Food Safety
Update
Fall 2010
This publication will keep operators of food service establishments up to
date on food safety, regulations and foodborne illness. Content is generated
as a collaboration between Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health.
Health Protection | Ensuring Healthy People and Healthy Environments
Customer Service Survey:
What You Have to Say
In May 2010 Vancouver Coastal Health conducted an ethics
approved research project with Vancouver food service
establishments. The purpose of the project was to discover
ways Vancouver’s food inspection program and environmental
health officers can improve the quality of customer service to
food service establishments that will reduce incidents of foodborne illness.
Surveys were hand delivered and mailed out to 1200 randomly
selected food service establishments in the Vancouver area.
Food service operators returned completed surveys by mail and
fax. The survey responses are currently being analyzed and the
results will be available by late fall 2010. Participants’ feedback
How to Spot a Phony Inspector
Please be warned that during May and June of 2010
restaurants across the lower mainland reported receiving
telephone calls from phony health authority restaurant
inspectors (i.e., environmental health officers). These calls were
made Canada wide in an attempt to
 force money from operators and
 steal identities in order to sell fake goods or services on
websites.
The fraud often involves a call from a person identifying
themselves from the “Health Department”. The person then
says there is a problem with the establishment and asks the
operator personal and business related questions. A scheduled
appointment for an inspection is then requested and the
operator is directed to confirm the scheduled inspection with
will be helpful to informing future directions of the food
inspection process, education, and communication. Thank you
to all who participated.
It is also the intention of Fraser Health to conduct a similar
survey with food service establishments in the future. We will
not only keep you informed about the launch of this survey,
we will also keep you in the loop about the results of the
Vancouver Coastal Health customer service survey, so keep
reading the Food Safety Updates!
If you wish to receive a report of the survey findings please
contact [email protected] by October 31, 2010. 
a return phone call using a numeric code. If the restaurant
operator does not co-operate the caller threatens fines against
the restaurant.
These kinds of scams can occur anytime. Please note Fraser
Health and Vancouver Coastal Health Environmental Health
Officers do not usually contact operators for scheduled
inspections and do not require the use of a unique
code. Environmental Health Officers will also carry photo
identification. Restaurant operators and/or staff should always
request to see this ID, especially when the Environmental
Health Officer who arrives at the restaurant is not known
to staff or the operator. If a person claiming to be an
Environmental Health Officer with Fraser Health or Vancouver
Coastal Health shows up for an inspection and does not
produce proper photo ID, the operators and staff should
refuse that person entry into the restaurant and immediately
call the police through 9-1-1. 
Bug Spotlight:
Good News from the
2010 Olympic and
Paralympic Games
Food Safety monitoring was a key
priority during the 2010 Olympic and
Paralympic Games. Venues that were
located at Olympic-related sites and
existing food service establishments in
the Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH)
region were part of the 417 facilities
being closely monitored.
In total, during the 28 days in
February, VCH Environmental Health
Officers conducted over 2800
inspections. More than 95% of
inspection findings were recorded as
‘in compliance’ or ‘corrected during
inspection’. There was no evidence of
food poisoning associated with the
Games.
Here are some additional VCH
highlights:
 Carried out food safety
monitoring without any
additional resources
 Inspected all 7000 food service
establishments in the 6 months
leading up to the Games



Modified work schedules to
allow for 18 hour/day, 7 day a
week coverage
Targeted each food facility
with a thorough pre-opening
inspection, followed by daily
audit type inspections and a
mid-Games thorough inspection
Provided venue catering
managers and VANOC Food
and Beverage Managers with
copies of their reports
Congratulations Vancouver food
establishments for hosting the Olympics
in a food safe environment. 
2
Norovirus
What is Norovirus?
Noroviruses are a group of viruses that
cause acute gastroenteritis, commonly
referred to as the ‘stomach flu’.
Community outbreaks are commonly
reported in hospitals, long-term care
facilities, childcare centers and schools.
Outbreaks are also being reported in
restaurants, catered events, hotels,
resorts, and cruise ships. Outbreaks
occur throughout the year but the
incidence is higher from the Fall through
the late Spring.
