FOR HIGH STANDARD OF HYGIENE

Food safe hygienic area – Benefits

There are many benefits to maintaining a food safe hygienic area. There are the obvious anti food poisoning aspects which have already been discussed but there are also business benefits. Such as –

• A business will be far more reputable if it doesn’t have a bad hygiene track record
• There will be a good and structured work environment which will allow employees to thrive
• The Environmental Health Department will be happy with the running of the business and will not prosecute of close the business down due to bad hygiene problems / food poisoning cases and so on
• Lower levels of wastage of food as it will all be used in a timely fashion

Food poisoning must never be taken lightly. Many people class this as a bit of a sore stomach but in reality food poisoning can be fatal especially in risk groups such as pregnant women, infants, the elderly and immuno compromised individuals.

It is very important that all food is stored correctly which means that raw meat should never touch cooked or indeed any other foodstuffs in order to stop any risk of cross contamination. It is also important that any equipment within the food setting such as fridges and freezers are well maintained and that the temperatures are checked regularly.

Risks of not maintaining hygienic areas

It is important to note that there is always a risk of pests such as insects, birds and rodents being attracted to any areas in which food is worked with. It is also important to remember that wherever these pests are, bacteria and disease will follow. So how do you cope with this risk?

• Keep windows and doors closed unless necessary. Fit fly screens to windows
• Keep your food preparation area as clean as possible in order not to attract vermin
• Regularly inspect the kitchen for signs of pests and if found then alert the appropriate agencies
• Remember that vermin such as rats and mice are incontinent and therefore will contaminate all areas of your kitchen that they touch. This can cause significant illness in humans
• Flies breed very rapidly and are also bearers of disease
• Bird infestations are difficult to control and birds themselves can spread a great deal of disease including campylobacter which can present as extreme vomiting and diarrhoea

So you see that maintaining food hygienic areas is the number one consideration when you are thinking of setting up in the restaurant or café business or even when you consider your own home. Check out our Biomax Antimicrobial cladding range for the best protection.