Food Protection Trends - July/August 2018 - 288

repackage it. Using a combination of spoons, tongs, or
their hands, depending on the item, food was repackaged
into new food-grade plastic bags. While volunteers wore
gloves while handling food, they failed to wash their hands
when changing gloves between tasks. Forty percent of the
survey respondents self-reported washing hands between
glove changes, while no participants were observed doing
so (Table 2A). Although volunteers were instructed by an
employee of the dining service to document the food items
each bag contained, the date the item was prepared, and the
date food was diverted for the community partner's records,
they did so inconsistently. In one of the dining facilities,
volunteers diverted food directly from the self-service salad
bar before repackaging any other unserved, stored food.
Volunteers repackaged the food into new food-grade plastic
bags with gloved hands but would do so with the same
tongs and spoons that customers had previously used and
without changing their gloves in between foods. The dining
service staff required the volunteers to document, for their
internal records, the types and amounts (either by count
or total weight) of foods being diverted. While wearing the
same gloves used during diversion, most volunteers would
calculate total weight by hand, using paper and pen, with
one using the calculator app on a cell phone. The volunteers
would take the food to another refrigerated cooler for storage
until delivery. The temperature of the cooler was not checked
by volunteers before they left the food for storage.
Cooking shifts
An on-campus kitchen managed by an academic department as a food preparation lab space was used for these shifts.
According to the SOPs set by the department, the kitchen
was cleaned and sanitized by its last user; therefore, at the
start of each cooking shift it was assumed that the kitchen
had previously been fully sanitized, although there was no
documentation of this. The shift leader reviewed the recipes
and assigned volunteers to specific tasks. During this shift,
soups and casseroles were prepared. The soups were prepared
from a "just-add-water" mix supplemented with canned
vegetables acquired during a food drive for the program.
After the soups were cooked, they were placed into new,
unlabeled food grade, freezer quality plastic bags and stored
in the freezer at the end of the shift. The casseroles were a
mix of previously diverted food supplemented with canned
vegetables (also obtained through a food drive), which were
mixed in metal pans provided by the community partner
and which did not receive any additional cooking. Following preparation, casseroles were stored in the refrigerator
overnight for delivery the next morning; casseroles were
not cooked prior to delivery. Observations reflect that the
temperature of foods prepared during the shift and during
cooling were not monitored, however, 50% and 75% of survey respondents reported each action taking place, respectively (Table 2B).

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Food Protection Trends July/August

One of the most common observations was of volunteers
not washing their hands between handling food items or
when changing tasks, although 75% of survey respondents
self-reported engaging in this behavior (Table 2B). Eight
volunteers also used their clothing to dry their hands after
washing. Additionally, four volunteers used cell phones
without washing their hands before returning to their task.
Following preparation, the foods prepared were labeled
and stored for delivery. All foods prepared during the shift
were intended to be reheated by the recipient, although
instructions were not provided. The kitchen was cleaned at
the end of the shift according to the kitchens' specific SOPs;
observations reflect that chemical cleaner was sprayed onto
countertops on which uncovered food was located.
Delivery shifts
At the start of the delivery shift, the shift leader would
provide a brief explanation of what volunteers should
expect during the shift. Using insulated carriers (which
had been cleaned and sanitized at the end of the previous
shift), volunteers would pick up diverted and cooked food
from dining facilities and transport it directly to community
hunger-relief organizations. Delivery volunteers would
often receive additional items diverted by employees at the
time of closing of the facility the night before. They used
unwashed bare hands to load the pre-packaged food into
insulated carriers, without inspecting it for any leakages
or physical contamination; however, 50% of survey
respondents self-reported doing so (Table 2C). Upon arrival
to the community partners, volunteers would unload the
food. At one facility, this consisted of transferring the prepackaged food, using unwashed bare hands, into insulated
boxes for storage. At another facility, this included dividing
large quantities of bakery items into smaller quantities for
distribution, using gloved, but unwashed, hands. This task
was completed on work surfaces that were not cleaned or
sanitized before or after use.
During one delivery observation, dining employees
found food available for delivery that had not been
diverted the night before. The volunteers then repackaged
the identified food, using washed and gloved hands, into
unmarked plastic bags for the community partner.
While transporting food from campus into the community, 21 volunteers used personal cell phones, and
one used a laptop computer. Volunteers at both facilities
recorded the total weight of food so that the community partner could report that weight to the regional food
recovery network. Upon return to campus, shift leaders
and volunteers were instructed to clean and sanitize the
insulated carriers for the next shift, a process that was
never observed during any shift, although 44% of survey
respondents self-reported doing so (Table 2C).

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