Centerplate is committed to providing products and services which meet or exceed the requirements of our customers.  We recognize the importance of serving safe, wholesome food; and we believe in and support regulatory standards which are based on sound scientific criteria and applied in a uniform, objective manner by food safety professionals.
The QUE3ST Food Safety program is designed to give the Operations and Culinary Teams the right tools to enforce and reinforce the critical food safety standards that will serve as a brand protection strategy for Centerplate and to help protect the client from the serious impact of a food-borne illness incident. Implementation of this program on a daily and weekly basis is non-negotiable and required of the GM and Culinary leader at every location.
Despite the fact that the United States has the safest food supply in the world, food borne illness continues to be a major problem in the country.  While most food borne illnesses produce only minor symptoms, we’re all aware of the severity that can occur when food becomes overly contaminated or is consumed by compromised populations.  For that reason it is imperative from both a business and moral standpoint that Centerplate operators take every reasonable step possible to ensure safe food to our customers, clients, and employees.

People

People, our employees, are a major source of food borne illness in the food service industry.  Most if not all of the organisms commonly associated with Food Borne Illnesses can be transmitted by employees to the food they prepare and serve.  It is extremely important that (1) people not work when suffering from certain illnesses, and (2) employees who appear to be healthy, and who feel healthy practice safe food handling and good personal hygiene at all times.  This critical aspect of food safety is a key responsibility of management and employees alike.

Management and Supervisory Responsibility

Managers and supervisors of Centerplate wear many hats.  One of these is ensuring food is managed in a safe manner in their areas of responsibility.  Managers and supervisors must:

1. have knowledge of food borne disease prevention and take appropriate measure to protect yourself, employees and customers-including the exclusion or restriction of ill employees;
2. be familiar with the application of HACCP standards and ensure compliance with the Centerplate required HACCP program;
3. ensure compliance with local health regulations, including requirements for training of staff and the management team;
4. set an example for all employees to follow;
5. ensure the key principles of food safety are the standard in every aspect of the food that is prepared and served in the operation.

Employees

Employees in food service come from every walk in life.  For many, it may be the first experience working in a commercial food environment, while others will make a career out of working in food.  No matter, every employee must be treated the same when providing the worker with job positions and work assignments.  A proper orientation will include basic training in food safety.  Training must be on-going for all workers on a continuous basis, with a minimum standard of monthly food safety training the norm.
In addition to training, employees must be advised of specific policies and standards established to support the food safety initiatives of Centerplate.  This includes standards for uniform wear, grooming and hygiene standards and reporting personal illnesses or wounds.

Certification

In an effort to standardize the training Centerplate feels is most critical to serving safe food, we have established the following minimum standards:
Salaried Workers: Must complete a ServSafe food safety certification program and maintain active certification.  Certification must be verified and a copy of the certification maintained by the HUB HR Manager.
Hourly workers: Must comply with local health training standards.  If no minimum standards set the following training must be met;

• Upon hire, a Food Safety Orientation program must be completed and documented.
• At least annually food safety training must be held comparable to a 4 hour training course. (May meet criteria by conducting monthly food safety training sessions in a minimum of 30 minute components. ServSafe for hourly workers will meet these criteria.)

Food

If quality is defined as meeting customer requirements, then it becomes the responsibility of each employee at Centerplate to take those steps necessary to ensure that the food we serve our customers is as fresh and wholesome as possible, as well as safe and prepared in a clean environment.  Our customers should be able to expect this from us; they have a legal right to be served safe food.
While food can become contaminated at nearly every step in the process “from farm to table”, studies show that a significant number of food borne illnesses result from poor procedures in the food service environment.  The food section of this guidebook provides information and a procedure specifically to assist you in ensuring your food is safe and wholesome for the customer through every stage of the operation, including;

• purchasing
• receiving and storage
• dating and rotation
• preparation and service

Time/Temperature Control

Controlling time and temperature is one of the three key principles to food safety (preventing cross-contamination and practicing good personal hygiene are the remaining two principles).  Microorganisms need a safe temperature and time to grown to unhealthy populations.  Denying them adequate temperature and time is critical to controlling microorganisms.  The temperatures of food being prepared, held, transported, and served can be controlled, and every operator must take the steps necessary to ensure proper temperatures and time is not compromised. Here are two tools to help manage this critically important issue:

Retail Buffet Time and Temperature Log

The Retail Buffet Time and Temperature Log is used to document food temperatures on the Buffet to ensure the food is in the “food safety zone” of less than 41 degrees Fahrenheit for cold food and more than 135 degrees Fahrenheit for hot food. The form is required to be completed by the Supervisor and retained in the post-event documentation.
Retail Buffet Temp and Time Log

