| Industry Solutions |
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Why Food Safety Compliance Is So Important
(Toebreaker July 2008) |
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Food safety compliance has become an increasingly
important issue in the Food Services Industry, reflected
by a significant increase in media and regulatory attention,
and associated penalties for targeted organisations.Companies
in the food services industry all process, use and sell
food in different ways, however, food safety and compliance
issues all remain the same.
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A recent investigation by The Independent into the
hygiene standards of Britain's top ten food chains has
revealed some shocking facts about our favourite restaurants.
As local authorities rated the food safety of restaurants,
an alarming number failed to meet the legal standards
regarding basic hygiene and safety principles, including
popular restaurants such as Yo! Sushi, Pizza Hut and
Pizza Express. Under British law, restaurants need to be inspected
by environmental health officers every two years, who
then rate the restaurants by giving out stars ranging
from zero to five. Restaurants with a low star rating
have very poor food
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safety standards, as well as incurring
an increased risk of food poisoning. The results of
the star ratings showed that take away restaurants scored
the lowest star average of 2.4 stars, while pubs came
second place with 2.7 stars and restaurants third on
2.8 stars. Schools and hospitals proved to boast Britain's
cleanest kitchens, scoring an average of 4 out of 5
stars.
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The results of The Independent investigation were released
at the start of Britain's Food Safety week as the nation
is becoming more and more aware of the importance of
maintaining high food safety and quality standards.
Britain's Health Protection Agency estimates that about
4.5 million restaurant-goers in England and Wales alone
suffer food poisoning each year, an alarming figure
which has prompted the Food Standards Agency to embark
on a campaign highlighting the importance of food safety.
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| This investigation highlights the
importance of constantly performing food safety
checks and inspections, and when doing so, companies
should ensure that their inspection procedures include
the 3 main factors that can cause food contamination,
and these are: |
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Professional Personal Hygiene |
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Time and Temperature Control of Foods |
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Cross Contamination Prevention |
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| 1. |
Professional Personal Hygiene |
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| Food services companies must observe
high standards of personal hygiene, since personal
hygiene is not only important for the protection
of food, but also for the company image. However,
personal hygiene is a concern that is often overlooked,
and poor hand washing, for example, is one of
the main causes for food borne illness.It is essential
that companies set out specific rules and regulations
regarding personal hygiene procedures, such as,
hand washing, safety hair nets, glove use, employee
illness policy (e.g. sickness, cuts etc), uniforms
and other safety procedures. Food handling staff
need to be trained and educated about the importance
of these safety procedures, if not they will fail
to understand why these procedures should be followed
meticulously. Given that it is not easy to measure
compliance on these safety procedures, organisations
should have designated workers to monitor these
procedures. |
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| 2. |
Time & Temperature Control of Foods |
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| Bacteria in food multiply rapidly
in what is known as the "danger zone" (60°-5°),
thus food workers can minimize the risks of bacterial
growth by limiting the time spent in the danger
zone during any of the food handling stages. It
is advised that food should not be exposed to
this temperature range for more than two hours.
Furthermore, it is also recommended that professionals
use a food thermometer to measure temperature
(and time) in order to limit the potential growth
of bacteria. |
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| 3. |
Cross Contamination Prevention |
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| Cross-contamination is the transfer
of potentially harmful substances to food and
can occur at any time during the food handling
process through the contact between; food to food,
utensils to food and hands to food.
The food services industry is one with a high
level of staff turnover, therefore, food safety
policies and staff training that deal with issues
such as personal hygiene, time and temperature
control, and cross-contamination prevention are
crucial in order for safety and quality standards
to be maintained. Companies should not only establish
written food safety procedures, but also constantly
measure their compliance and take corrective measures.
In conclusion, food safety is not just about
maintaining a clean working environment, and non
compliances can occur in any stage during the
food handling process from receiving, storing,
cooking, cooling and reheating, or serving. So
make sure you implement adequate training, safety
and monitoring procedures to keep your working
environment as safe as possible! |
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