10 Tips for a Strong Food Safety Program
Food safety is essential for any food service operation. By following these tips for a strong food safety program, you can help to ensure that your food is safe to eat and that your customers are not at risk of getting sick.
1. Establish a written food safety plan. This plan should include all of the procedures that you follow to ensure the safety of your food, such as:
Food safety plan document
- Training employees on food safety procedures
- Cleaning and sanitizing equipment and facilities
- Monitoring food temperatures
- Preventing cross-contamination
2. Train your employees on food safety. All of your employees should be trained on food safety procedures, including:
Food safety training document
- How to identify and avoid food hazards
- How to properly clean and sanitize equipment and facilities
- How to prevent cross-contamination
- How to cook food to the correct internal temperature
3. Keep your equipment and facilities clean and sanitary. This includes cleaning and sanitizing all equipment and surfaces that come into contact with food.
4. Monitor food temperatures. This is essential for ensuring that food is cooked to the correct internal temperature and that it is held at the correct temperature.
5. Prevent cross-contamination. This means preventing harmful bacteria from spreading from one food to another.
5 more tips!
6. Use proper personal hygiene. This includes washing your hands frequently and also wearing clean, protective clothing.
7. Store food properly. This means storing food at the correct temperature and also keeping it separate from raw meat and poultry
8. Dispose of food waste properly. This means composting food waste or disposing of it in a way that prevents the spread of harmful bacteria.
9. Have a plan in place in case of a foodborne illness outbreak. This plan should include procedures for notifying customers, employees, and also regulatory agencies.
10. Review your food safety program regularly. This will help to ensure that your program is up-to-date and also that you are following all of the latest food safety regulations.
By following these tips, you can help to create a strong food safety program that will protect your customers and also your business.
Additional tips:
- Use a thermometer to ensure that food is cooked to the correct internal temperature.
- Label food with the date it was prepared and the date it should be discarded.
- Also, do not taste food that has been left out for more than two hours.
- Lastly, discard any food that has been contaminated with raw meat or poultry.
By following these tips, you can help to prevent foodborne illness and keep your customers safe.