Jan 05 2010
Does your Staff Make these Food Safety Mistakes?
If you are the owner of a catering company or a restaurant; or are just someone who has been in the food service industry for a while, you already know the vital importance of food safety when it comes to your kitchen. A restaurant or catering company can ill afford to have food handling problems – a lapse in food safety can easily lose you a lot of business in a hurry.
If you are someone who operates in Australia or in Victoria in particular, you are already aware that word of mouth can make or break you. If you want to make sure that your food-related business is going to survive, keep the following mistakes in mind and make sure that you can\’t be accused of making them.
The most common mistake made in kitchens is failing to pay attention to food storage temperature. The bacteria which most often cause problems in food can live in temperatures between 5 and 60 degrees Celsius. This is a pretty broad range, so if you have to take a long time to prepare some dishes, be sure to monitor the temperature of your ingredients.
Both raw foods and cooked ones can be problematic in that it is possible for bacteria to grow on both and become a risk to your guests. Always keep raw foods in separate containers on the lowest shelf in your refrigerator or cooler; this will reduce the risk of \”drip down\” contamination. Keep all food stored appropriately in covered containers and refrigerated.
Remember that your water supply is another important consideration. Keep alert for any water warnings in your area and when it comes to food preparation, remember that you should always be safe rather than sorry. Remember that you can always boil the water first or get water from sealed bottles if you feel that there is a problem. Similarly, keep in mind that ice can be problematic so be careful that it is made from clean, preferably purified water.
When food becomes contaminated, there can be serious effects. A guest could become gravely ill, there can be trouble with health inspectors and if the problem is especially severe, you may even be shut down! It is well worth your time to make sure than all the proper measures for keeping your kitchen and other food preparation areas are carried out.
The HACCP, or Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points standards are meant to help restaurants and other businesses in the food industry ensure that the food which they serve to their customers is safe and their kitchens free of the common food safety mistakes. These rules are simple to learn and follow and you, as the owner of the establishment must be certain that they are understood and followed by your employees.
If you choose to become HACCP certified which is highly recommended, you can use this as a marketing tool. Display your HACCP certification certificate for customers to see. They can then rest assured that their meal is being prepared in a clean and safe kitchen.
About the author: Mr Malcolm J. Richmond is a registered instructor of Food Safety Programs and his courses will bring your managers up to date with the regulations of HACCP Food Safety.
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