What are the symptoms?
Most common




Sudden onset of nausea
Vomiting
Non bloody diarrhea
Stomach cramps
Other symptoms
 Low-grade fevers
 Chills
 Headache
 Muscle aches
 Fatigue
The symptoms of norovirus usually begin
24 to 48 hours after becoming infected
(range 12 to 48 hours).
Dehydration is the most common
complication and can become a serious
concern for people with poor health.
Ill persons are advised to seek medical
advice.
How is the virus spread?
Norovirus is found in the vomit and
diarrhea of infected people.
 The virus is mainly spread from
person to person via contaminated
hands. This can occur in several ways
including having direct contact [e.g.
shaking hands with an ill person
(staff or guest) and then putting your
hand to your mouth without washing
your hands].
 When a person vomits the norovirus
may spread through the air, and may
be swallowed and/or contaminate
surrounding surfaces.
Tips for preventing
norovirus outbreaks
Staff Illness
 Staff ill with vomiting and/or diarrhea
should not be working. As a general
guideline, staff should remain off
work for a minimum of 48 hours
from their last bout of vomiting
and/or diarrhea (Vancouver Coastal
Health recommends 72 hours from
last symptoms).
 Ill staff should also be reminded not
to work at other restaurants, resorts,
hotels for the same time period.
Hygiene
 Encourage good hand washing
practices among all staff (i.e.,
scrub all parts of hands with lots of
soapsuds and warm water for 20
Seconds) and post hand washing
signs for staff and guests. Ensure
all designated hand sinks are fully
stocked with liquid soap, paper
towels, and hot and cold running
water under pressure. 
Food Safety Update | Fall 2010
Possible Link between Salmonella Outbreak and Eggs
Right now, there is an outbreak of Salmonella (food
poisoning). Eggs are the most likely cause of this outbreak.
According to BC CDC, there have been many restaurants and
other food service establishments in the Lower Mainland that
have been illegally using poor quality eggs (i.e., cracks and
dirt on the eggs). This is a problem because people handling
contaminated eggs (shell or interior) and not washing their
hands appropriately can be infected with Salmonella.
Eggs are a healthy source of protein and do not need to
be avoided. Proper care must be taken with eggs to avoid
Salmonella. Restaurants can decrease this risk of Salmonella
with their staff and patrons by:
 purchasing their eggs from reputable sources
 using grade A eggs that are clean and not cracked
 preventing contact with other foods while preparing eggs
most people recover without treatment. If symptoms persist
for longer than a few days or are unusually severe, sick people
should see their doctor. Only 14% of individuals infected with
Salmonella have needed hospitalisation. Infants, the elderly,
pregnant women and those with poor health are especially at
risk of being infected by Salmonella.
Signs of Salmonella are stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea and
headaches. Symptoms usually last a few days to a week and
Please note Salmonella can be transmitted from one person to
another so please remember to always wash your hands.
 using pasteurized eggs in foods where eggs are served raw
or undercooked
 Keeping eggs refrigerated
 washing hands after handling eggs
Coming Soon: The New and Improved FoodSafe Level II Course
Over the past year, a dedicated
team of Environmental Health
Officers, food safety specialists, food service industry representatives and FOODSAFE
instructors have been working to improve the FOODSAFE
Level 2 course. We have gathered a considerable amount of
valuable and constructive suggestions from pilot sessions, and are now working on some
substantial changes and revisions to the new course. Because
the changes are more significant than we originally planned,
(including some editing of videos and the addition of new material), our release date of the new Level 2 course has been
pushed back. We are now expecting to have the new material
‘on the shelf’ and ready for purchase in late fall, 2010. This will
give Level 2 instructors some time to use up their existing stock
of the old Level 2 books and prepare for the brand new course.
Food Safety Update | Fall 2010
The new Level 2 course consists of three modules: “Food
Safety Basics”; “Managing for Food Safety”; and “Writing
a Food Safety Plan”. For the face-to-face classroom course,
Module 1 will be completed online before students come to
the classroom course. This will allow students to review the
basics of food safety at their own speed so course time can be
spent on the ‘higher level’ critical thinking and implementation
required of supervisors and managers.
