Health & EnvironmentPosted on 10.08.2021
How hygienically is the food handled?
It’s how it’s prepared, cooked, cooled, stored, and what measures are taken to prevent food being contaminated with bacteria.
Preparing
- Reheating – It’s very important to reheat food properly to kill harmful bacteria that may have grown since the food was cooked. Guide & video
- Food allergies – It’s important to know what to do if you serve a customer who has a food allergy, because these allergies can be life-threatening. Guide
Cooking
- Cooking safely – Check that food is cooked thoroughly to kill harmful bacteria. Guide & video
- Foods that need extra care – Some foods need to be treated with extra care to make sure they are safe to eat. Guide
- Ready-to-eat food – It’s important to handle ready-to-eat food safely to protect it from harmful bacteria. Guide
- Confirm/check you’ve cooked correctly – It’s important to show how you check that dishes on your menu are properly cooked. Guide
- Keeping food hot – It’s very important to keep food hot until serving to prevent harmful bacteria from growing. Guide
- Prove it – Sometimes you might want to use a probe to prove that your methods are safe. Guide
Cooling
Keeping food cold helps to stop harmful bacteria growing
- Chilling hot food – Harmful bacteria can grow in food that is not chilled down as quickly as possible. Guide& video
- Defrosting food – Harmful bacteria can grow in food that is not defrosted properly. Guide
Storing
- Chilled storage and display – Storing food at the right temperature to keep it safe. Guide & video
- Freezing – It’s important to take care when freezing food and handle frozen food safely. Guide
Preventing Cross Contamination with Bacteria
Hygiene
- Staff hygiene & illness – It’s vital for staff to follow good personal hygiene practices to help prevent bacteria from spreading to food. Guide & video
- Handwashing – Effective hand washing is essential to help prevent bacteria spreading to food. Guide & video
Equipment
- Cloths – Cloths can be one of the top causes of cross-contamination in the kitchen. It’s essential to use them safely to prevent bacteria from spreading. Guide
- Keeping equipment separate – Controlling cross-contamination by using clean and separate equipment to keep food safe. Video
Storage
- Separating foods – Keeping raw and ready-to-eat food separate is essential to prevent harmful bacteria from spreading. Guide
- Keeping food covered – Keeping food covered to protect it from harmful bacteria, and prevent chemicals and objects falling into food. Video
- Physical and chemical contamination – It’s very important to prevent objects and chemicals getting into food. Guide