Restaurant Violations: Canada's Restaurant Secrets (CBC Marketplace)

CBC Marketplace, Canada

When eating out, we expect the places that make our food to be as clean as possible. But almost two million of us get sick every year. What's happening behind the scenes? Marketplace goes undercover in some of your favourite chains to reveal Canada's Restaurant Secrets. Marketplace’s investigation ranks 13 chains based on over thousands of inspection reports from coffee shops, fast-food and family dining restaurants and will reveal who comes out on top.

Video

 Canada's Restaurant Secrets

Investigation by CBC Marketplace "Canada's Restaurant Secrets" aired on Friday 11 April, 2014 at 8pm ET on CBC TV.

Food Safety: 5 things to watch out for next time you dine out 

Tips from a restaurant inspection expert to help you keep you healthy. 

Jim Chan and Marketplace co-host Erica Johnson

Spot the violations on inspection 

Can you find the problems? 

https://www.cbc.ca/news2/interactives/restaurant-health-violations/

The Dirty Truth About Supermarkets (CBC Marketplace)

CBC News Marketplace Oct 30, 2020

CBC Marketplace went undercover to investigate food safety protocols in some of Canada’s biggest supermarket chains. Based on seven years of inspection records provided by Toronto Public Health, producers took hidden cameras into some Toronto supermarkets with high rates of serious infractions. They spotted flies in the meat department, employees not wearing masks and empty soap dispensers in a public washroom. With the help of a retired Health Inspector (Jim Chan), Marketplace also tested the internal temperature of some foods and found that some pose a high risk of causing food poisoning.

Video

Interview with Health Inspector Jim

 

50 Years of CBC Marketplace Investigation: A special anniversary episode for its 50th season.

CBC News Marketplace -  Posted: Oct 07, 2022 4:00 AM EDT 

CBC Marketplace is back with a special anniversary episode for its 50th season. For five decades, we’ve been testing people, promises and changing policies. We take you behind the scenes to reveal the tools we use to get the goods and explore the impact of our investigations.

How it all began?

Marketplace debuted as a wave of consumer activism swept across North America, led south of the border by outspoken advocates such as Ralph Nader, founder of the watchdog group Public Citizen. Here in Canada, the Liberal government of Lester Pearson had created a first-ever federal department for consumer affairs in 1967. Shortly after, provincial governments, led by Ontario and Quebec, established their own consumer protection ministries. How CBC's Marketplace began and why it's still thriving 50 years on

Video

Interview on Food Safety in Supermarket with 

Health Inspector Jim 

(Start at 35:46 of the video)

 

Avoid contaminating food with dirty fingers when shopping in a supermarket.

Can shoppers open the produce plastic bag without licking the fingers first?

Jim Chan, Certified Public Health Inspector (Canada) Health Inspector's Notebook. 

September 02, 2020.

A common sight at the supermarket fruit and produce area

                                                                                                                                               (Image: Twitter)

A simple way to open a plastic produce bag without licking fingers first.

Mouse Infestation - A Food Safety Problem In Food Establishment.

Mice - The Uninvited Dinner Guests To Local Eateries

by Jim Chan, Retired Public Health Inspector

(Photo source: http://gdforum.freeforums.net/thread/31086/mouse )

Mice can be a public health hazard as they can carry pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, parasite including fleas and can potentially transmit diseases from mice to humans. Mice can live and breed in houses, buildings including food establishments and other structures such as garages and storage sheds. Mice can survive on a relatively poor diet as they can eat a few grams (ounces) of food per day and can survive without daily access to water as mice can obtain water from food source they are feeding on.

Mice are excellent climbers and are capable of entering any building through a small hole that is the size of a dime (1/4 inch or 6.4 mm) or larger. Mice are nibblers and they can feed as often as 15 to 20 times each day but they left behind wastes such as droppings and urine around food they are feeding on. The average lifespan of a mouse is approx. 12 months and a single female mouse may have as many as 8 litters per year, averaging 5 to 6 babies in each litter, the young can start reproducing usually within 3 months.

Recently, Toronto public health inspectors closed 7 food establishments within 1 week due to pest infestation, including 5 food establishments in a Toronto Food Market building due to heavy mouse infestation as posted on DineSafe website in Toronto. 

(Photo: CTV News)

Full article: Food market closed by public health inspectors

Mouse control for food establishments

To prevent a mouse infestation in food establishments such as restaurants, food markets, cafe, hospital kitchens, school cafeterias, warehouses and even street food carts, vigilance is perhaps most important. In 

order to keep a food establishment rodent-free, the first step is to develop an effective rodent management, monitoring and control plan. 

