In the hospitality business, food safety and hygiene is of utmost importance. Following the right practices in this regard guards the consumer’s health from food-borne illnesses and food poisoning. People fall ill when bacteria, viruses, and other germs contaminate the food affecting those who consume it.
As the hospitality industry starts picking up the threads of its business, and guests slowly venture for dining out, food safety has assumed even more importance. Food businesses are accountable about the quality of their fare, and should adhere to the highest levels of safety and hygiene while preparing, serving, packing, delivering or even storing food. Following these practices ensures that the brand’s image is not tarnished.
According to WHO, Unsafe food leads to 1 in 10 people falling ill, which is almost 600 million people, and causes 420,000 deaths annually. This costs $110 billion annually on medical expenses resulting from the consumption of unsafe food in low- and middle- income countries, including India.
Though the COVID-19 virus is not transmitted through food, it has brought into focus the need for hygiene and food-related safety. This year, the theme for World Food Safety Day is ‘Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow’, highlighting the need for long-term attention on production and consumption of safe food.
THE RIGHT POLICY
A safe and hygienic workplace helps the workforce of a food business be more productive. Hence, drafting a food safety and hygiene policy is the need of the hour. This can contribute to the good health of employees and appropriate work practices.
When employees follow these protocols, germs will not multiply in foods, preventing life-threatening illnesses. It will also ensure better supply chain of produce, due to reduce food wastage, thereby leading to cost savings.
It is imperative to ensure that the food storage, preparation, and delivery areas are clean and sanitised regularly. This involves methodically cleaning and sanitizing the workspace, utensils, and equipment before cooking, in-between cooking tasks, and after cooking. Cooking utensils and equipment, like chopping boards, knives, and mixers, must be thoroughly cleaned between managing foods.
FOOD HANDLING
The staff should be educated on the right way to handle food products, fresh and stored, as well the equipment. They should be given this training at regular intervals in the form of refresher sessions, so that the information remains on top of their minds.
The person handling food should have a high standard of personal hygiene. This includes:
• Tying hair back to make sure no hair falls in the food.
• Thoroughly washing hands with soap and hot water, before, during, and after handling food, to make sure no germs from their hands is transferred to the food.
• Wearing clean clothes while working to prevent transfer of contaminants to the food.
• Wearing gloves while handling food.
A consumer survey by Mars Global Food Safety Center across the UK, US and China showed that 77% of respondents are concerned about food safety, while 52% found it is a top three global issue. All industry stakeholders therefore have to take a proactive step in identifying food safety risks and find solutions that can stem these problems in the bud to ensure safe food for all.
