SafeFood©: Banking on It
Before the end of the calendar year, like many others I spent some time in banks trying to take care of financial matters, particularly with projections we were all going over the “cliff”! What struck me as I waited in the very nicely decorated lobby with a cup of complimentary coffee was the sense of reassurance the environment projected. Staff members spoke in hushed tones and followed specified protocols (you’ve seen the multiple forms). Banks do bank on their reputations as solid citizens of the community and we give them our money for safe keeping so it is important there be some trust. Of course there are some federal and state regulations that must be followed and, notwithstanding the economic turmoil of the past few years, I wondered whether that is what inspires our confidence – or is it the environment?
This got me to thinking about the food safety sense I get from different eateries – sometimes I do wonder whether SafeFood is served there if I walk in to disarray. Granted, this memory is from years ago, but I recall once seeing a cook with a cigarette dangling from his mouth through the open back door – not a reassuring sight. We know there are regulations against smoking or eating while in the food production area BUT, what is compliance with these and other rules? Regulations provide the framework of Do’s and Don’ts for foodservices to follow, but oversight is often limited to twice a year inspections. To reassure yourself – check out the environmental details. My personal litmus test is to check out the bathrooms; no soap means no deal. My dad scopes out the exterior first: overflowing dumpsters and no cars meant we looked further. What are YOUR Environmental scan red flags? What reassurances do you have when dining out?