Once the rodent control plan and the sanitation protocols have been established, operators have to follow them continually. Actions such as conducting daily checks and fixing problems once identified can help to bring an infestation under control in the early stage. 

Prevention is less costly and can prevent unnecessary public complaints and closure by public health inspector due to public health and food safety regulation violations as specified in Toronto Public Health's DineSafe program. The following steps can help food establishment owner and manager to operate and to maintain a rodent-free establishment.

Monitor the property for mouse activities

• Monitor the establishment for for signs of mouse activities. Look for droppings, burrows, chewed or gnawed holes in bags and boxes containing food or
  
  garbage, gnaw marks on walls and surfaces in all areas of the food establishment. (photo - right)
• Mice love to nest in locations close to food, spaces in double walls, between ceilings and floors and under and behind counters. 
• Inspect and keep the exterior perimeter and the garbage storage area free of junk, weeds and debris to eliminate rodent nesting areas.
• Mouse droppings around food can be a good indication of an active mouse infestation (photos - below).

Improve sanitation, eliminate food and nesting sites 

• Secure and cover garbage or waste containers to prevent rodents from getting food. Use rodent-proof bins with tight-fitting lids.
  
• Get rid of junks and clutter to prevent hiding spots.
• Eliminate food source for mice. Since the contributing factor to a mouse infestation is the presence of food, always store foods in sealed containers and never leave unprotected food out overnight as this can attract and provide a food source to mice. 
• Keep kitchen areas clean, especially food preparation, storage and serving areas.
• Seal all openings to the outside, especially around doors and windows.

Prevent mice from entering food establishment

• Inspect the outside of the food establishment to identify rodent entry points, including small holes the size of a dime (1/4 inch or 6.4 mm).
• Use heavy gauge wire mesh to cover vents or large openings.
• Use metal sheeting to cover holes.
• Keep garbage area clean as spilled garbage, food waste, grease, liquid waste and junk can provide food and nesting area for rodent. (photo below)

Hire a licensed pest control professional to provide rodent control treatment

• Ensure the bait stations used by the pest control professional are enclosed and locked, and placed in areas that are inaccessible to customers, especially children.
• Most pest control companies use bait blocks (anticoagulant) to control rodents (mice and rats), ensure they are secured with wire and not placed around food and utensils to prevent contamination.
• Be aware that poison bait can lead to secondary poisoning if placed outside the food establishment such as the garbage storage area (for example, wild animals or dogs and cats may become ill after eating rodents poisoned by bait).

Continue to monitor the effectiveness of the control measures

• Conduct daily inspection throughout the food establishment to identify new evidence of rodent activities and to maintain a clean, sanitary environment. 
• Clean up rodent droppings as soon as they are observed so that detecting any new activity is apparent.
• Continue to maintain sanitation and rodent proofing as preventive strategies.

How to get a PASS from public health inspector 

on your next restaurant inspection

Tips to PASS a food safety inspection 

Video

(Photo and comics from Health Inspector's Notebook)

What Colour Red Meat Should Be?

Beef Colour and Food Safety
by Jim Chan, Public Health Inspector (Retired)

(photo by Richard Yang)

When purchasing packaged fresh beef in a food store or supermarket, make sure the package is cold and the meat is firm. Inspect the packaging to ensure it is in good condition and should not have holes in the wrapping material. Also check the packaging date or the best before date  (or use by date) to ensure getting freshly packaged beef. 

Good quality beef should have a rich, vibrant, reddish colour (photo right) but packaged beef  can sometimes turn from red to an un-appetising bluish-red or greyish colour.

When off-colour meat products such as steaks, roasts and ground beef are left in the store or supermarket refrigerator, sometimes customers would complain to public health department about store selling "bad" meat.

No need to worry as discolouration of beef indicates a lack of exposure to oxygen due to the packaging. The beef will change to a brighter red colour (photo below) once it is removed from the packaging and expose to air. 

What causes beef to change colour? Has it gone bad?

(photo by Erika Bartels)

Beef, especially ground beef often undergo discolouration prior to spoilage but still safe to eat after cooking to a safe internal temperature 71°C (160°F). Beef contains a pigment in the muscle tissues called Myoglobin and this pigment is normally a dark greyish-purple colour.

After cutting or slicing, the beef comes into contact with oxygen and turns myoglobin into

oxy-myoglobin through oxidation. Oxy-myoglobin is a deep red colour pigment that gives beef the supermarket "fresh red meat look". 