The online version is running as is for the time being and is
available through Open School of BC. 
FOODSAFE course schedule online
Fraser Health’s schedule for FOODSAFE is available online.
It provides dates, times, locations, course costs and
registration details. Go to fraserhealth.ca and search the
word FOODSAFE, or contact any Environmental health
office with Fraser Health.
3
Keeping Food Poisoning at Bay
Requires More than You Think:
A Precautionary Tale
Great Sanitizer Options
Properly sanitized food contact surfaces are a key factor
in the safe operation of a food establishment. The correct
application of an approved sanitizer reduces the number of
microorganisms to a safe level decreasing the likelihood of
food poisoning.
Sanitizers include hot water (in high temperature dishwashers)
and chemicals such as chlorine (in low temperature
dishwashers). In order to be effective the surface must be
washed and rinsed prior to the application of the sanitizer; the
surface should then be air dried.
An inexpensive and safe chlorine solution may be prepared by
mixing unscented household bleach and water. While bleach
has received some negative attention as a sanitizer, there is no
reason for this reputation. Only a small amount of bleach, 28
ml bleach/4.5 l of water is needed to prepare a solution with a
concentration of 100 ppm. This is the minimum concentration
required to sanitize dishes manually. Dishwashing machines
are preset to dispense a certain quantity of chlorine into the
sanitizer cycle; a concentration is 50 ppm chlorine is required.
Chlorine is one of the most common types of sanitizers
available for use in the food service industry. Other commonly
used sanitizers include quaternary ammonium compounds or
“QUATS”, iodine and accelerated hydrogen peroxide.
Food establishments are required to use a sanitizer that has
been assessed for its effectiveness against microorganisms.
This assessment also ensures that food handlers and
consumers will not suffer adverse health effects from exposure
to these agents. 
Feedback
Tell us what you think of our Food Safety Update and topics you would like to see in future
issues: [email protected]
This update has been prepared and published as a collaboration between Health
Protection departments in Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health.
Editors: Eileen Schmidt, Liz Postnikoff, Inderjeet Gill, and Steven Eng, Fraser Health;
Jasmina Egelar, Vancouver Coastal Health.
Contributors: Health Protection staff from Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health.
4
FHA-297 [email protected]
You have a big catered function happening this evening. As
kitchen manager, you have a lot of details to look after, not
the least of which is having enough staff on hand to handle
and serve the food. One of your best employees phones
you in the morning reporting that he is a little under the
weather; threw up last night; a bit of diarrhea this morning,
but is prepared to tough it out and come in to work if you
really need him. You are short staffed as it is, so what do
you do?
The right answer is to tell your employee to stay home until
he is better. In fact, food handlers should stay off work until
they feel well, AND in the case of gastrointestinal illness
(such as the diarrhea and vomiting) for at least 48 hours
AFTER their symptoms end. The risk to public health, and
your reputation, is too great to have an obviously ill person
handling your customers’ food.
Many people, including food handlers, can carry disease
causing germs (pathogens) without them knowing it - in
their gut, in their nose, on their hands, in their mouth.
That’s why proper hygiene of food handlers is important
all the time. However, people with symptoms of illness
(diarrhea, fever, vomiting, sore throat with fever, jaundice,
and hand infections) are much more likely to be infected
with a pathogen that can be spread through food. And
when a person is ill, their ability to practice proper personal
hygiene is severely compromised. Current public health
guidelines specify that a food handler with gastrointestinal
symptoms should stay off work for at least 48 hours after
their symptoms end. This is to ensure that the food handler
is truly free of symptoms, and makes it less likely that the
illness will spread. However, with many
pathogens an infected person CAN still
infect others for several days or weeks.
That is again why proper food handler
hygiene is important all the time.
In most cases, your ill employees do
not have to be medically tested to
confirm the cause of their illness.
If they DO visit their doctor, and
are tested and confirmed with an
illness legally reportable to public
health, then your Environmental
Health Officer will promptly contact
the employee and their employer with
further instructions. 
Food Safety Update | Fall 2010