Food Warning If Your Pregnant!!!!!!

[chris]

Hi Alisia
No like I said they were sitting on a shelf under the area where the burgers were made. 4 containers of cut tom and 2 of lettus. I asked alot of questions while talking to the Manager and chef, they showed me the paper off the front of the big fridge. I seen it with my own eyes. The manager himself told me the tomatoes were cut up at 9am this morning and it was there standard work practice to store them on the shelf under the burger prep area. There was containers of food/ salad stuff being used in the bay marie above.

This is not just a HJ it was the local head office where I thought food would be prepared following Australian Standards of Health and Hygine. I have worked in food prep and I know the standards and that was 10 years ago(while studying), this was a young chef who is supposed to know all the new info on food prep and health and hygine.
If any one was pulling my leg it was the chef as she has no knowledge of food handleing standards at all.

The law is the same now as it was 10 yrs ago if something is cut up it has to be refrigerated and only kept for 2 hrs and then binned.

I could not believe my eyes when I seen it and then to be told it was their policy.
I am just glad that I didn't eat there and that I didn't have my friend with me who has just finished chemo and has a low imune at the moment. My kids take the salad off the burger so they were safe.

I am just going to sit back and see what the Authorities do to this HJ manager and chef as they should be held accountable for it.

To top it off their (chef and manager) customer service is really lacking the crew were great about everything and I think if it was up to the first lady I spoke to she would have binned it. But it wasn't it was up to the chef and manager.

It sounds like where you worked did it the right way as normaly fooin in use is kept in a bay marie (drop down slot with lid) and stand by food is in the fridge, but still there is the 2 hour limit to cut up food refrigerated or not.

I noticed your pregnant and I wish you all the best.
Take care
Chris

[Indadhanu]

:ms: YUCK! I'm going to be asking the manager at the store I eat at about their policies... It sucks that you can't just assume poeple are doing the right or hygenic thing.

Hope the Food Authority is able to do something!!!!!!!!

[Inanna]

Sounds dodgy. However, you have more chance of contracting listeria if the salad is precut and cold!

Pregnant women as a rule of thumb should always steer clear of preprepared salad (including on burgers) unless it's at home and you know how and to what standard it was prepared...

[chris]

Hi
Today I got call from localfood inspecter.
She also was told about the 6 hour policy and has contacted the head office to get their scientific info on it to prove it is safe.

I think it is suposed to be in the fridge but the chef was not doing the right thing. Anyway going by the way I was trained it is a 2 hour limit for cut up food.
I have totaly gone off HJ. Just the thought of it makes me :ms:.
I will let you know what I find out about this policy as the food inspecter is keeping me updated.
Cheers
Chris

[maddysmummy]

YUK YUK YUK!!! any wonder i got food poisoning a few years ago!!

i so cant bring myself to eat there again!!!

[Rouge]

I would go further and contact the head office of HJ's (as well as burger king), and CC TT or ACA. And stipulate that in Australia what listeria guidelines are, and unless they want to end up with legal action from some poor woman who has lost their baby they need to advertise their poor food preparation practices or CHANGE and ENFORCE new ones!

Absolutely disgusting!