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Foodservice Cleaning and Safety Best Practices for the New Normal

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 18:48:53 GMT

Cleanliness is (and will always be) a top priority in the foodservice industry. It’s something that customers expect, and authorities require.

But even without these expectations and requirements, maintaining a clean establishment should be something that every food distributor and restaurateur must do. And this has become even more crucial in the “new normal” brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

While we know that the pandemic doesn’t generally spread because of food, the food industry – both those serving food and distributing ingredients – are likely to feel its impact in the long run.

People will expect stricter compliance with sanitary protocols. To make sure you’re ready, here are four foodservice cleaning and safety best practices that food distributors and food service establishments should follow:

1. Maintaining Strict Personal Hygiene Protocols

Personal hygiene practices, like frequent and proper hand washing, are among the most recommended safety measures against the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Although good personal hygiene has always been a common practice in the foodservice industry, its importance has been brought to light during the global pandemic. Because they handle food, clean dining spaces, and serve guests, restaurant and food distribution staff need to strictly maintain personal hygiene more than anyone.

To keep everyone in your food establishment safe, consider implementing these protocols in your foodservice business as recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA):

Highlight frequent and proper hand washing, especially before handling food and items used for food consumption. Washing hands should be done for at least 20 seconds, and this should include rubbing the palms, wrists, fingers, and the spaces in between.
Hand washing should be done using antibacterial soap and water. You can also provide alcohol-based sanitizers with a minimum of 60 percent alcohol content for the kitchen and waitstaff to use, but make sure that this isn’t done with unwrapped and exposed food around.
Remind the team not to touch their faces, especially their nose, eyes, and mouth without proper hand cleaning first, and to cover their sneeze or cough with a tissue, which is thrown directly to the trash after use.
As much as possible, use gloves when handling ready-to-eat foods to reduce direct bare-hand contact.

2. Regular and Diligent Two-Stage Surface Cleaning

Two-stage cleaning is a process that consists of regular surface cleaning and disinfection. The first part entails removing dirt and other visible particles on the surface using a multipurpose cleaner. After that, the area is sanitized using a disinfectant solution approved by the local health agency.

For the second stage of this process, be sure to read the label and stick to the required contact time for the disinfectant solution to be effective. This should range from 30 seconds to five minutes.

Focus on high-touch surfaces, such as tables, chairs, doorknobs, and countertops.

It is also best to use disinfectants approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, especially those with the COVID-19 virus external icon. In the absence of such products, you may also use alternative disinfectants, such as one-third cup of bleach with a gallon of water or 70 percent alcohol solutions. Never mix bleach and other disinfection products.

3. Better Standard Operating Procedures

Another way you can make sure that your business is ready to take on the responsibility of keeping your customers safe is to execute better standard protocols. These should be enhanced to strategically deal with the fast-spreading virus that usually infects a person through direct and indirect contact.

For direct contact, you can implement the recommended six-feet social distancing protocols as part of your team’s routine. This should also be maintained even with guests.

For indirect contact, keep packages handed to customers clean and germ-free through methodical packaging and serving of food, as well as preparation and food and beverage distribution.

4. Implement the Use of COVID-19 Safety Gear

Since the COVID-19 virus spreads through droplets that disperse in the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks, wearing safety gear specifically made to block these airborne droplets should also be required within the establishment.

Some of the essential pieces your team and guests should be wearing are face shields and face masks. All staff members should be covering their mouth and nose – and even their entire face – to prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria. Since masks can be uncomfortable when cooking, you can opt for full-face shields instead.

Meanwhile, restaurants should also consider implementing the wearing of disposable gloves in the kitchen, especially when preparing food. However, you also need to remind the kitchen staff, waitstaff, and even guests to avoid cross-contamination. This can occur when they touch money and other surfaces that potentially host the pathogen using the same gloves you eat with.

Besides wearables, restaurants and other food establishments can also install transparent shields between spaces where the food staff and customers usually talk. This can come in the form of plexiglass or plastic shields placed on drive-thru windows, host stands, registers or checkout counters, and even restrooms.

Stay Safe Amidst the New Normal

The world has changed significantly after COVID-19 spread across the globe, giving birth to a “new normal” way of doing things. As such, those in the foodservice industry need to be vigilant now more than ever in implementing cleanliness protocols to keep everyone safe.

Here at Run Veggie, we understand how vital cleanliness and safety practices are in food handling. Talk to us to learn how you can get guaranteed clean and safe ingredients for your restaurant or foodservice business.

