Complying with the new Ohio Uniform Food Safety Code

Last March, the Ohio Department of Health revised the Ohio Uniform Food Safety Code. The revisions took effect March 1, 2016, but restaurants were given a year to get up to speed. Here’s what you need to know as the time to implement the changes draws near.

What is this new law?

If you own a restaurant, you’re most certainly aware of these changes by now. The “Guidelines to the Level Two Certification in Food Protection” ultimately seeks to prevent food-borne illnesses. Overall, it will require that more of your restaurant staff need to be certified and trained properly. You can read about these new guidelines directly from the source here. The Ohio Uniform Food Safety Code, the guide for all food service establishments to follow, can be viewed here.

The changes

The biggest changes to these new guidelines starts with a facility’s person-in-charge (PIC). This person is responsible for making sure all employees are properly trained and follow correct procedure. These procedures include how employees respond to vomiting and diarrheal events, how and when they report health issues, and how they appropriately store food.

All restaurants must have at least one employee on staff that has an Ohio Level Two Certificate in Food Protection. They must take an approved ServSafe Manager course to meet the required criteria. The Ohio Restaurant Association created a very helpful infographic that gives a simple overview of these new changes. Check it out here.

How CPS can help

While our focus is on commercial kitchen equipment, not your personnel or food safety procedures, we believe that our products and services have an impact on food safety. Brand new, highly functioning equipment makes for better tasting and safer food! If you suspect that your kitchen equipment is having any type of negative impact on your food, contact us for 24/7 emergency service. You can also shop online for OEM parts or schedule a preventative maintenance program that will take care of problems before they happen.