A Recipe for Food Safety Success in Your Restaurant
What is the Recipe for Food Safety Success in Your Restaurant? Food safety is a critical part of running a successful restaurant. According to the image, 25% of all food safety citations are due to food contact surfaces not being properly cleaned or sanitized. This can lead to serious health problems for your customers and can damage your restaurant’s reputation.
The image outlines four key ingredients in a recipe for food safety success:
- Focus on food contact surfaces: Wash, rinse, and sanitize all surfaces that come into contact with food. This includes countertops, cutting boards, utensils, and dishes. Use an EPA-registered sanitizer and be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for dilution and contact time.
- Make hand hygiene easy: Proper handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of foodborne illness. Make sure your employees have easy access to sinks with soap and paper towels. You can also encourage handwashing by placing posters with handwashing instructions in restrooms and kitchens.
- Safe food storage goes digital: Foodborne illness can also be caused by improper food storage. Use digital thermometers to monitor food temperatures and invest in equipment that can automatically record food storage times and conditions.
- Leverage external assessments: Regularly partner with a food safety expert to identify and address any potential food safety hazards in your restaurant. You can also build a relationship with your local health inspector and invite them to conduct regular inspections.
By following these tips, you can create a safe and healthy environment for your customers and employees. This will help to protect your reputation, your bottom line, and most importantly, the health of your customers.
Here are some additional tips for food safety in restaurants:
- Train your employees on food safety procedures.
- Regularly clean and maintain your kitchen equipment.
- Throw away any food that has been improperly stored or left out for too long.
- Report any foodborne illness outbreaks to your local health department.
By following these tips, you can help to ensure that your restaurant is serving safe and delicious food.