Top Seven Tips To Ensure Good Hygiene Practice In The Kitchen

As any responsible restaurant owner knows, you have a legal and moral obligation to ensure good hygiene practice with your staff, as well as your food and facilities keeping up with the necessary industry standards.

There are a number of strict regulations and guidelines that need to be enforced at all times (these can be seen in full on the Food Standards Associations website); however in the meantime we can impart some quick and easy tips that will help maintain a high level of hygiene in your commercial kitchen, as well as prevent food poisoning, the advancement of disease or worse. Here are our top seven tips:

1) Clean as you go
We strongly advise cleaning as you go along when cooking, particularly during the preparation stage where food scraps can easily go astray. This simple approach will help prevent bacteria spreading and potential accidents in and around the kitchen.

2) Dont be slack with food
If food ever falls on the floor, irrespective how clean you think your floor is, or youre tempted to use the veggie chopping board to cut some meat, just remember the vast quantities of bacteria youre cross-contaminating.

3) Dont cheat with meat
Always ensure you cook meat thoroughly, and in particular, never share the surface or utensils used for raw meat or poultry with any other items unless its been sufficiently sanitised first.

4) Dont forget the big clean too!
We certainly suggest a big clean of fridges, freezes, cupboards and surfaces at least once a week. If you store large quantities of food and drink, remember that this will attract bacteria as the above locations are prime spots for breeding. Also check the dates of all stock before serving.
This may sound obvious, but meat that is a one day out of date could potentially be lethal to an unsuspecting customer.

5) Undercover
The use of a well-maintained and washable apron will help to prevent cross-contamination, particularly between your hands and food.

6) Think about others
Certainly dont have contact with food if you feel unwell, have an infection or open wound. In fact, with the first two you shouldnt be in work at all; however, at least cover up any cuts with the correct waterproof plasters. You can also easily spread infections by sharing cutlery and utensils. In addition try not to taste food in-between cooking (yes, we all like to do that at times) or from a utensil that is put back into the food that you are preparing.

7) Grasp the concept of clean hands!
Last but by no means least; ensure your hands are super clean at all times, particularly before and after handling food and using the toilet. Many employees will smoke during work hours too, so make sure you enforce the issue by introducing signs throughout the kitchen to jog their memory. A suitable flow of water, hand cleaning agents and towels should be accessible at all times.

As we mentioned at the start of the article, as a commercial food premises you must abide by a number of strict detailed regulations that. However, the majority of good hygiene practice is based around common sense and awareness. In summary, make sure your cleaning schedules and practices are well organised and maintained. Train your staff to be aware of what to look out for and ensure they have sufficient knowledge to act on their own. If you install a good culture amongst your staff and follow our important tips you will deliver high standards of hygiene for both your customers and staff.