New Food Code – A Welcome Challenge

By Pete Lyders

If you like food and you like people, chances are you may have thought once or twice about owning a restaurant at some time. But, operating a restaurant involves much more than cooking and serving food. Restaurant owners struggle with finding and retaining quality employees, managing cash flow, keeping a fresh inventory of food, and must be fully knowledgeable experts in federal and state food codes. While Michigan’s newly revised food code offers more rules and regulations to govern our restaurants, restaurateurs are generally embracing the challenge for the good of consumers.

One of the biggest threats to the viability of any restaurant is food safety. Food-borne illnesses are a major threat to public health, but also to the reputation of our industry. The newly revised state food code uses the best scientific data available to modernize restaurants and bring even more security to restaurant patrons. At the same time, however, these new laws can be a challenge for some restaurateurs to meet because they may require costly improvements and renovations for some kitchens.

While changing the way we do business can be cumbersome, restaurateurs are proud to provide a quality product. It’s important to us that every meal we serve is safe. That’s why members and staff of the Michigan Restaurant Association worked diligently with the Michigan Dept. of Agriculture to revise the existing 23-year old food code. The result: an improved inspection process for restaurants, and safer food for consumers.

The new food code may confuse some restaurant workers and consumers. While it’s true that the law discourages bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods, the state code does allow operators to do so if they meet certain requirements. So, if you see a restaurant worker not wearing latex gloves, that person may or may not be in violation of the law. Chances are the restaurant owner and worker have been trained and educated in how to safely handle food, and there is no need to call your local health inspector to report the incident. Restaurant owners must meet several requirements — including implementing a food safety training program for employees — before bare hand contact can be allowed.

But, that’s just one example of how the new food code governs safe food handling and how the requirements can be enforced easily and effectively. The revised state code identifies several new stipulations — some costly, others confusing — yet all with the intention of providing the safest food possible. I hope that other industries facing similar government-mandated changes will embrace these challenges as readily as the restaurant industry has. It’s important that we all work together to improve our products and services, no matter how challenging that may be.

Keeping up with the times is more than good business — it’s essential for growth and improvement in all industries.

Pete Lyders is the owner of Taco Bell on West Saginaw in Lansing. The restaurant serves 800 meals every day.