FOOD FOR THOUGHT
James Taylor, Marketing Director for specialities at Chicopee, explains the importance of using
quality cleaning materials to combat the dangers of food poisoning in commercial kitchens.
While chilling and cooking food properly, as well as using it within the required use-by dates, are obviously essential to maintaining a healthy and hygienic kitchen, adhering to the correct standards of cleanliness is also key.
The importance of hand washing cannot be overstated, as hands are one of the main culprits for spreading germs. Hands should be washed thoroughly with warm water and soap before cooking and after touching the bin, handling raw food, or going to the toilet.
However, maintaining strict hygiene codes when it comes to cleaning materials is also vital as damp, dirty cloths and towels are the perfect places for bacteria to breed. Dirt and grease inevitably build up on surfaces and cooking equipment over time, so this must be removed regularly.
Often, low quality cloths and towels are simply not up to this task. Paper towels are prone to disintegrating while cheap cloths can be difficult to rinse thoroughly, which is not only time-consuming but risks allowing odours to develop.
Another drawback to using low-cost wipes is that they have a higher consumption rate compared with that of higher quality cloths, which in turn carries hidden disposal costs as well as contributing to landfill.
THE GREEN CLEAN A solution to these problems comes in the form of the J-Cloth Plus Biodegradable from Chicopee. Based on the world renowned J-Cloth, the open, wavy texture enables an efficient pick-up of dirt and makes it easy to rinse, ensuring it stays fresh for longer.
When it’s time to throw it away, the J-Cloth Plus Biodegradable is, as the name suggests, fully biodegradable and compostable. Independent tests in external laboratories show the cloth conforms to all the relevant DIN standards and the product carries the seedling logo, granted by DIN-Certo, as proof of its green credentials.
In addition, it was the first compostable, biodegradable and Food Contact Clearance approved cloth available on the market.
Fully compliant with all European Parliament rules on materials that come into contact with food, the J-Cloth Plus Biodegradable is completely safe to use when it directly or indirectly comes into contact with dry, moist or fatty foodstuffs.
COUNTERING CROSS-CONTAMINATION Traditional woven cloths may appear as though they have cleaned an area: however, microbes that are invisible to the
40 | FOOD HYGIENE
naked eye may be left behind or, worse still, spread onto the next area to be cleaned.
One way to guard against cross-contamination is to use a high quality, disposable microfibre cloth, such as Chicopee’s Microfibre Light or Microfibre Plus. Their unique splittable structure means they attract then trap dirt and germs within the fibres, removing the danger of them spreading onto the next surface to be cleaned.
Unlike some washable microfibre cloths, the Microfibre Light is designed for short-term use so is discarded after cleaning, therefore viruses that are able to survive the laundering process are also eradicated.
In biolab tests, the Microfibre Light and Plus was able to remove 99.99% of bacteria without the use of chemicals, which also makes it ideal for use in the healthcare and facilities management sectors. Like all products in the Chicopee food service range, it is Food Contact Clearance approved.
COLOUR-CODED CLEANING In addition to the use of microfibre, one recommended method of combating the spread of germs within a kitchen is to introduce colour coding. This process designates a particular colour to cleaning materials used in different areas, covering all manner of kitchen equipment, including cloths, floor mops and chopping boards.
It has long been good practice to use a colour-coded regime with the aim of halting the spread of germs across different areas, reducing the danger of food poisoning.
Chicopee’s food service range – including the Lavette Super, J-Cloth Plus and the Lavette Plus – are available in a range of five different colours, supporting HACCP recommendations. This enables establishments to instigate a colour-coding routine with the aim of reducing cross-contamination.
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