Archive for the ‘Food Safety’ Category

3 Ways Restaurants Can Ensure Visitor’s Health and Safety

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

For many years, restaurants have played a major role in promoting healthy diets and lifestyle choices for millions of families around the world. But with the increasing demand to implement and maintain food safety standards, it has become mandatory for restaurants to continuously improve their food quality procedures not just to keep up with competition but also to promote safer food preparation. Here are the top 3 ways that restaurants can ensure their customer’s health and safety:

Provide regular training to employees regarding food safety

The key to ensuring that food is kept safe and sanitary for customers to enjoy is correct knowledge among restaurant employees. This includes the food production crew, food service staff and even employees whose work is not related to food or food handling. Inadequate training is one of the top 5 reasons why employees in the food service industry fail to meet food safety standards.

It is also important to educate restaurant staff and employees regarding the negative consequences of unhygienic food handling and food preparation within unsanitary premises. With proper training, employees become aware of what they are expected to do in order to perform their job well and keep their customers healthy and safe.

Make food safety a priority

Other than food taste, choice and presentation, another way that restaurants can promote food safety and customer’s health is to ensure that food safety becomes a primary concern of food workers. Currently, there are over 13 million workers employed by the restaurant and food service industry. Sadly, over 55% of illnesses that are caused by food can be traced to restaurants. In most cases, these incidents are caused by improper or erroneous food handling.

To encourage the implementation of food safety standards in restaurants, it would help if signs are put up in places such as the food preparation and food delivery areas, washrooms and toilets. These will serve as a reminder not just to restaurant employees but also to customers that a high standard of food safety practices is in place.

Use products that promote food safety

Another way that restaurants can promote customer health and food safety is by using facilities and equipment that are considered safe and hygienic. A few recommended products include:

Safety gloves – food handlers are required to wear safety gloves to keep food safe and prevent spoilage. Safety gloves serve a double purpose — they protect the servers hands and ensure that food contamination does not occur.

NSF food storage containers – NSF is the safety standard seal in the food industry. Products with this seal are considered food grade, safe for use in the kitchen and in the dining area and are hygienic.

Food dispensers – food dispensers are ideal for storage. They are air-tight and made with strong material that keep away contaminants such as dust, dirt, smoke, oil and bugs. They are also useful for cursory visual checks of food items for spoilage.

Sneezeguards – these are designed to prevent food contamination for displays and buffets. Made of clear, sturdy material such as glass or fiberglass, sneezegards provide ample visual of and access to the food and ensure that food is protected from foreign material.

Soap dispensers – are considered more hygienic than soap bars. Since users’ hands do not touch the soap itself, contamination is kept to a minimum.

Hand dryers – may either be push button or automatic. Hand dryers are a must in restaurants because they replace soiled, used towels. They are recommended both for food preparation areas and washrooms. In lieu of hand dryers, paper towels and paper towel dispensers may also be used.

Toilet seat covers and dispensers – bacteria from human waste such as E. coli and salmonella are notorious for contaminating food and jeopardizing food safety standards. By using disposable seat covers, restaurants can ensure that hygienic practices are in place.

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Protecting Your Restaurant Against Swine Flu and Other Deadly Viruses

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

When disease-causing bacteria and viruses such as swine flu become a health threat, restaurants are on the alert. Very often, when health-related crises occur, the food business becomes risky — customers are more wary, food preparation procedures undergo revisions and the food service sector comes under strict scrutiny. However, protecting your restaurant against the risk of swine flu and other deadly viruses does not need to be costly or troublesome. Here are just a few practical solutions restaurant owners can implement at any time to save on cost and keep customers safe:

Promoting awareness

The most important asset of every restaurant and food service establishment is its staff. Staff must be aware of the risks presented by swine flu and other deadly viruses not just to themselves and their customers but also to the business. Restaurants should have a set of food preparation and handling procedures in place that staff must follow. These rules are meant not just to control how food is handled and prepared but also to ensure that good quality and safety is maintained.

Another advantage to having restaurant staff that is aware and educated about the risks of swine flu is that they can work independently and will not require close supervision in order to maintain the restaurant’s quality standards. This increases the restaurant’s efficiency and improves their service.

