How to Ensure Food Quality and Safety
Australians love to dine out in restaurants. It’s part of our culture and way of life, and it’s what relaxes most of us after a long, tedious day.
However, last year, it’s been reported by the Food Safety Information Council (FSIC) that there were an estimated 4.1 million cases of food poisoning in Australia that resulted in 31,920 hospitalisations, 86 deaths and 1 million visits to the doctors.
Not a night you would want into your restaurant. To not let one of your guests become a part of the statistics, there are simple steps that you need to take regularly to ensure better food quality and safety and peace of mind.
Stay Vigilant with the Hands
Even though hand hygiene was more than obvious before COVID-19, we would like to underline that only a tiny bit of bacteria can wreak absolute havoc in your kitchen and on the guests.
Regardless of the situation, always have a dedicated employee soap and disinfect at a nearby washing station within your facilities. Ask all the employees to wash their hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds before touching anything or serving something from the kitchen.
After washing, make kitchen gloves mandatory for anyone preparing the food, and remind everyone that gloves must be changed regularly after handling different types of food.
Keep Fruits and Vegetables Spotless
Even when you peel fruits and veggies carefully, an additional wash is more than required, or else you risk spreading germs from the produce to the portions that guests will digest. Make sure to wash fruits and vegetables in a single location that is not used for anything else, for example, meat. Scrub well with cold running water until you ensure that everything is thoroughly clean.
Respect The Expiry Date
Food expiry and use by dates are the most important dates that you need to remember as a restaurateur and commercial kitchen operator. This is why you must get into the habit of checking the walk-in fridge regularly and be wary of foods that are near their use-by and best-before dates.
As anyone who has ever had a bad case of food poisoning knows, expired food is not to be messed with. Unfortunately, that best before date on the packaging can be pretty confusing. Does it mean the food will go bad on that day? Or is it just not at its best? To clear things up, it’s time to make a commandment: never use stale, expired food. After all, if it doesn’t look good, you probably shouldn’t be serving it. So next time you’re cleaning out your pantry or fridge, make sure to check those dates carefully. If it’s past the best before date, it’s time to say goodbye.
Clean and Sanitise All Surfaces
Cleaning and sanitising are one of the most important rules for running a successful foodservice establishment, becoming even more important with the arrival of the Covid pandemic. The goal is to eradicate germs and dangerous particles from the countertops, bars, bathrooms, and floors.
As we learned in the past two years, dangerous germs can also live in the air as well, and purifying the air is equally important as sanitising the food and the countertops.
Choose Middleby to Safeguard Your Guests
With extensive experience in commercial kitchen equipment and design, making sure that restaurants always serve the freshest and healthiest food to their clients, prepared by the best appliances and solutions available on the market.
If you need a commercial kitchen upgrade to keep your specialties safe and ready for the customers, we’re the people that you need to consult with! Contact us today!
