6 Safety And Sanitation Procedures

[Georgeanna Abson]

Foodsafety guidelines are put in place to keep customers safe and prevent the risk of a foodborne illness outbreak. Any operation that serves food should establish protocols that meet the legal requirements for safe food handling. In this guide, we'll outline the most important aspects of food safety to help you build an effective program for your business and pass your next health inspection.

Poor hygiene is one of the most common causes of foodborne illness, but an outbreak can be prevented by establishing policies and following up with your staff regularly. Keep the following factors in mind when you create a hygiene program:

Personal cleanliness plays a major role in food safety. Soiled uniforms, aprons, and even uncovered hair can become a source of contamination. A good hygiene policy should cover the following practices:

Any time an employee becomes ill, it poses a safety risk for your guests and staff. Take the proper precautions with any sickness, but be on the lookout for certain pathogens that are notorious for spreading foodborne illness in foodservice environments. Employees should notify a manager if they have contracted an illness from the following pathogens:

Handwashing and cooking foods to the correct internal temperature are two of the best defenses against these pathogens. Staff members experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, or jaundice should be excluded from working in your operation until they receive a written release from a doctor.

Wearing single-use gloves is an effective precaution but only when done properly. Hands must be washed before putting on gloves, and gloves should be changed at the appropriate times. Post reminders for your staff so they know when to change single-use gloves:

Proper food handling starts when you receive a food shipment and continues until the food is served to your guests. Every step along the way requires strict controls and continuous monitoring. Foods that require special handling are called TCS foods (time-temperature control for safety). These foods provide a more hospitable environment for pathogens to grow, especially at certain temperatures. Throughout all the steps below, TCS food should be kept out of the temperature danger zone, the range from 41 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit.

It's a common misconception that cleaning and sanitizing are the same thing. They are two different methods, but both are crucial steps to maintaining a food-safe kitchen. Cleaning removes dirt and debris from a surface while sanitizing reduces pathogens on a surface.

Surfaces that don't come into contact with food only need to be cleaned and rinsed. But food-contact surfaces like prep tables, tools, and equipment must be cleaned and sanitized. Follow these steps to clean and sanitize correctly:

To keep food-contact surfaces free of pathogens, cleaning and sanitizing must be performed at the appropriate times. Train your staff to sanitize surfaces when they complete a task or start prepping a different food. They should also stop and sanitize if they are interrupted in their task and after using the same surface for 4 continuous hours.

Kitchen equipment is more challenging to clean and sanitize than a smooth surface like a prep table because there are moving parts. For the best sanitizing method, refer to the manual for each specific type of equipment. Follow our guidelines below for general equipment sanitizing:

What other items in your restaurant come into contact with food? You'll need to establish a dishwashing program for all the cookware, utensils, and tableware you use daily. Flatware, dinnerware, and glassware can be run through a dishwasher, but larger items like cooking pots and pans must be cleaned and sanitized manually in a three-compartment sink.

No one wants to think about pests invading their restaurant. Unfortunately, ongoing prevention is required to keep your business pest-free. Unwanted critters can damage your facility, but the biggest threat from pests is their potential to spread diseases and foodborne illness. To create a successful pest control program for your restaurant, there are three components to keep in mind: deny access, deny food and shelter, and work with a licensed pest control professional. Learn how to enforce these pest control tips below:

Denying access to pests means preventing them from gaining entry to your building in the first place. Check all food deliveries carefully for potential hitchhikers and reject shipments with any signs of pest activity. Inspect your building to find any openings where pests can enter. Seal off cracks, install door sweeps, and keep windows and vents screened off. Use air curtains above doorways with outdoor access to deter airborne pests from entering.

Remove the temptation that attracts pests to your building. Take out garbage periodically throughout the day, keep trash containers clean, and make sure dumpsters are closed securely. Any spills, crumbs, and food debris should be cleaned up immediately. It's crucial to clean beneath equipment and never leave food attractants out overnight when pests are more active. This includes the dining room and front-of-house! Always clean out crumb-catchers and sweep beneath booths and tables.

If you've tried denying pests entry, food, and shelter but somehow they have found a way in, it's time to call a professional. Don't wait! As soon as you see any signs of a pest infestation, no matter how small, find a licensed pest control technician immediately. Do not attempt to set traps or put out poison yourself. A pest control professional will know exactly what to look for and how to handle each pest in the safest, most effective way.

You can do everything right and follow all the food safety guidelines available, but if the source of your food isn't reputable, you have a big problem on your hands. This is especially true for ready-to-eat foods like produce that don't get the benefit of high-heat cooking to destroy pathogens. Lettuce can become contaminated by agricultural run-off and absorb tainted water into the leaves. This type of contamination can't be removed by washing because the germs are inside the produce. This is why outbreaks from contaminated romaine lettuce have frequently made the headlines. The only way to prevent this type of occurrence is to buy produce (and all other foods) from an approved supplier.

Once you've outlined a food safety program, you'll need to establish standard operating procedures to support your goals. Strict monitoring is required and your staff will need continuous training to uphold the SOPs you've created.

First of all, what is an SOP? A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a fancy term for a written rule or guideline. Putting a procedure in writing is a way to hold your staff accountable for following the policies of your food safety program. SOPs also provide instructions that your team can follow even when a manager isn't present, which helps make your kitchen more efficient. When writing SOPs, keep the following things in mind:

Once you have established all SOPs in writing, you can begin to train your staff. Your efforts will be more successful if you think of training as an ongoing necessity, not a one-time obligation. New team members need to go through a training program when they are hired, and veteran employees always benefit from a refresher course. As you create a training module, utilize different methods like training videos, written instructions, demos, and role-playing exercises. Place visual aids like posters throughout your kitchen as helpful reminders.

The only way to be sure that your SOPs are being followed is to establish monitoring practices and quality control. Temperature checking is one of the most important examples of a monitoring procedure. Keep a written record that shows the date and time of the temp check, the temperature of the food, and the initials of the employee performing the check. The team member should also indicate if any corrective actions were needed.

Monitoring can also be as simple as watching your team members or appointing someone else to observe that SOPs are being followed. If you see a team member fail to wash their hands at the appropriate time, it's an opportunity to re-train that employee. Sometimes corrective actions may need to be taken if food safety is at risk. Make sure that you consistently monitor your food safety program to ensure its success.

There is a lot to cover with food safety, and one of the best ways to keep your team members educated is to require food handlers certification for all back-of-house employees. At least one certified team member should be on staff at all times. Follow our guidelines for general food safety, but refer to the requirements of your local regulatory authority to ensure compliance.

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Maintaining a clean work environment is critical in preventing foodborne illness. Bacteria can grow on unsanitary surfaces and then contaminate food. Just because a work surface looks clean does not mean that it is sanitary. Always ensure that you clean and sanitize a work area before starting to prepare food.

A sanitation plan is important in any food service preparation area. It ensures that all surfaces are cleaned on a regular basis and reduces the risks of transferring bacteria or other pathogens from an unclean surface to clean equipment such as cutting boards or tools. A sanitation plan has two components:

Effective dishwashing ensures that all equipment is sanitary and ready for use when required. Using soiled or dirty china is not only dangerous, but it will tell customers that the operator as little or no regard for customer safety. Table 2.5 shows the proper procedures for both manual and automatic dishwashing.

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