Hygiene in the fast-food industry
In fast-food outlets where staff are working in full view of the public, any hygiene lapses will be glaringly obvious. Essity’s Jeremy Bennett looks at ways of maximising hygiene in these establishments so that staff can be seen to be clean.
We are all heartily relieved to be allowed back into the hospitality sector. Many of us have resumed our pre- pandemic practices of dining out regularly in restaurants and queueing up for fast food meals and takeaways. Hygiene is top-of-mind in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, and we remain nervous.
In some ways, dining out at leisure in a restaurant is less of a concern from a hygiene viewpoint than when opting for fast-food or a takeaway. Restaurant diners remain seated at their table throughout the experience, chatting with companions and awaiting their meals, which are brought out to them by serving staff.
These diners will assume that the cleaning standards in the kitchen will be exemplary – but will remain blissfully unaware of any hygiene transgressions if not.
However, in a fast-food restaurant, things are different. Diners will often be forced to wait in a standing queue where they will be bored and restive, and their eyes will be drawn to the staff members assembling their meal.
The food preparation task needs to be carried out quickly and efficiently in a fast-food establishment if queues are to be minimised and profits are to be maximised. This will be hard to achieve in a cramped area where many operatives are working at speed. Staff will also be conscious of being watched by their customers at all times.
Meanwhile, customers in the queue will notice the state of the kitchen, the hand-washing habits of kitchen staff, and the cleanliness – or otherwise – of the surfaces. They will form an impression of the establishment based on this received information.
Any perceived lapses in hygiene will be a turn-off for the public and deter customers from returning, and any actual hygiene lapses could lead to product contamination, food poisoning, and a great deal of negative press.
So, in order to maintain a good reputation along with high scores on rating apps, fast-food businesses need to run a hygienic kitchen and be seen to be clean at all times. How can this be achieved in a compact, frantic, and over- populated environment?
Hand and surface cleaning will be facilitated if the right ‘tools’ are provided for the task. This means there should be plenty of sinks available plus a continuous supply of soaps, hand sanitisers, and wiping paper.
All dispensing systems for these products should be smart and hygienic to provide a professional image and inspire confidence in the customer while also optimising hygiene.
54 | FOOD SAFETY AND STEAM CLEANING
Units that are eye-catching and attractive will be easier to spot and allow operatives to lay their hands on a wiper more quickly.
Tork Performance dispensers, for example, have an aesthetically-pleasing design and a striking turquoise/white casing. The units are designed to accommodate a wide range of cloths and wipers for use on hands and surfaces.
Particularly suitable for use in kitchens is the new Tork Performance Washstation dispenser, which has a capacity of up to 250m and gives out wipers one at a time to reduce consumption and optimise hygiene.
The dispenser has a clear back plate for easy mounting and a splash-proof hood to protect the product before use. To save time in a busy kitchen, the units have been designed to withstand high temperature spray-downs without the need to be covered or removed from the wall.
The Tork Reflex Single Sheet Centrefeed system is also ideal for cramped fast-food establishments. The compact dispenser is fully enclosed to protect the roll inside from dirt and damp, while the single-sheet dispensing system ensures that the operative only touches the paper he or she withdraws from the unit.
Tork Reflex can be wall-mounted or supplied in a portable dispenser for staff who are constantly on the go. The dispenser has a rotating nozzle which allows the paper to be pulled out swiftly from any angle. This speeds up cleaning while creating an impression of efficiency and competence to waiting customers.
Colour-coded cloths will also improve hygiene and inspire confidence in a fast-food kitchen because they clearly demarcate each task by colour. Tork Coloured Long Lasting Cleaning Cloths come in red, blue, green and yellow and can be used for any repeated wiping, sanitising, and general cleaning task.
Handwashing will need to be carried out regularly when customers are watching, but frequent handwashes could aggravate the skin and lead to conditions such as occupational dermatitis.
User-friendly soap systems such as Tork Extra Mild Foam Soap and Tork Extra Mild Liquid Soap work well in a catering business since they help to protect frequently-washed hands from chapping and soreness. Tork Extra Mild Liquid Soap is available in a mini dispenser for cramped fast-food kitchens.
Having the right cleaning and hygiene systems in place is crucial in any kitchen – and the fast-food sector is no
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