EssentialHealth & Safety
aim to achieve a satisfactory separation between areas for raw and cooked food handling and these areas should be properly ventilated and well-lit. Washing facilities should be provided for food and equipment. Other aspects that will attract attention include: hand washing facilities (adequacy, accessibility, hot & cold, mixed running water, soap, drying facilities); waste storage/disposal both inside and outside; the cleanliness, availability and adequacy of staff changing facilities; toilets - separation from food room, wash hand basin, cleanliness, ventilation.
C. CONFIDENCE IN MANAGEMENT/ CONTROL SYSTEMS
A food business should have a written Food Safety Management System and have given due consideration to what food safety problems (hazards) might occur. Following on from this, safe methods of working and good hygiene practices (controls) should be put in place to stop these problems occurring. In addition, regular checks (monitoring) should be made to ensure those controls are working and written records kept. An examination will also be made of what technical hygiene and food safety knowledge is available to the company (internal or external), including hazard analysis/HACCP and the control of critical points.
TOP TIPS • You must have a food safety management system in place and it must be understood by the managers. It should be based on HACCP principles (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points). Further information, based on the Food Standards Agency's "Safer Food, Better Business" initiative can be found at:
www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/regulation/hygleg/hyglegre sources/sfbb/ or by contacting a specialist consultant such as Food Alert (
www.foodalert.com).
• Keep records - they will help with your 'due diligence' defence. Always ensure reports that you receive (such as
from the pest control contractor or the EHO) are marked off with the details of the action that you took.
• Make record keeping easy and relevant - try to avoid tick-box sheets that just end up being a habit at the end of the day, rather than being a useful tool.
• Use a torch to check standards of cleanliness in the 'out of the way' areas, e.g. underneath equipment.
• Set a good example - wash your hands every time you enter the kitchen and wear protective clothing. Show staff what clean 'looks like' to your standard.
• Plan your cleaning tasks using a simple schedule as well as practicing 'clean as you go' throughout the day.
• Disinfect food-contact and hand-contact surfaces: ensure that any surfaces that receive hand contact are regularly disinfected. By this I mean taps, fridge door handles, cupboard handles, even the handle of a chip frying pan. It is very easy for bacteria to be transferred from these to the hand and then to food product, especially if they are being used by a number of different staff.
• Temperature control. If food is meant to be kept at a particular temperature, either hot or cold, make sure that this is done and an accurate record is kept. The benefits are two fold. Firstly it will make sure that the food is being held at the correct temperature and secondly it could be valuable evidence in the defence against an accusation of food poisoning.
More information: Food Alert T: 020 7244 1900 W:
www.foodalert.com
Show staff a good example; wash hands often
Information about any advertisements appearing in this issue:
enquiries@essentialcafe.co.uk
Essential Café 27
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