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Welcome to the Lake County General Health District’s redesigned Food Safety Ninja page! We have updated the look and content to better serve the general public and our local food establishments. The new site will provide a central location for food safety information and access to current topics or trends. Food safety videos and quizzes are available to increase your food safety knowledge along with food safety educational content to share information for households and restaurants. The content and videos can be used by anyone but some information pertains to the Ohio Food Code and categories such as contacts or class information specifically pertain to Lake County. We hope that you enjoy our new look and benefit from the resources we have available.

HISTORY
In 2015, the Lake County General Health District (LCGHD) obtained a five-year FDA grant to create... uniformity in the food safety program in Lake County. Included within the grant was the requirement to create an innovative food safety intervention directed at food establishments. LCGHD food staff reached out to a local professor in search of a community collaboration to create this educational intervention. Steven Gutierrez, of the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA), created an animation course designed around this grant. His students along with LCGHD food staff members created The Food Safety Ninja. The CIA students designed the first 6 animated food safety videos. Steven Gutierrez created a webpage to host these animated videos. This website served as an educational intervention that licensed food establishments were sent to for remedial education when certain food safety violations were found during a routine inspection. LCGHD has removed the mandatory remedial education portion of the website but the education videos and quizzes remain for use by anyone desiring food safety training. At the completion of the FDA grant, LCGHD continued to keep the website active with further collaboration with Steven Gutierrez and the creation of two additional videos. In 2022, we decided that the webpage needed to be reformatted into a site that is usable by not only the regulated food community but also the general public. By adding additional videos, new content, and interactive sections, we hope that the page will be found useful by many people from around the world.

The Food Ninja Times

THE FOOD NINJA TIMES
Issue #1
TUESDAY, 20 AUGUST 2024

Insects in meats, rancid smell in cooler among findings of Boars Head plant investigation
Handwashing is the most important factor in preventing the spread of foodborne illness. The proper handwashing procedure only takes about 20 seconds. When washing, ensure to wash backs of hands, wrists, between fingers and under fingernails. Handwashing should only take place at a dedicated hand washing sink. Handwashing facilities must be easily accessible and stocked with the soap, hot water, and paper towels at all times. Using soap to wash your hands is necessary to remove soil and grease from your skin.

When to wash your hands is also very important. The following are examples of when to wash your hands: start of shift, before putting gloves on, changing tasks, between handling different types of foods (ready-to-eat and raw), after removing gloves, after using the restroom, after handling raw meats, fish or poultry, after handling garbage, after sweeping, mopping or cleaning, after handling dirty utensils and equipment, after eating, drinking or smoking, after coughing or sneezing, and after touching your face, hair or clothing.


Mold and mildew near hand washing sinks, flies near a vat of pickles and ants traveling down a wall were just a few of the violations inspectors found at a Virginia plant tied to the largest listeria outbreak in more than a decade. The CDC now says at least nine people have died and dozens have been hospitalized. CBS News Elaine Quijano has more.

Consuming dangerous foodborne bacteria will usually cause illness within 1 to 3 days of eating the contaminated food. However, sickness can also occur within 20 minutes or up to 6 weeks later. Symptoms of foodborne illness can include: vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain – and flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, and body ache.

Handle Foods Safely

Although most healthy people will recover from a foodborne illness within a short period of time, some can develop chronic, severe, or even life-threatening health problems. In addition, some people are at a higher risk for developing foodborne illness, including pregnant women, young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems (such as transplant patients and individuals with HIV/AIDS, cancer, or diabetes). To keep your family safer from food poisoning, follow these four simple steps: clean, separate, cook, and chill.