Foodservice safety basics are essential to every foodservice manager and executive who may come into contact with things like heavy duty caster wheels and other moving objects in their immediate area. When managing a foodservice operation, management must first determine what the hazards are so that they can eliminate them before they even become a danger.

Assess Risk

The initial step towards food service safety should be through a thorough risk assessment. As part of this assessment, the manager or executive must make sure that all employees and locations are meeting safety requirements. The following are five food service safety basics that every manager or executive must know.

Wash Your Hands

Basics like washing your hands thoroughly is a requirement in every food service location. This is not only required by law, but it is also a good way to prevent spreading food borne illnesses. Every time a person serves food, there is a chance that he may be transferring food particles to his hands. There is always a possibility that some of these particles may not be properly cleaned which will then transfer to the customer’s food. You don’t want this to happen so make sure that you and each employee are using a sanitizer and disinfectant throughout the food preparation, serving, and storage process. You must also clean up any spilled items immediately so that they don’t end up causing contamination to the other food in the restaurant.

Use Proper Disinfectant

Every time serving equipment is used, it is important to make sure that it is cleaned thoroughly and disinfected before use. This will prevent cross-contamination between the different dishes that are being prepared on the same equipment. Disinfectant sprays can easily kill bacteria and viruses, and if you don’t have sanitizers on hand, it is best to contact the serving equipment supplier and make sure that the service equipment is being cleaned and disinfected according to their standards. It is also a good idea to conduct quality control checks once a month or so in order to make sure that everything is up to par.

Overview

While these food safety basics may seem quite elementary, it is important for every business to learn them in order to keep food poisoning off their menu. Even though food handling might not seem like a big deal, it can cause serious consequences if an employee is afflicted with food poisoning. By learning about food safety, business owners can prevent food-borne illnesses and damages from occurring. With these food safety basics, any business can ensure that the staff is using safe and sanitary techniques when preparing food to keep patrons safe and happy.