FOOD & DRINK HELP YOURSELF TO HYGIENE
Buffets were banned during Covid-19 - and some customers are anxious about their return. How can restaurants reassure diners that their buffets, and their premises in general, are safe and hygienic? Essity's Jeremy Bennett investigates.
Buffets are a hugely popular form of dining. People love to be able to fill their own plates from a range of attractive- looking dishes and return again and again to the table.
But buffets disappeared altogether during the height of Covid-19 because they were considered to be a cross- contamination risk. Some people also still feel anxious about returning to the buffet table –for good reason, according to one cruise line operator.
In December 2022, the owner of Blue Cruise Yasmin Pekel suggested that people should avoid using buffets altogether to keep themselves safe.
She stipulated that rules were in place to prevent passengers from picking up food items with their bare hands, adding that crew members often manned the buffet to prevent this from happening. But since staff were unable to keep an eye on everyone at once she said there was a strong likelihood that infringements would occur.
So if cruise lines – which famously operate buffets round the clock – are unable to guarantee their safety, why should the rest of us take a chance on using them?
In fact, it was not only hygiene concerns that led to buffets being banned during the pandemic.Buffet customers tend to mill around at the food tables, standing shoulder-to- shoulder with fellow guests while choosing what to eat. This practice represents a clear social-distancing hazard and many restaurants and bars discouraged people from leaving their tables in general during the height of the pandemic to prevent logjams and crowds.
The utensils provided at the buffet pose a further cross- contamination risk. Multiple people will be handling these tongs and spoons, and there is a good chance that some of these diners will have failed to wash their hands first.
However, buffets do offer one clear advantage: they operate in full view of the public. Diners can therefore keep an eye out for potential contamination events from their tables – something that is impossible to do when the food is being served behind closed doors in the kitchen.
Restaurants therefore need to do all they can to reassure the public and to provide systems that help keep them safe. Hand sanitisers situated around the buffet and outside catering kitchens will provide universal access to hand hygiene and instill confidence in diners. And clear signage should direct people to these sanitisers and spell out why they are so important.
Frequent wipe-downs of all tables and seats will be a further demonstration to guests that they are in a hygienic environment. And of course, the kitchens and washrooms should be spotless at all times.
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Some kitchens are designed to operate in full view of the public and these premises should be clean, neat and well ordered. No visible hygiene transgressions should take place and all cleaning and wiping equipment should be strategically situated to facilitate cleaning and to save valuable time.
Loose paper wiping rolls should be avoided because these create an untidy appearance and are easily contaminated before use. They also frequently go missing which means a kitchen worker might not have immediate access to a wiper when they need one. Messes need to be cleaned up swiftly because any spill on the floor could become a slipping hazard, while a surface contaminated with meat juices could present a cross-contamination risk.
Wipers should therefore preferably be in fixed positions near to their point of use and should be easy to spot. For example, Tork Performance dispensers can be wall- mounted and are available in eye-catching turquoise and white units for the kitchen. Designed for use in food preparation areas is the Tork Reflex Single Sheet Centrefeed system which fully encloses the roll to protect it from dirt and damp before use. The wall-mounted system has a rotating nozzle which allows the paper to be pulled out swiftly from any angle, speeding up cleaning when time is of the essence.
Hand hygiene can also be practised more efficiently when hand washing stations are plentiful and conveniently located. All soap and paper dispensers should be easy to use and kept well stocked at all times. And they should be quick to refill to ensure a constant supply of product.
The Tork Skincare Dispenser has been designed to require a particularly low push-force for ease of use. Each refill houses 2,500 shots of Tork Foam Soap - more than twice the amount of an average liquid soap dispenser – which means the dispenser is less likely to run out when a hand wash is urgently needed. And a new cartridge takes just seconds to snap into place to ensure a constant supply.
Drying is a vital part of any hand hygiene regime since damp hands transmit more than double the amount of bacteria as dry hands.
The Tork Matic Hand Towel Roll dispenser works well in the kitchen because it holds sufficient towels for up to 1,400 hand dries and dispenses the towels in a seamless operation.
Also particularly suitable for use in kitchens is the Tork Performance Washstation dispenser. This has a capacity of up to 250 metres 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-
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