Foodie Facts: The hygiene knowledge all restaurants should know

When you visit your favourite restaurant, great food and even better flavours are at the forefront of everyone’s mind. There really is nothing better than sinking your teeth into your favourite meal. 

When you go out for food, you expect to be walking into somewhere that is visibly clean and well looked after – if you’re greeted with this type of environment, then it’s highly likely that their food is looked after before and after preparation, but things aren’t always what they seem.

The restaurant may be well looked after, but just how well do the chefs and other staff members look after your food? We explore our top foodie facts and the knowledge all restaurants should know to ensure food hygiene is up to scratch.

Personal Hygiene Importance

Whether you work with food or around food, personal hygiene is something of paramount importance.

If your hands are dirty, they may be carrying bacteria which can contaminate the food you’re handling, as well as kitchen utensils and workstations. Simply washing your hands will help avoid contamination from dirty hands.

It is advised that you wash your hands in warm water and with antibacterial soap. After wetting your hands and applying the soap you should ensure that your whole hand is covered and washed thoroughly and dried completely on a clean towel.

In addition to your hands, it’s also important to maintain a high level of personal hygiene with regards to people’s habits. Habits such as:

• Smoking: there should be no smoking in food areas
• Allergies: no coughing, sneezing or spitting around food
• Beauty Products: no nail varnish or strong perfumes should be worn when handling food

All cuts and wounds should be covered with a waterproof dressing – such as a plaster and staff should inform their supervisor if these wounds are infected or have boils or sores as this could lead to food contamination.

Over clothing aprons should be clean to avoid any further contaminating risk. Staff should report to their seniors if they have had symptoms of diarrhoea, vomiting, a fever, abdominal cramps or nausea as these could be indications that they have or have had food poisoning.

Clean Workstations

Different food is prepared in different locations in the kitchen, but regardless of where the food is prepared, it’s vital that the workstation is clean and tidy.

After preparing food and before you start on your next meal, you should always clean and thoroughly disinfect the equipment and areas, especially after handling and preparing raw food.

To avoid a build-up of utensils or food waste, clean as you prepare, this way you can ensure that your workstation always has enough room to accommodate your work and the food. You can also clear away used equipment which is ready for cleaning as you go too.

You should be using cleaning and disinfectant products that are suitable for the job and to ensure a thorough clean, follow the manufacturer’s instructions that are provided. These disinfectants should meet EN standards and should be labelled with either BS EN 1276 or BS EN 13697.  

Food Safety Knowledge

These are just a few of the aspects what need to be implemented on a daily basis when working with food, but the rest can be learnt on a Food Safety course.

Food business operators are required by law to ensure that staff who handle their food receive the appropriate instruction in accordance with their activity. This can be delivered by a more senior member of staff who has received the correct training to advise other team members.

The TQUK Level 2 Award in Food Safety will ensure that your senior members of staff are suitably trained to advise other staff members whilst in the kitchen and handling food. To explore this course further, fill in one of our contact forms or call 0845 071 0820 and one of our team members will be happy to advise you further on this course option.