Plated Meals Time and Temperature Log

The Plated Meals Time and Temperature Log is used to document food temperatures in the plating process and the delivery of the plated meals to the banquet room, and ultimately to the guest, to ensure the food is in the “food safety zone” of less than 41 degrees Fahrenheit for cold food and more than 135 degrees Fahrenheit for hot food. The form is required to be completed by the Supervisor and retained in the post-event documentation.
Plated Meals Temp and Time Log

Prevention of Cross-Contamination

If food is purchased from approved sources and is stored under the correct conditions, then the greatest risk that remains for food to become contaminated is through cross-contamination.  Cross-contamination is simply the ability of harmful substances (pathogens, micro-organisms, chemicals, etc.) to “cross over” to food, thus contaminating it.

Equipment and Utensils

While people and food pose the greatest risks in terms of food safety, equipment and utensils are a significant part of any food safety program.  Proper equipment and utensils allow workers to perform their duties in a safety and sanitary method and contribute significantly to a strong food safety program.  Failure to provide adequate equipment and utensils will contribute to failures of the system to protect food and can lead to outbreaks of food borne illness.

Cleaning and Sanitizing

All work areas, equipment and utensils must be kept in a clean and sanitary manner prior to and immediate following any service (pre-preparation, preparation, serving, and re-working).  There are several ways to ensure proper cleaning and sanitizing:

1. Ware washing Machines; includes various types of dish machines.  Whenever practical all small equipment, utensils and dishware should be cleaned in this manner.  It is the most efficient and effective way to ensure proper cleaning and sanitizing.  It is important to monitor the temperatures of dish machines on a daily basis to ensure they meet minimum standards for wash, rinse, and sanitize.
2. Manual Ware washing; includes the process of manually cleaning and sanitizing through a 3 compartment sink process.  This process is mostly suited for large pots and pans, utensils, and equipment items like oven racks and fryer baskets.
3. Manual Cleaning and Sanitizing; includes the process to be followed to maintain work surfaces that cannot be washed through ware washing machines or a manual process.  This normally includes the use of “cleaning solution buckets” and “sanitizing buckets” filled with water and appropriate chemicals to perform the necessary task.  The process of manually cleaning and sanitizing must follow strict standards to ensure it is performed correctly.  Surfaces must be washed with a solution containing water and a detergent suitable for the surfaces being cleaned.  Once visible dirt is removed the surface must be rinsed with clear, cool water.  A sanitizer solution is then applied to the surface to kill any bacteria or other harmful pathogens that may be present.
4. At a minimum, food contact surfaces should be cleaned and sanitized every 4 hours throughout the day whether by machine or manually.

Facilities

Our business tends to be unique in that we perform services in someone else’s facility.  As such, we don’t always have control over the conditions the facilities are in, or over controlling the maintenance of the facilities. We do, however, have an obligation to ensure the facilities conform to health requirements and then when and if necessary, we take appropriate steps to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations. Facilities should be inspected on a regular basis to identify specific facility improvement needs.  Because the condition of the facility not only impacts our ability to serve food safety, but also the ability of our workforce to perform their jobs in a safe manner, we must recognize those improvements needed to provide a safe and secure work environment.
Here are the forms used by the GM, Supervisor, Manager, or department lead in this program, and instructions for their implementation. They are available in English and Spanish.

Centerplate Food Safety Mandates

CENTERPLATE FOOD SAFETY MANDATES

• This is a document that communicates the four Food Safety Mandates that we consider to be non-negotiable requirements of every Centerplate employee / worker.
• It must be printed, laminated, framed, and posted adjacent to the hand washing sink in a position easily seen and read by all service area employees / workers.
• It should NOT be posted in a location visible to our guests, as should none of our company posters and materials, since it may impact their experience.

QUE3ST Food Safety Commitment

QUE3ST Food Safety Employee Commitment and Sign in
QUE3ST Food Safety Employee Commitment and Sign in SPANISH

• This document shows the four “Centerplate Food Safety Mandates” and should be distributed to every food handling department leader in the pre-event meeting for completion. It states:

“By signing this document, it is acknowledged that the FOUR FOOD SAFETY CRITERIA above are a requirement of working in this area, and that failure to consistently follow these standards will result in their removal from their service position.”

• Every employee / worker in the service area, including NPOs, must read and sign the document.
• Refusal to sign the document is a valid reason for the manager to remove the worker / employee from the service area.
• They must be returned in the post-event paperwork and retained for the same time period as the post event paperwork.