have also grown up in an environment where foodservice caters to

customers’ needs and embraces technology that streamlines ordering and delivery processes, making

occasions more engaging and interactive, and putting them in greater control of their experience.

Although the general use of foodservice is already part of their lifestyle, Gen Z is still in the trial phase. Compared to other generations, their brand, food and flavor preferences are less established, meaning that their specific habits and loyalty are (largely) still up for grabs.

     WHY NOW?  Perhaps the most compelling reason to ask about Gen Z now is that few others are. The industry was late to jump on the Millennial bandwagon, responding to the shifting behavior of their changing customer base rather than preparing for it. The next big generation will both embody and create the future of foodservice. 

     Those who understand Gen Z before the industry as a whole will be best armed to anticipate and meet their needs, putting them at a significant advantage. Deciding if and when Generation Z deserves your attention is the easy part; the hard part will be figuring out how to get THEIR attention.

Source: Technomic Foodservice Monitor