How to Improve Food Shelf Life: Commercial Kitchen Best Practices

info@cc-agency.co.uk (Creative Concepts) — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 18:48:53 GMT

Buying from wholesale food suppliers is one of the best ways to increase your profit margin in the foodservice industry. However, this will only be possible after you master the art of keeping ingredients fresh until you’re ready to use them.

Here, we have listed five best practices you should follow to maximize the shelf life of your food supplies in your commercial kitchen:

1. Learn the common causes of reduced shelf life.

In any battle, the first thing you need to do to prepare is to know your enemy. And when it comes to keeping ingredients fresh, the enemy would be the causes of premature food spoilage.

For fresh produce, the most common factors that affect shelf life include:

Exposure to ethylene
Extreme or inconsistent temperatures
Moisture or humidity
Physical harm
Microbial growth

For other food products, the shelf life may also be reduced because of the type of packagingstrong> used, oxidation, and exposure to light.

2. Use better packaging (or choose a supplier that does).

Food shelf life can be maximized with the use of appropriate packaging. Following the example mentioned earlier, fruits and vegetables can be kept fresh using containers that can control the rate of ripening, respiration, and microbial growth.

For fruits and vegetables, pallet covers, sheets, and even cartons can reduce their exposure to ethylene. This gaseous compound hastens the ripening rate of fruits and vegetables, causing fresh produce to soften and deteriorate when in storage.

Controlling oxidation is also one of the primary purposes of optimum food packaging. This is why meat suppliers and other food merchants opt for vacuum packaging to prevent spoilage from oxygen exposure. This packaging method entails removing some – if not all – the oxygen inside it.

Below are other containers and packaging options that are ideal for specific types of food products:

Cans
Foil pouches
PETE bottles (for corn, wheat, beans, and other dry products)
Sealable food-grade storage buckets
Sealable food-grade plastic or (lined) metal drums

3. Invest in a good freezer.

Freezing is probably the easiest and most convenient method you can use to improve food shelf life. It stops microorganisms from forming (or kills them off if the temperature can reach -18 degrees Celsius and below).

When buying your equipment, always keep the following considerations in mind:

Capacity

Overstuffing the freezer can reduce its efficacy in keeping food products fresh and safe for consumption. To avoid this, be sure to pick a freezer with just the right capacity for your commercial kitchen.

Organizational features

One more important factor you must consider is how to organize food within the freezer. If you’re storing different food items in one freezer, remember to check for layered shelves or partitions that will help segregate them.

Defrosting

Ice buildup can lead to poor freezer performance, so you might want to go for one with an automatic defrosting feature.

4. Never break the FIFO rule.

FIFO – short for “first-in, first-out” – is one of the food storage rules that will optimize your supply usage. This entails rotating stock and using them according to the date they were delivered.

You need to use up ingredients and other food products that are delivered first, queuing any newer ones behind them. This lowers the chances of such resources expiring because they were stored past their best-by dates.

Besides their storage arrangement and usage schedule, the FIFO rule also covers labeling products with their expiration dates. You should also include this information in the inventory list that should be updated periodically.

5. Keep your storage area organized.

From the freezer to the shelves, you must ensure that your food storage area is organized according to the following guidelines:

Freezer

Keep food stacked neatly, with the biggest flat packages at the very bottom. Don’t forget to mark them with their best-before date and divide according to type – keep beef with beef, fish with fish, and so on.

Put older stocks in front of (for shelved freezers) or above (for chest freezers) newer ones to make it easier to follow the FIFO rule.

Refrigerator

Store similar items in the same group to make it easier to find them (e.g., sauces in one area, meats in the meat drawer, vegetables in crispers, etc.). Use clear containers when storing leftovers and label them accordingly.

Always discard food that is past their recommended storage period.

Shelves

Again, put items that are similar or are under the same category together. Put canned goods on one shelf, baking ingredients in another, and so on.

Arrange according to the FIFO rule – old stocks in front and newer ones at the back. Use clear containers for opened items such as pasta, rice, and cereals for ease of access.

Better Shelf Life for Cost-Effective Inventory

Buying wholesale is only half the battle – maximizing the shelf life of your ingredients and other food supplies is crucial in keeping a cost-effective inventory for your foodservice business. Follow us to stay abreast of commercial kitchen storage best practices and to make the most of your supply purchases.

5 Events and Catering Food Trends in a Post-COVID-19 World

Sun, 31 Jan 2021 18:48:53 GMT

The year 2020 was a tough one for all because it was filled with changes, challenges and uncertainties that affected everyone’s routines. Out of all the industries, the event catering business has perhaps experienced the greatest challenges to date. Most events were canceled or postponed; dining establishments were likewise closed.

