KEEP AMERICA'S FOOD AND AGRICULTURE SAFE /Meal Providers/Fact
Sheet
Meal Providers
KEEP AMERICA'S FOOD AND AGRICULTURE SAFE (Fact Sheet)
You are on the front line of defense for protecting America’s food.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, USDA has intensified work with Federal, State and local
authorities to bolster the protections for our food supply from the farm to the
table. Here are some ways you can help:
Plan Plan ahead to know what to do in an emergency. --
Develop an emergency response plan, with a coordinator and team members. Make
sure each member understands his or her responsibility. -- Regularly
conduct emergency drills; post evacuation procedures prominently. --
Identify areas or activities where threats might occur. Increase security in
these areas. -- Be sure the plan includes ways to correct potential safety
threats.
Educate Tell all employees and customers about your
emergency procedures. -- Include all employees in emergency response
drills; tell employees about any changes to the plan. -- Be sure that
employees know how and where to report potential threats. -- Provide
customers with visual references, such as posters and signs, about emergency
procedures.
Secure Keep delivery, storage, preparation, and service
areas secure. -- Carefully watch all access points to prevent entry by any
unauthorized people. -- Restrict all deliveries to scheduled times. Make
sure employees are aware of delivery schedules and monitor all arrival and
departure times. -- Keep an accurate inventory of all equipment, food,
ingredients, utensils, and supplies. -- Secure areas where food is held,
prepared, portioned, and served. -- Secure all chemicals, cleaning agents,
and other non-food items. Monitor the areas where they are kept. --
Schedule regular security inspections of all areas, equipment, food,
ingredients, and supplies.
Monitor Inspect all food packages and food items. Don’t
leave anything used in food service operations unattended. -- Carefully
monitor all deliveries and examine all packages. -- Check all equipment,
food, ingredients, utensils, and supplies regularly for tampering. --
Monitor all items used in food service carefully. -- Keep unauthorized
people away from food storage, preparation, holding, and serving areas. --
Never leave food unsecured or unattended at any stage of delivery, storage,
preparation, or service. -- Encourage employees to monitor the facilities
and staff and report anything unusual.
Report Report any suspicious activity. -- Encourage
employees to report any unusual or suspicious activity or any unauthorized or
unfamiliar people in restricted access areas or near the food service facility.
If you see anything suspicious, call your local officials.
