Owing to climate change and global warming, foodborne infectious diseases are becoming an inevitable problem worldwide, and this includes Korea. An emerging factor of foodborne infectious disease outbreak in the foodservice business (i.e., restaurants) is inappropriate management of food handlers with acute gastroenteritis. This study will propose new procedures for bigger restaurants such as conglomerate chains or hotel restaurants that have adequate economic capability for operating new or existing procedures to complement the shortcomings of the Korean Food Safety Act based on microbiological, epidemiological, and etiological fundamentals. Designed procedures for managing a primary case (i.e., first symptomatic worker) or confirmed patients in close contact (i.e., colleagues) were based on several concepts, such as isolation, contact quarantine, and release. These procedures can be included in the sanitation standard operating procedures for foodservice business in a chapter on the Food Handler's Hygiene Management Manual. Practical applications Foodborne infectious disease spread by food handlers is currently an emerging food safety management crisis in Korea. Since few response procedures have been proposed as to how to act in such a critical situation, our study will suggest new procedures. Possible foodborne infectious disease that can be mediated by food handlers was investigated and categorized into four types based on their microbiological, epidemiological, and etiological characters. Several distinct response procedures were designated for primary or secondary case, confirmed case, and close contact colleagues. Newly designed criteria were simulated for field applicability. These procedures can be included in the sanitation standard operating procedures for foodservice businesses in a chapter of the Food Handler's Hygiene Management Manual.

The aim of this study was to establish a complementary direction of the franchise food hygiene guideline to control microbial risks. We evaluated current measures of preventing microbial spoilage and ensuring microbiological safety of food in the food franchise industry. Manufacturing practices were assessed using microbiological analyses, third‐party food safety audits, and existing hygiene guidelines. Microbial load indicators of food, manufacturing processes, work environment, and workers were also analyzed to track microbial proliferation. We audited manufacturing practices and processes and analyzed the cleaning and sanitation clauses. We found high contamination of heterotrophic bacteria and detected coliforms in some products. There was no direct contamination by food handlers, and the sterility of raw materials was satisfactory. The main issues were structural complexities of equipment, which hindered cleaning and disinfection, and disinfection practices of franchise brands. Store‐level microbial control may be compromised due to the industrial nature of small stores operating collectively. We thus issued complementary guidelines. Improved collective microbiological safety may be ensured through implementation of the revised cleaning and sterilization regulations.