ne of the beauties of living in upstate New York is the coming of summer and the opportunity to venture outdoors without four layers of winter weather gear. Summer signals the return of tables and chairs to patios, sidewalk cafés, and poolside cabanas. Those living further south often provide outdoor dining opportunities all year long. Guests enjoy al fresco dining, and we provide a wide variety of goods and services for this purpose. But these venues pose their own set of unique challenges as we strive to maintain the same food safety standards outdoors as for inside operations.

What are some of the food safety issues to consider with respect to outdoor operations?

Consider the following:

1.Time and temperature abuse.
Time and temperature abuse is one of the leading causes of foodborne illness. Foods stored outside when the ambient air temperature is 90°F or higher must be carefully monitored. Direct sunlight comes into play as well, as it adds to the potential for products to heat up and degrade faster, and it provides a perfect breeding ground for bacteria.

Refrigeration works harder outdoors on a hot day to maintain 41°F or below, especially with the frequent need to access products in reach-in units. Split-door units, rather than those with one large door, may be a better choice. With see-through glass doors placed in direct sunlight, it might be a good idea to put stick-on glass tinting on the outside of the doors to reduce the greenhouse effect. Keep refrigeration and ice-making units working at peak efficiency.

Dust and dirt are more of a challenge, and maintenance of filters and coils in the compressors and evaporators needs more frequent attention. Preventative maintenance is critical and cost effective.

2. Unwanted guests.
Pests of all kinds are looking for a good meal outside. Rodents and insects aggressively look for foodstuffs. Clean up spills and remove all trash at the end of a day to keep the food supply and related attraction to a minimum. Rat and mice droppings and nearly invisible urine are potential contaminants. When creating and administering cleaning and sanitizing protocols, consider having specific pre-opening procedures and associated tools and supplies that are not used during operations.

Keep dedicated spray bottles of sanitizer out of direct sunlight, which expedites degradation, and replenish bottles used outside with fresh sanitizer at least daily. For a thoroughly documented HACCP plan, check the concentrations of sanitizers on a regular basis and record the test results. The effective concentration is lost much faster than expected.

Birds pose an interesting challenge as well. Intelligent and aggressive birds are highly mobile and carriers of a wide variety of diseases that affect humans (known as zoonotic diseases), including Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli 0157:H7, West Nile Virus, and Lyme disease. Bird droppings are potentially highly contaminated and should be treated as such.

Employees must be trained on how to handle bird droppings, which should be cleaned up with separate tools and cloths by someone wearing gloves and followed by a proper sanitization process. Employees must properly wash their hands after any cleanup activity related to droppings. Bird droppings, while seemingly obvious, are not easily distinguished from food waste.

With an open-air operation, make sure one pre-opening duty is to carefully clean and sanitize all food contact and service areas, looking for droppings from all sources. Inspect all areas including server stations, ice bins, condiment dispensers, and flatware bins.

Umbrellas and roof areas are another consideration when it comes to droppings. The umbrella is a good sun shield and protection from droppings falling from above. What happens when it rains? Droppings attached to the umbrella or roof are partially washed off those surfaces and flow down as runoff. Where does the runoff land? Take a careful look, and consider where this runoff will end up, including the splatter during a heavy downpour.

3.Young guests.
Keep young guests safe by providing clean and sanitary seating and food and beverage trays. Keep highchairs and booster seats protected from of all kinds of droppings contamination. Cover all highchair trays with plastic wrap and remove just prior to seating. When cleaning and sanitizing, pay special attention to all aspects of the chair/tray and any areas the child may be able to access.

Guests love outdoor dining. Let’s keep them as safe outdoors as we do when they dine inside.

Norm Faiola, Ph.D., is associate dean and associate professor, Departmnt of Nutrition and Hospitality Management, Syracuse University. Email Dr. Faiola with questions or comments: nafaiola@syr.edu