It's always nice to get a passing grade. For the Akron-Canton Foodbank, it's a little sweeter because their food safety score placed them in the top 5 percent of food banks.

The organization passed its formal American American Institute of Baking International (AIB) audit this week with a score higher than 900 on a 1,000 point scale.

The score is based on how the food bank safely handles, receives , processes and distributes food.

-----------------------------

((Press Release)) The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank passed its first formal American Institute of Baking International (AIB) audit with a superior rating on March 13, 2013. AIB is recognized by food companies worldwide, and mandates high standards of sanitation in food processing and handling establishments.

The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank joined the elite ranks, passing the food safety audit with a score in the top 5% of food banks. The Foodbank is one of ten food banks nationwide to receive a score higher than 900 on a 1,000 point scale. The rating was accomplished because the Foodbank goes beyond required food industry practices in the way it safely receives, processes, and distributes food.

This complex audit is completely voluntary to the 203 Feeding America member food banks across the nation. In the history of Feeding America, only 13 of its food banks have passed the rigorous AIB audit.

“This successful audit means we have among the highest standards of food safety certification in the country, and not just in the food bank industry,” Dan Flowers, President and CEO of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank stated. “This AIB rating is the gold standard of food safety programs. The importance of the Foodbank’s mission compels us to this level of diligence.”

As Feeding America’s 2012 Food Bank of the Year, the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank leads the way for other food banks in the network. The Foodbank, like many others in the past few years has experienced exponential growth, increasing from a distribution of 12.9 million pounds of food in 2007 to 20.6 million pounds in 2012. With more than 5,000 volunteers and a network of more than 500 member agencies, the number of people handling food and the volume of food passing through the facility is greater than it has ever been. The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank is committed to ensuring that food donations are being handled in the safest manner possible as it continues to help those struggling with hunger in our community.
“Few of the member agencies that rely on the Foodbank for food have the capacity to achieve this high degree of food safety certification,” added Flowers. “However the Foodbank is doing everything in our power to ensure that food is safe on their behalf.”

Before you whip up your favorite side dish or grab a your grilling tongs, make sure you follow safe picnic practices this Memorial Day weekend.

You should always start off by washing your hands, kitchen and outdoor cooking area.

The Summit County Health District's Dr. Margo Erme reminds those preparing meals, to wash their hands in between cooking and handling food.

Dr. Erme's Safety Tips:

Meat

• When marinating meat, do so in a refrigerator overnight. She advises you toss out any leftover marinade that has had contact with raw meat. She doesn't recommend re-using it, but if you want to, marinade should be boiled for several minutes to remove bacteria.

• Try to avoid leaving your meat out too long before sticking it on the grill.

• Use a thermometer to check the meat's temperature before you take a bite. Remember, your meat should reach 160 degrees and poultry needs to hit the 165 degree mark before its done.

• Use separate plates for raw meat and cooked meat to eliminate the possibility of contamination.

Side Dishes

• If your dishes contain uncooked egg products and/or mayonnaise , keep your food cold. Dr. Erme recommends only leaving those items out for one and a half to two hours on ice before storing in the refridgerator again.

• How do you keep items cold?

"If I have a bowl of potato salad, then I have it sitting in a top of another bowl that had ice in it, and then I stir it up regularly so that it distributes that coolness around," Erme said.

Do you have any safety tips? Share your suggestions with us below in the comments or on AkronNewsNow.com's Facebook page.