Wednesday December 12, 2018
Food safety refers to the conditions and practices that preserve the quality of food to prevent contamination and foodborne illnesses. Hotels have a clear legal duty to make sure that food served or sold to customers is safe to eat. Every hotel operation will have different risks, depending on the type of food that is prepared and the way in which it is produced and handled. A written food safety management plan and procedure which addresses those risks, based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles, must be put in place, implemented and maintained.
One way that Hotels can ensure food safety and hygiene is to make sure that all employees working in a food-handling area maintain a high level of personal hygiene. This means that employees should be dressed in clothing that is suitable, clean and protective, with hair tied back and a suitable head covering. Bunzl catering Supplies delivers a full range of food handling wear to hotels including hats, hairnets and aprons.
Handwashing is also important to help prevent harmful bacteria from spreading from peoples’ hands, which is why at Bunzl Catering Supplies we have our very own brand of hand cleaning soaps and dispensers called PRISTINE. All hotel employees that work with food must wash their hands when in the kitchen or preparation area, before preparing food, after touching raw food, after handling food waste or emptying a bin, and after cleaning. Using PRISTINE hand soap with a correct hand washing technique could prevent harmful bacteria being spread onto food.
Hotels compliant with food safety regulations will also ensure that employees handling food are supervised, instructed and trained in food hygiene. Those responsible for developing and maintaining the food business’s food safety management procedures will have received adequate training to enable them to do this.
The four C rules are often used to help prevents food-borne illnesses in the kitchen are based on: cleaning, cooking, cross-contamination and chilling.
Cleaning: Employees should clean kitchen surfaces after preparing food and before any contact with other food, especially cooked and ready-to-eat foods.
Bunzl Catering Supplies stocks a full range of branded and exclusive brand cleaning products supported with specialist advice on what products and systems are best suited to a hotel’s specific needs. The exclusive brand Cleanline range comes with a 24-hour emergency response service, as well as free access to an online COSHH awareness training website.
Cooking: Employees should check food is piping hot before serving. Double check that sausages, burgers, pork and poultry are cooked right through and not cook foods too far in advance.
As temperature monitoring of foods is to important, Bunzl Catering Supplies deliver digital thermometers from supplier Electronic Temperature Instruments (ETI), including the Thermapen IR which boasts a 3-second response time, folding probe and Biomaster antimicrobial protection.
Cross contamination: Food poisoning is often caused when harmful bacteria on one food are spread via hands or kitchen utensils to cross-contaminate other foods. Raw foods must be kept separate from cooked and ready-to-eat food at all times.
Bunzl Catering Supplies offers an extensive range of products for food preparation areas designed to ensure that food is correctly labelled, stored and handled with the appropriate food handling wear to maintain the safety and well-being of customers.
Chilling: Hot food should not be put directly into the fridge or freezer but cooled first within one or two hours after cooking.
For a refrigerator, the recommended temperature is between 3℃ and 5℃, as at this temperature it slows bacterial growth and maintains quality of the food inside. Our FoodSafe Fridge Freezer Thermometer, from supplier Electronic Temperature Instruments (ETI), is an encased thermometer that indicates the temperature of food stored in the refrigerator and is not subject to the changes in air temperature that normally occur when the door is opened.
As a leading supplier in the UK, dedicated to making hospitality happen, it’s our mission to provide hotels with the right product and service support to make each guest visit a warm and hospitable one.
Our global resource and our hotel expertise, allows us to present the most exciting product and service solutions in the market, helping hotel operators run a smooth and profitable business. For more information – please give us a call today or view our Hotel Hospitality magazine.
Images sourced from:
http://rmservicesandsales.com/custom-commercial-kitchen-designs/
https://www.u-select.co.uk/4-reasons-use-commercial-grade-refrigeration-in-your-pro-kitchen/
https://alison.com/course/food-safety-and-hygiene-in-the-catering-industry