When freshly cut or ground beef is packed into an air tight package or vacuumed bag, the beef can turn into a greyish colour when deprived of oxygen, especially when kept in the package for a few days. Problem is, consumers do not find greyish colour beef very appetising as they often associate greyish colour as spoilage and off-colour meat as rotten meat. So for the purpose of merchandising, the store often infused meat packaging or bag with oxygen or other gases (nitrogen, carbon dioxide) to prevent discolouration of beef (photo below). 

Is the off-colour beef still safe to eat or should you throw it out?  

(photo by Erika Bartels)

Even if there is a colour change in the beef, which might not be as visually appetising but the meat is still fine to eat. However, make sure the beef is stored properly in the refrigerator or freezer and consumed within a short period of time. Always cook meat to a safe internal temperature, especially for ground beef items such as burger and meat loaf that should be cooked to an internal temperature of 71°C (160°F) (Safe cooking temperatures). 

However, if the package of beef is off-colour all the way through and does not turn red when exposed to air within fifteen to twenty minutes, it is most likely spoiled and can increase the risk of food poisoning. Also, spoiled beef usually has a sulphurous or foul smell and often with a slimy surface and should be tossed. 

Food Safety - BBQ and Grilling 
(link)

Safe cooking temperature of meat 
(Video)

Food safety at home by Dr. Justin Beaver
 (Video)

Related links

BBQ Food Safety

Food Safety - Ground Beef, USDA

Gas mixtures help preserve the quality of packaged meat

Color of Meat and Poultry - USDA Food Safety

Meat Packaging

How safe is the ice in your drink?

Food safety issues with contaminated ice  
by Jim Chan - Public Health Inspector (Retired)

A report in United Kingdom recently raised concerns around ice contaminated with bacteria being used in making of drinks and food. The investigation revealed that some ice samples collected from fast food restaurants and cafes tested positive for the bacteria known as faecal coliforms as well as high levels of bacteria. This finding certainly had the consumers questioning the quality, safety and sanitation of the ice in their beverages and food.

(Reprint: BBC News article)

Faecal bacteria 'in ice in Costa, Starbucks and Caffe Nero'

• 28 June 2017
 
• From the sectionBusiness

These are external links and will open in a new window
• Share this with Facebook
 
• Share this with Twitter
 
• Share this with Messenger
 
• Share this with Email
 
• Share

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Ice from three of the UK's biggest coffee chains has been found to contain bacteria from faeces, according to a BBC investigation.

Samples of iced drinks from Costa Coffee, Starbucks and Caffe Nero contained varying levels of the bacteria, the BBC's Watchdog found. Expert Tony Lewis said the levels found were "concerning". "These should not be present at any level - never mind the significant numbers found," he added. Cleanliness of tables, trays and high chairs at the chains was also tested at 30 branches. Seven out of 10 samples of Costa ice were found to be contaminated with bacteria found in faeces. At both Starbucks and Caffe Nero, three out of 10 samples tested contained the bacteria known as faecal coliforms.

Mr Lewis, of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, said these kinds of bacteria were "opportunistic pathogens - the source of human disease". Costa said it had updated its ice-handling guidelines and was in the process of introducing new ice equipment storage. Starbucks said it was now conducting its own investigation into the claims. A spokesman said the chain took hygiene "extremely seriously".

Similarly, a Caffe Nero spokesman said "a thorough investigation" was under way, and that the chain would take "appropriate action".

The BBC Watchdog programme full article: Contaminated ice investigation

---

How safe is the ice in you ice coffee?

The presence of contaminants such as bacteria in ice manufactured in food establishments can be a serious food safety issue as contamination can be introduced to ice by

contaminated water supply, dirty utensils, airborne dirt, unsanitary food and ice handling problems by staff that prepare and process food and drinks. The observation of unsanitary ice handling practices indicates that there is also a potential food safety risk for pathogens such as E. coli, Salmonella or Norovirus to contaminate the ice and can increase the risk for food poisoning outbreak. 

To reduce the risk of ice being a source of food poisoning, ice used in preparation and processing of food and drinks shall be made from potable water and shall be handled and stored in a sanitary manner. Most pathogenic microbes do not readily multiply in ice but scientific research has shown that some bacteria and virues can survive in freezing temperature for a long period of time. Therefore, it is important for food business operators to ensure the ice used in food and drink preparation is safe and not to become contaminated by following these tips on ice handling safety (Easy Ice).

Food Safety Tips (Video)