That is why thoughtful contemplation regarding the industry won’t just help restaurant owners, caterers, and food and beverage suppliers like you to cope, but it will also provide you with the opportunity to successfully shape a post-COVID-19 world.

Everyone’s fear of catching the virus is the main concern of event organizers and attendees. Luckily, with the widespread distribution of vaccines and various safety measures implemented, events and catering businesses are beginning to operate once again.

However, a vaccine is not the only solution that will help events flourish once more. There’s also the need to regain public confidence that you can organize gatherings safely in a way that people won’t feel overly sanitized.

If you are thinking about how your food and beverage business can adapt to serving customers in a post-COVID world, here are five things to remember for holding safe and successful in-person events moving forward.

1. Risk mitigation and high levels of cleanliness are expected of you.

In terms of figuring out your risk, you have to consider several things. Perception of how you host your event plays a critical role in whether the gathering pushes through. Other important considerations will include attendee demographics, current government mandates and guidance, event venue, and supplier service. With all the risks and restrictions involved, you need to carefully assess whether you will be able to meet your event’s objectives.

The well-being of guests must be at the forefront of your events. For instance, you should also adapt to having a visible sanitation staff. The key is to rethink all aspects of the event planning process and incorporate health and safety risk mitigation in each of them, including the menu, attendees, space, decoration, service, and entertainment.

2. Communication and transparency will help address attendee concerns.

Having a robust and transparent communication plan in place is crucial for addressing the heightened concern about health and safety standards.

The public will want to know if your event adapts to new sanitation and safety protocols before confirming their attendance. Make sure to give all pertinent details to the current situation and anything specific to your event. For instance, there will be setbacks to eco-friendly catering practices because safety will be prioritized. These may include individually packaged desserts or appetizers and condiments, bottled beverages, and use of disposable packaging and dining utensils. Don’t forget to explain your reasoning behind such decisions, as this implies thoughtful consideration is given to ensure their health, well-being, and comfort.

3. Attendees will demand lots of elbow room.

Event planners should be more strategic in terms of mapping out the venue space. Food stations, bars, and seating will all need extra space so the attendees and staff can safely distance themselves from each other.

The flow of the event should also be considered. For instance, you can implement staggered meal times for events with an agenda to allow for appropriate distancing. Doing this will also minimize exposure to the sub-groups and help you manage the venue better.

Wide outdoor spaces will be sought-after event venues because they enable more distancing. Though indoor options may be less preferred, you may need to opt for large, indoor spaces too when hosting events in destinations with a warm climate

4. Technology plays a vital role in your next event.

The pandemic has increased the need to integrate contactless technology in different industries, including the food and catering business. The use of tech service strategies for your events will have a practical and long-lasting use in the post-COVID-19 world.

Using an event app, for instance, can help you convey the details of the upcoming gathering in advance. You can include details on the agenda or theme of the event, entertainment, food and beverage service, and menu options. It can also assist you with seat assignments and in personalizing service meals and drinks.

At the same time, an app can keep guests engaged throughout. They can use it to communicate their dietary requirements when they enter their orders. You can also eliminate long lines because you can serve food and drinks right at their seats, thus minimizing waste and improving customer satisfaction and service.

Technology can also help you create connections by allowing your guest to add some personal details, including their pictures. Guests will most likely engage with your app if you provide a seamless user experience.

5. Attendees will still look for a memorable experience.

Despite the need for social distancing, you still need to make your guests’ experience memorable.

For instance, you can transform the customary self-service buffet into a fun, grab-and-go station. Attendees can still get their desired meals without handling the food selections, thus creating a safer, more comfortable catering experience for employees and guests alike.

Should you need to keep some of your staff members to attend to food stations, you may need to install clear glass on one side of the station to limit any contact from attendees as they serve themselves.

Another great idea is to elevate the guest experience with motion menus or vertical food stations, such as using a conveyor belt to serve food and beverages. This allows for increased selection and maximized space.

Getting creative with your packaging can also enhance your attendees’ experience at your event. For instance, you can opt for bento boxes or wooden takeout containers.

While businesses in the event and catering industry still experience the effects of COVID-19, it is crucial for you to look towards a good future in a post-pandemic world. Start by embracing the upcoming changes and bringing innovation in everything you do. As people begin to plan gatherings, they will value the efforts and steps that food distributors, event planners, and caterers take to give a safe and comfortable catering experience.