Food hygiene tips for businesses

Proper hygiene is vital to those who are selling food for obvious reasons. It is crucial for the manager and the staff to understand the importance of proper hygiene and be aware of the law and regulations surrounding the subject. Clearly good hygiene will lower the chances of cases of food poisoning among clients and maintain the reputation of your business at a high level. Proper food hygiene means managing potentially harmful bacteria that usually lead to dangerous ailments. So, if you want to maintain hygiene, you will need to focus on four things – cross-contamination, cleaning, chilling and cooking.

Cross-contamination is a term used to describe a situation where bacteria can be found on the kitchen equipment, surfaces like countertops and food and it spreads from the one to the other. This is also a frequent cause of food poisoning. If you want to avoid situations like this you must always clean the surfaces where you work and disinfect them. The same goes for the equipment. In addition, you must wash your hands prior to preparing food and after you have touched raw food. Prepared and raw food must be stored separately.

It may sound obvious but efficient cleaning makes bacteria from all surfaces, equipment and our hands go away. Despite this, lack of hand washing has been the cause of many food poisoning incidents in the catering industry. All staff members must wash their hands when working with different food types. In addition, you must clean the area that you have been working in right after you prepare meals.

You should also chill the food in a proper way to block the spread of dangerous bacteria. There are many foods that must be stored on low temperatures in order to stay safe. So, always check which food must be kept in a cold place.

You should always make sure that you are cooking the food in an appropriate way. Good cooking will eliminate harmful bacteria found in food. The high temperature will eliminate bacteria and you should always be extra careful when you are preparing meat.

For more advice about food hygiene in commercial kitchens, please get in touch.

For more advice or to discuss introducing new commercial catering equipment to your kitchen contact us on 01384 597111

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