According to the most recently published data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), retail food service establishments are the most commonly reported locations (60%) leading to foodborne disease outbreaks in the United States every year. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reported that in order to effectively reduce the major foodborne illness risk factors in retail food service, a food service business should use Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS); however less than 11% of audited food service businesses in a 2018 report were found using a well-documented FSMS. Clearly, there needs to be more focus on the prevention of foodborne disease illnesses and outbreaks in retail food service establishments.
The purpose of this book is to help retail food service businesses implement FSMS to achieve Active Managerial Control (AMC) of foodborne illness risk factors. It is a key resource for retail professionals at all levels of the retail food service industry, and those leaders tasked to build and manage food safety departments within these organizations.