Things are going well and we have been consistently busy. We are thankful that we have Feed Ontario supplying extra food hampers to us so that we are able to pass on to our clients above what we would normally be able to distribute. One of the important things to know is that just like restaurants, we are regularly checked by the Ministry of Health in Halton to make sure we are meeting all standards and are up to date. Part of what they look for is ongoing pest control monitoring (Thank you Abacat Pest Control), they also ensure that all of our refrigeration units are temperature checked twice daily to ensure our fresh and frozen products remain safe, as well as a number of other protocols that are required by the Ministry and Halton Region. We also continuously clean our facility each day to sanitize everything to keep our volunteers and your food safe. We are proud to say that we pass our tests easily every time, without any need to correct our process or storage!

We prepare ourselves by doing our own audit before the inspectors come to look around. Things we check are: Facilities and equipment in good condition and clean, Interior facility, Sanitary facilities (washrooms), Water and ice equipment, Equipment and utensils used in food handling, Operational controls are in place and followed to keep food safe, Personnel practices – handwashing, dealing with illnesses, Food handling practices – for transportation, receiving, storage, repackaging and sharing, Cleaning and sanitation practices, Preventative maintenance and control plan for equipment, Pest control program, Recall plan, Training programs are in place and followed, Staff and volunteers understand general food handling practices, and that Personnel are trained to do their specific tasks, and results are monitored.

Food banks like ours that have an internal audit process are best prepared to pass public health inspections. And our staff and volunteers are trained through Food Banks Canada Safe Food Handling E-Learning Courses as well