Food Safety
February 2016
Food safety has always been an area of concern for chefs and operators, but it seems as though outbreaks of food-borne illness have become more frequent lately. In a world where news travels faster than ever, maintaining proper food safety processes can also be equated with maintaining your operation’s reputation.
As a chef or operator, you have a heightened role in your operation’s food safety practices. Some states are implementing standards that require certain supervisory employees to have food safety certifications. Whether your state has these requirements or not, it’s crucial to educate all employees about proper food safety techniques. Use these tips as a quick reference:
- Create a food safety manual to keep in the back of house for your employees to reference.
- Proper hygiene is key. Be sure to enforce thorough cleaning, sanitation and disinfection steps. Bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food should be prohibited.
- Check in with employees to make sure they are feeling well. While being fully staffed is important, it’s crucial for your staff to be healthy at work.
- If there is some kind of contamination or food safety violation, don’t wait for your operation to be shut down by the health department. Voluntary closure is often the best option.
Put your employees’ food safety knowledge to the test by frequently quizzing them and reviewing your back-of-house guidelines on a regular basis. Find specific tips and guidelines for handling turkey here.
SOURCES
Fitzpatrick, Tara. Norovirus is Absolutely Horrifying...Here's What You Can Do About It, Food Management. August 13, 2015.
Lomeli, Joseph. How to Pass A Health Inspection At Your Restaurant, R Magazine. November 30, 2015.
