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Safety procedures get a makeover

At The Pump Energy Food, a five-unit takeout chain in New York City with an emphasis on healthy eating, food-safety practices are getting a makeover along with the menu and operations

The idea is to standardize practices and provide tools to make adhering to basic food-safety principles as easy as possible, said chief executive Adam Eskin. The Pump recently rolled out a two-page checklist that must be filled out twice a day by a manager or a shift supervisor and faxed to corporate headquarters daily.

“There’s got to be a level of responsibility and someone who is constantly monitoring it,” Eskin said.

The list includes what Eskin terms, “all the obvious stuff,” such as checking temperatures of hot and cold foods, making sure all employees who touch food are wearing gloves and hats or hairnets, and that perishables like milk have not passed their expiration dates.

The list also includes the phone number of the person in charge of equipment and facilities so a manager can report an equipment problem right away.

In addition to the list, Eskin, who joined Pump last November, has added more food-safety tools and systems. Since a lot of eggs are used in Pump’s popular egg white omelets, there are strict standards for food handling. Eggs are cracked in a designated area, which must be sanitized before and after preparation. Those handling them must wear gloves.

Pump staffers who cut ingredients — all food is prepared in-house — now have thick gloves to prevent injuries.

To ensure the proper amount of cleaning solution is used in sanitation buckets, Pump has replaced liquid solution with tablets.  In addition, Pump has increased its laundry service, so team members don’t have to think twice about switching to a new cleaning rag.

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