Volume 3 | August 13th 2018
Mobile Operator Informational Sessions
There will be several mobile operator information sessions to go over requirements and any changes. The dates and locations are:
 
A (Spanish)
Monday, August 27th 12:30-1:30 pm
Mitchell Street Library
Community Room
906 W Historic Mitchell St
Milwaukee, WI 53204
 
B (English)
Tuesday, August 28 th 10-11 am
Northwest Health Center
Basement Auditorium
7630 W Mill Rd
Milwaukee, WI 53218
 
Please RSVP, especially for the Spanish session because there is limited room.
The use of any type of home-style camping type coolers being used by mobile vendors is strictly limited to store bottled and canned beverages. This equipment does not meet the requirements in WFC 4-205.11 for any other usage such as food storage.

Camping style coolers are acceptable for bottled and canned beverages only, however, the operator needs to keep the lip contact surface above the ice. All coolers and ice bins must be on the licensed mobile unit. If the lip contact of the beverage container falls below the surface of the ice it will be a violation.
All mobile units must be self contained and no coolers or grills can be temporarily a ttached to the unit by chain,bungee cord, or any other type of temporary means to secure to a mobile unit.
  • Coolers on hot dog carts must be insulated and stored on the cart itself, not the ground.
  • Grills have to be permanently attached and operated on the cart/mobile. A swing out arm or shelf that is permanently attached to the cart and is permanently attached to the grill is acceptable.
Grading Questions?
Confused about grading or have a question before your inspection? Check the Food Sanitation Grading Website for information and resources to prepare your establishment. Or submit your questions to foodsanitationgrading@milwaukee.gov
Certified Food Manager Requirements
Most licensed food establishments must have at least one manager or operator certified in food protection practices. Certification is required for most food establishments, but not all.
Simple food establishments that serve only single service, individual, already pre-wrapped foods from a licensed food distributor or serve/sell only non-potentially hazardous foods are exempt from the certification requirement. Restaurants with five or fewer food handlers must have a manager who holds a license for Food Safety Training for Small Operators. Operators of Temporary Restaurants are exempt from this requirement.

The DATCP Wisconsin Certified Food Manager (CFM) certificates or the Food Safety Training for Small Operators licenses is no longer required. Instead, to meet regulatory requirements, required personnel must simply post the exam certificate, taken within the past 5​ years, ​​for review by inspection staff.
The operator or manager of an establishment that is new or undergoing a change-of-operator must have a food manager with the appropriate credential within the first 90 days after opening.

With the exception of small operators, all food managers are required to take and pass an approved exam every 5 years. Small operators that have 5 or fewer food handlers that have a food manager that has already taken the full certification exam and is renewing within 6 months of expiration of their initial certified food manager credential may use the Food Safety for Small Operators (Recertification) course to meet the requirement. Any food manager whose credential is not renewed within 6-months of expiration is required take and pass an approved exam.
Milwaukee accepts the following food manager certification exams: 
The following courses are currently approved for the Food Safety Training for Small Operators credential:
The City of Milwaukee requires and values food safety training because it has been proven that workers who complete these courses provide safer food to the public. 
Fruit Flies can spread Foodborne Pathogens
New Research published in the Journal of Food Protection shows that fruit flies are capable of spreading illness inducing bacterial pathogens to both food and food preparation surfaces. Fruit flies were previously thought to merely be a nuisance at food handling establishments.

Food Safety Reminders
Common food safety reminders
  • Wash hands often!
  • Don’t handle ready to eat foods with bare hands.
  • Food must come from an approved source.
  • Cook foods to proper temperatures.
  • Use a food thermometer!
  • Keep hot foods HOT- 135° F or above.
  • Keep cold foods COLD- 41°F or below.
  • Keep foods out of the Danger Zone (between 41° and 135°F)
  • Wash, rinse and sanitize food contact surfaces regularly.
  • Again, wash hands often!!
Estimated Cost to a Restaurant of a foodborne illness outbreak
Although outbreaks of restaurant-associated foodborne illness occur periodically and make the news, a restaurant may not be aware of the cost of an outbreak. The estimated cost of a single foodborne illness outbreak ranged from $3968 to $1.9 million for a fast-food restaurant, $6330 to $2.1 million for a fast-casual restaurant, $8030 to $2.2 million for a casual-dining restaurant, and $8273 to $2.6 million for a fine-dining restaurant, varying from a 5-person outbreak, with no lost revenue, lawsuits, legal fees, or fines, to a 250-person outbreak, with high lost revenue (100 meals lost per illness), and a high amount of lawsuits and legal fees ($1 656 569) and fines ($100 000). This cost amounts to 10% to 5790% of a restaurant’s annual marketing costs and 0.3% to 101% of annual profits and revenue.

The cost of a single foodborne illness outbreak to a restaurant can be substantial and far outweighs the typical costs of prevention and control measures.

Did you Know?
  1. Sanitizer test strips expire! Check the dispenser to find the expiration date (usually above the color bars). If your dispenser does not have a date, it is over 6 years old and is no longer accurate. They only stay accurate for 2 years.
  2. When selecting a new refrigerator that will hold potentially hazardous foods, read the data plate and keep in mind where this new unit will be stored. If it is NSF 7 approved, Type 1 is intended for use in a maximum ambient temperature of 75°F. Type II is intended for use where the ambient temperature does not exceed 80° F. Display refrigerators tested for use in ambient temperatures not exceeding 86°F will have a label indicating such. If not approved by NSF 7, ask the manufacturer or read the specs! This is very important to know if you will be using the unit in a hot kitchen!
  3. In the U.S., the primary cause of Hepatitis E is from eating contaminated food. Sources are pork, deer, game, rabbits, produce and shellfish. Cooking to well done will kill the virus. Hep E virus can survive at least 10 years being frozen.
  4. Flour has the potential to contain pathogens like E.coli. Allowing children to play with dough balls is a risky operation. Heat-treated flour and pasteurized eggs, if eggs are in the dough, would reduce the risk. Handwashing afterwards is still recommended
  5. Quaternary ammonia test strips must match the formula and are not necessarily universal. If you use a quat product that sets the range at 200 ppm only, you need QT10 strips. If you use a quat product that sets the range at 150-400 ppm, you need QT40 strips.