around the kitchen via contaminated items such as chopping boards, cloths, utensils – and by the hands.
E.coli, Salmonella and Listeria are all examples of bacteria that can be transmitted via the hands. In fact, the US Centre for Disease Control estimates that unwashed or poorly washed hands are a factor in up to 40% of food- related illnesses. Close attention should therefore be paid to hand hygiene in commercial kitchens where food is being prepared for consumption by the public.
Food workers’ hands should be washed frequently - particularly after using the washroom or throwing anything away in the refuse bin. Hand-washing should be a user-friendly process, too, since staff in commercial environments could be at risk of painful skin conditions as a result of frequent hand-washing.
Mild soaps and soft towels are therefore a good option since these will help to prevent the risk of dermatitis and similar ailments. A good choice of soap is Tork Antimicrobial Hand Washing Liquid Soap because this has a gentle action while also being highly effective against viruses and bacteria including COVID-19, SARS and HIV.
All dispensers should be designed to eliminate the problem of cross-contamination, and hand towels should be dispensed one at a time so that each user only comes into contact with the towel they use.
Tork Matic hand towel rolls work well in the catering kitchen because they are coloured blue for improved traceability in the food preparation environment. The towels are gentle on the hands and have a high quality feel, while the wall-mounted dispenser has been designed to give out towels one at a time to avoid cross-contamination.
The way the hands are washed is also important. Particular attention should be paid to the backs of the hands and the areas between the thumbs and fingers. The washing process should take at least 30 seconds and should be followed by a thorough drying, since damp hands are an ideal breeding ground for bacteria.
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Food poisoning risks can also be reduced by keeping kitchen surfaces thoroughly clean at all times. This means an efficient kitchen cleaning regime needs to be in place where all operatives have access to cleaning products and are trained to automatically clean down surfaces after using them.
Essity’s Tork Performance range of dispensers are eye- catching in design and quick to wipe clean which means they are both hygienic to use and easy to locate by busy kitchen staff. They can house a range of wiping products including the Tork Reflex Singlesheet Centrefeed which is expressly designed for cleaning kitchen surfaces.
A colour-coded system – such as Tork Coloured Long- Lasting Cleaning Cloths – also works well in a kitchen since it helps to avoid the risk of cross-contamination between food products and surfaces.
Using AI to identify restaurant food poisoning outbreaks will not be without its challenges. In pilot studies, researchers have experienced issues when trying to gain access to real-time data – perhaps because some food poisoning sufferers are too sick to post a review while in the throes of their illness.
Although AI was found to be able to gather general information on restaurant dishes that might be linked to an outbreak of illness, it was harder to determine the specific ingredients involved. And the use of slang and variations in spelling coupled with a tendency for people to misattribute their illness to a particular meal also added to the challenge.
So intelligent food poisoning tracking may take some time to perfect. But in the meantime, it makes good sense for restaurants to up their game and reduce the risks of contamination and food poisoning by promoting high standards of cleaning and hygiene.
www.tork.co.uk TOMORROW’S FM | 51
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