We serve as a trusted resource for the latest news and helpful information related to skin health and surface hygiene advancements. GOJO microbiologists, scientists,
nurses and other professionals post regularly
and we also get the views of outside experts and
thought leaders in the field. It’s all part of the
GOJO Purpose, Saving Lives and Making Lives Better Through Well-Being Solutions.
Unobservable Risks Associated with Reusable Wiping Cloths and the “Red Bucket” Practice
3/9/2022
By Chip Manuel, Ph.D.
Food Safety Science Advisor, GOJO Industries
The sights of a restaurant experience can often be as enjoyable as the food: unique dishes being shuffled to tables of smiling families amidst an appealing ambiance, all taken in from the vantage of a favorite spot. Another common sight that can be observed at a restaurant is an employee grabbing a soaking wet cloth towel from a red bucket filled with solution and then using that towel to wipe a table clean for the next set of guests. But did you know that this seemingly routine practice can carry risks if not conducted properly? In this blog post, we take a deeper dive into the practice of reusable wiping cloths within a restaurant and explore some of the hidden, unobserved risks associated with this practice.
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GOJO Releases Free Guest Experience Resource E-Book
2/8/2022
By Diane Collins
Senior Market Development Director – Foodservice, GOJO Industries
For foodservice establishments, including restaurants, grocery stores, and convenience stores, navigating the past almost two years has required perpetual adjustments along the way. Constantly planning for the “new normal,” which gets pushed further out over and over again, has meant undertaking significant investments to adapt and maintaining nimble operations at a time of tightened budgets, food and supply shortages, and limited staffing resources. All responsibilities of the operation have grown more complex; even something once viewed as routine – guest experience.
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Foodservice Guests Expect More – Can You Meet Their Needs?
11/2/2021
By Diane Collins
Senior Market Development Director – Foodservice, GOJO Industries
COVID-19 has changed the world, and with it the concept of “guest experience” has grown substantially. While good food and atmosphere used to be customers’ primary concern, they now expect more, adopting a laser focus on overall health and safety in the process. How can retail foodservice establishments get a clearer idea of exactly what guests are looking for – big and small – meet those expectations, and get credit for doing it? Especially with limited budget and staffing resources?
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Managing Listeria Outbreaks in Retail and Foodservice Establishments
9/14/2021
By Chip Manuel, Ph.D.
Food Safety Science Advisor, GOJO Industries
Members of the bacterial genus Listeria are frequently found in the environment, soil, and vegetation; however, the species Listeria monocytogenes (L. mono) is a significant pathogen of concern in the food industry and is a hardy organism capable of thriving in conditions beyond what other organisms can survive in. L. mono can flourish in various environments or food products, including high-salt environments, moist conditions, and more terrifyingly, at refrigerated temperatures - even below 33.8˚F!
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Contaminated Surfaces – A Cross Contamination Risk in Retail and Foodservice Establishments
8/23/2021
By Hal King, Ph.D.
Managing Partner, Active Food Safety and Founder/CEO of Public Health Innovations
Also By Chip Manuel, Ph.D.
Food Safety Science Advisor, GOJO Industries
Cross-contamination is an important concept to understand in the field of Food Safety management. It can be loosely defined as “the physical movement or transfer of harmful pathogens [or allergens, sometimes further defined as cross contact] from one person, object or place to another.” While this definition is broad, it illustrates the variety of ways pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and even allergens can move around within a retail and foodservice establishment and onto ready-to-eat foods. One frequent way is through cross-contamination of surfaces.
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An Introduction to Guest Experience: What Does It Mean Now?
5/10/2021
By Chip Manuel, Ph.D.
Food Safety Science Advisor, GOJO Industries
COVID-19 has changed the world, and with it the concept of “guest experience” has evolved. What does it mean now? Clean is king. While good food and atmosphere used to be the primary concerns of guests, and the main factors that impacted their overall experience, guests have now adopted a heightened awareness and focus on hygiene, cleanliness, and safety above all. Finding ways to create, display, and promote a safe environment may be the only way to make potential guests and customers feel secure and ensure repeat business. Current and prospective employees are looking for this security, too. This is what “guest experience” has come to mean.
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What’s the Difference Between Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting?
4/29/2021
By Chip Manuel, Ph.D.
Food Safety Science Advisor, GOJO Industries
As we live through this pandemic, the use of cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting products on surfaces are more common than ever. The recent CDC guidance about the relatively low risk of being infected by SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) by contaminated surfaces or objects (fomites) led to some confusing news headlines. It’s important to remember that regular touchpoint disinfection is a simple, proactive measure shown to reduce potential fomite transmission of other significant pathogens, such as norovirus. Also, people with COVID-19 can be contagious yet not show symptoms for many days, and increased frequency of touchpoint disinfection helps mitigate this asymptomatic risk.
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Keeping Food Safety On Track with Off-Premise Activity
4/15/2021
By Diane Collins
Senior Market Development Director – Foodservice, GOJO Industries
More restaurant operations are occurring outside of traditional spaces due to the growth of off-premise sales. As with all foodservice policies, “out of sight, out of mind” is never a best practice, and it’s absolutely necessary to be stewards of food safety even when it can’t be readily observed. This is the topic of a recent essay from Hal King, Ph.D., Managing Partner at Active Food Safety and Founder of Public Health Innovations.
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The Effect Mitigating COVID-19 Transmission Through Cleaning and Sanitation Is Having on Foodborne Disease Outbreaks
3/29/2021
By Hal King, Ph.D.
Managing Partner, Active Food Safety and Founder/CEO of Public Health Innovations
Also By Chip Manuel, Ph.D.
Food Safety Science Advisor, GOJO Industries
The COVID-19 pandemic that first hit the United States in 2020 has been the largest public health crisis in more than 100 years, leading to millions of deaths globally and altering the global economy for years to come. As just one example of the far-reaching negative impacts of this virus, it has devastated the restaurant and foodservice industry in the United States and has changed the food industry’s global supply chain for years to come. Restaurant and foodservice loss of sales alone was reported by the National Restaurant Association to surpass $185 billion between March and August of 2020. Now as the pandemic has entered its second full year, there is hope that pharmaceutical interventions (i.e., vaccines and antiviral drugs) will significantly reduce the impact the pandemic has on lives and the economy.
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Managing Norovirus Outbreaks in Foodservice Establishments
11/30/2020
By Chip Manuel, Ph.D.
Food Safety Science Advisor, GOJO Industries
While restaurants continue to enforce their stringent cleaning protocols and other preventative measures during this pandemic, as cold weather settles in, they also face the traditional norovirus season. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most norovirus outbreaks occur from November through April.
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