Restaurant Practices for Cooling Food in Minnesota: An Intervention Study

Improper cooling of hot foods is a leading contributing factor to foodborne disease. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code outlines the cooling parameters and methods to facilitate proper cooling, restaurants continue to have issues. The purpose of this study was to further examine restaurant cooling practices and determine the effect of an educational intervention on 30 Minnesota restaurants, each with a history of cooling violations. Descriptive data on restaurant cooling practices and a cooling curve were collected from each restaurant to determine compliance with the Food Code and to assess which cooling methods work best. Additionally, cooling education was provided to a manager and assessments were conducted preintervention, postintervention, and at the next routine inspection to determine if cooling knowledge improved. Restaurants were evaluated at their next routine inspection to see if cooling practices had changed and if cooling violations were present. Most study restaurants were not using appropriate cooling methods as per the Minnesota Food Code, and 53% of food items observed did not cool within required cooling parameters. Foods cooled in containers <3 inches in depth were significantly more likely to cool properly. Managers scored significantly higher on the postassessment and on the next routine inspection assessment than on the preassessment, suggesting that education on cooling can increase operator knowledge. Postintervention, 20% more kitchen managers reported having written cooling procedures and had verified their cooling process than was reported preintervention. However, the increase in knowledge and reported policy changes did not translate to a reduction in cooling violations at the next inspection. Our findings documented significant food safety gaps in restaurant cooling practices. Translation of knowledge into sustained, improved food safety practices remains a major challenge for the environmental health profession; overcoming this challenge should be a focus for behavioral scientists and others interested in improving practices in restaurants for the long term.