When we talk about the restaurant sector, we are referring to all those businesses dedicated to the preparation of food and drinks that are prepared for consumption: restaurants, eateries, cafes, bars, taverns, wine shops, wineries, beach bars, etc.
In order for these services to be able to offer consumers safe and innocuous products, it is essential to apply good practices in food handling and to establish rigorous food hygiene and safety protocols.
Proper food hygiene is necessary to ensure that the food reaching the consumer is suitable and not dangerous to their health. And the establishment of food safety measures in catering companies allows potential risks to be detected and prevented.
Safety in restoration
The concept of safety in restaurants is very broad, as it includes the safety of customers (including optimal facilities and safe products for consumption) and workers.
kitchen staff during a service in a catering establishment
What is the importance of occupational risk prevention?
All companies:
They must have a work risk prevention plan that identifies potential hazards to ensure a safe and optimal workplace.
They must provide their workers with training in prevention. Knowledge of the risks to which they are exposed and how to avoid them is an acquired right protected by the Law on the Prevention of Occupational Risks.
Within the restaurant sector, we can highlight the most common risks:
Falls: Dining room staff are constantly moving around, often carrying heavy loads. Kitchen staff have a smaller space, but are also very busy. And any of the rooms may have slippery floors, trip hazards, etc.
Cuts : from the use of knives, scissors, etc.
Burns : due to proximity to stoves, boiling oils, broths, etc.
Fire risk: poor care of facilities or machinery can cause fires
Stress: This is a psychological occupational risk. The high pace of work, the constant influx of clients and long hours can cause stress and anxiety.
Contamination : viruses, fungi or bacteria can be a source of contamination for workers
Excessive loads: overexertion can lead to muscle injuries, sciatica, lumbago, etc.
What requirements must the restaurant meet?
When choosing the location of a restaurant, aspects related to rental contracts, the waste generated by the activity, building permits and regulations on accessibility and fire prevention must be taken into account.
In addition, catering establishments must comply with a series of sanitary conditions , and must take into account opening hours to the public or municipal licenses. Aspects to take into account:
The electrical and gas installation.
The waste chamber.
The smoke outlet.
The height of the premises.
The toilets.
Sound insulation.
The installed power in the kitchens.
The sale of tobacco and the installation of gambling machines.
These procedures are usually included in the opening activity license and depend on the local administration (town hall).
Food safety
Food safety consists of ensuring the availability of safe products to the final consumer.
In order to ensure good safety measures, establishments must follow the rules included in Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs. This regulation requires catering and hospitality establishments to implement a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system in their kitchens, regardless of their size and characteristics.
The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is a document that must be created by every food company, which must include all the procedures carried out on food in order to detect any danger it may suffer, from its arrival at the establishment to its delivery to the final consumer. The purpose of this document is to avoid the danger, eliminate it or reduce it to acceptable levels.
In this way, the HACCP system is a powerful tool for controlling the safety of production processes in kitchens, which allows anticipation of the dangers associated with food consumption in order to avoid them. It consists of identifying and evaluating the dangers that may affect the health of consumers, and controlling them through preventive measures.
Hygiene in catering
By definition, hygiene is cleanliness or tidiness to maintain health or prevent disease. In catering, hygiene is a very important aspect to take into account within our food safety plan, and we will structure it in 4 areas:
Hospitality workers performing hygiene tasks
Personal hygiene
Staff who come into contact with food must follow strict hygiene measures. Food handlers are considered to be all those who have direct contact with food during its preparation, manufacture, processing, transport, distribution, sale, supply and service. Companies must ensure adequate and ongoing training in food hygiene.
To avoid risks, workers must:
Take care of your health by not going to work if you are sick.
Take care of your personal hygiene : you must be clean and wash your hands frequently.
Your work clothes must be exclusive to you (uniform) and must be clean and well-kept.
Take care of your hygiene habits , taking into account that smoking, chewing gum, eating, etc. are prohibited in the workplace.
One of the most important habits when handling food is correct and frequent hand washing . There are times when hand washing is mandatory. We must wash our hands with hot water and soap (it can be bactericidal), rubbing well between the fingers, and with a hand brush between the nails. Afterwards we will dry ourselves with disposable paper.
During food preparation, hygiene conditions and other correct kuwait phone number search food handling practices must be taken to the extreme, with special care in controlling temperatures and cross-contamination:
A cooking temperature of 65°C must be guaranteed in the centre of the product (minimum 4 minutes).
Food must be stored at the appropriate temperatures (refrigerated food between 0°C and 4°C, and frozen food at a maximum of -18°C).
It is necessary to separate raw foods from cooked foods and avoid cross contamination.
Good allergen management must be done in order to avoid allergies and/or intolerances.
Kitchen utensils should be washed in the dishwasher to ensure maximum disinfection.
Organization of the service
We must plan tasks and work processes to avoid cross contamination. Employees must be familiar with work protocols and be trained in food safety and hygiene.
The premises where food circulates must be clean and in good condition, with adequate layout, design and dimensions to avoid contamination.
Cleaning and disinfection
Maintaining disinfection and cleanliness in catering is essential to ensure that all facilities, machinery, utensils and other equipment in the premises do not cause cross-contamination in food. Both processes are essential: cleaning (i.e. removing dirt) and disinfection (eliminating microorganisms), since an apparently clean surface can be a source of bacteria, which can lead to food poisoning.
Companies will design a cleaning plan taking into account the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) . The cleaning plan must contain the stages of cleaning and disinfection in a chronological manner.
The plan may also include:
The products to be used for cleaning and disinfection, as well as the dilutions used. We must ensure that the detergents and disinfectants used are authorised for use in the food industry, and that they are applied appropriately to avoid inappropriate residues.
The way in which we will apply the cleaning products (automatic or manual cleaning, drying with single-use paper, disinfection with hot water, etc.)
The material and equipment used (brushes, mops, buckets, machines, dispensers, etc.)