REGIONAL MEETINGS FOOD SAFETY Paul Hobbs - Principal EHO Horsham District C ouncil
SUMMER BARBECUING IS NO PICNIC
With the easing of lockdown & the warm bright, long evenings on the horizon, butchers will be making the most of the barbecue season as families and friends gather in gardens & picnic sites for some much needed socialising & relaxation.
The increased demand for barbecue foods present huge opportunities for butchers to increase trade by offering a multiple range of BBQ-ready products as people rush to go alfresco.
We usually see a spike of food poisoning cases during the summer, often attributed to the barbecue season. When we cook food outside, we do things differently. This can lead to some basic food safety rules being compromised. Simple things like hand washing, avoiding cross contamination & safe cooking are difficult to control away from a kitchen.
Due to temperature fluctuation of burning charcoal, the hot coals can make cooking difficult. Food can be charred and almost black on the outside but pink & uncooked on the inside.
Unfortunately people are quick to blame their illness on their supplier for selling poor quality products rather than accept that they might be the cause of the problem through their own negligence. They are also quick to post on social media naming and shaming businesses with a warning to others not to shop at a particular retailer.
As a food business operator you can play a role in educating the public on how to barbecue safely. This is where all that food safety knowledge you have picked up over the years comes in useful. It’s likely you know more about food safety than your customers.
So don’t be shy, sharing expert knowledge enables you to offer a
more personalised service. Enhance the customer experience and show an interest. Showing that you want them to enjoy the experience with a few safety tips thrown in, goes a long way.
Remind them that it is only whole muscle steaks or chops that are safe served rare, or pink, not minced products such as burgers, sausages etc. Explain that steaks or lamb chops seared well on the outside are fine because any bacteria on the outer surface will have been killed by the heat. However, minced meat products should never be served pink. They need to be thoroughly cooked and browned.
National Craft Butchers have developed a useful advice sheet that you can print off and hand out to your customers with each order. Members can download a copy from the members area of
nationalcraftbutchers.co.uk.
CRAFT BUTCHER MAY/JUNE 2021| 19
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