Minimizing physical contact with food during preparation and serving

Swine flu can be passed on through livestock-to-human and human-to-human transmissions. It is believed to be transmitted in the same manner that the common flu or cold is transmitted — by sneezing or coughing. It may also be possible for a person to become infected if he touches his hands or fingers to his nose, mouth or eyes after he has touched a surface that already has the virus on it.

Restaurants can minimize this risk by requiring their workers to wear food safety products such as food handler gloves, safety gloves and face masks. This should prevent food contamination and protect customers from food contamination caused by unhygienic practices.

Restaurants can also implement food safety standards by using products that are specifically designed to protect food and prevent or minimize contamination. Bulk food dispensers and food storage containers, for example, are excellent for this purpose. Dispensers keep food relatively fresh, prolonging their shelf life and preventing spoilage.

Ensuring food safety during serving

Restaurants can keep food safe and clean prior to serving by using products such as Saf-T ice scoops, sneezeguards and food wraps made of film or foil. Food should also be served on food pans that do not encourage bacterial growth. Food pans and serving plates must be made with materials such as stainless steel, glazed ceramic or even plastic/melamine. These materials are easy to clean and will not contaminate food. Food containers should also have the NSF food safety seal and can withstand the range of temperatures required for their use.

Prior to serving, chafer covers should also be used with food pans and containers. Chafer covers not just protect the food from foreign material, they also help maintain the ideal temperature before serving.

Keeping a clean environment

Restaurants are required by health and food safety laws to ensure cleanliness. Restaurant staff and customers should be provided by the means to maintain good hygiene. Helpful products in this department include soap dispensers, push button hand dryers, toilet seat covers, seat cover dispensers and paper towels. They provide the means with which people can keep their hands clean before and after a meal and can significantly minimize contamination by reducing the risks of bacteria and viruses such as swine flu within restaurant premises.

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Promoting Food Safety Practices in Restaurants

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

Implement proper food handling and preparation

Most incidents of food contamination occur during handling and preparation. This is why restaurants should impose strict procedures to ensure that food, including raw materials, is kept clean and free of contaminants. Raw food items such as fresh produce, meat, poultry, eggs, fish and seafood should also be kept at recommended temperatures.

To maintain the freshness of raw food products, restaurants should also ensure that proper food storage is performed. Raw food, for example, has to be kept at specific temperatures to prevent the growth of bacteria. Once processed or cooked, certain dishes should also be stored at certain temperatures prior to serving. Restaurants should also be aware of the recommended shelf life of food products to avoid serving expired or spoiled food.

Another way to keep food safe and clean is by using food dispensers. Food dispensers can store large amounts of food that are frequently bought and used in bulk, such as rice, cereals and other grains, flour, sugar, powdered milk and the like.

Ensure hygienic food preparation and service

One of the most common ways food contamination can occur is through touch. Bacteria and other organisms can easily transfer from the server’s hands to the food, especially if he works barehanded. To prevent this from happening, staff that are in charge of food preparation and service should use products that are designed to keep food safe, such as safety gloves and masks.

Minimize airborne contamination

Many of disease-causing bacteria can survive outside of the carrier’s body. They can be released through coughing, sneezing or spitting. Restaurants can minimize this route of contamination by requiring servers to use face masks and gloves. Safety gloves are also recommended for knife handlers. These gloves have reinforced surfaces that protect the palms of the user from cuts.

When food is displayed, such as in a buffet-style restaurant, food safety can be jeopardized either by deliberate or accidental contamination. This can be prevented by installing a sneezeguard over the table where food is served. Sneezegards are made of clear glass, fiberglass or plastic. They serve as a barrier between the customer and the food to prevent contamination in case a customer coughs or sneezes. The sneezegard can also prevent stray hairs and falling items such as keys, IDs, pens and articles of clothing from touching the food.

Keep a clean environment

Restaurant washrooms and toilets are sources of organisms such as salmonella and E.coli which are common causes of gastrointestinal diseases. To ensure food safety in restaurants, these areas should be cleaned and disinfected regularly.

There are also products that could be installed to ensure proper hygiene among users. Washrooms should have running water, soap dispensers, paper towel dispensers or push-button hand dryers. Dispensers are very effective in promoting hygiene because they minimize actual contact while hand dryers prevent the sharing of hand towels among multiple users.

You can keep your restaurant clean, safe, and healthy for your guests and do your part in helping prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as the swine flu through utilizing the proper equipment and supplies.  If you need any help or have questions about food service safety products don’t hesitate to contact us.

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