Hospitality: Follow Workplace Hygiene Procedures

Book one - Follow workplace hygiene procedures

Hygiene aims to
Positive attitude towards personal cleanliness
Awareness of hygienic practices
Appropriate hygienic handling and storage of commodities and equipment in the kitchen.

Hygiene risks

Three Categories;

1. Personal hygiene
Poor personal grooming
Wearing nail polish or jewelry
Not washing hands

2. Environmental hygiene
Pets in the kitchen
Chipped plates, cups etc
No fly screens
Not the correct method of garbage disposal

3. Food hygiene

Reporting hygiene risks
When a hygiene risk is identified it but be reported to;
- a supervisor a cleaning supervisor a member of the occupational health and safety committee

1. Personal hygiene
Personal hygiene refers to maintaining high standards of practices in relation to cleaning oneself. Including, bathing, oral hygiene, uniform presentation and overall personal presentation.

Hygiene Risk

Correct Hygienic Practice

Poor personal grooming - uniform

Having a clean, ironed uniform
Wearing enclosed shoes

Poor personal and oral hygiene

Must have clean teeth and breath
Shower regularly

Not covering open cuts and wounds

Cuts & wounds must be covered with a blue band aid.

Not washing hands

You must wash your hands after eating, smoking, handling garbage or using the bathroom

Wearing nail polish and jewellery

No nail polish
Short, clean nails
No bracelets or necklaces
Single earrings
Minimal rings
No facial piercings

Handling food when ill

You cannot prepare food when unwell or sick.

Touching hair

Hair has to be tied back and kept under chef’s hat
No hair on face
Neat & tidy hairstyle

2. Environmental hygiene
Environmental hygiene refers to the cleanliness of buildings, fixtures and equipment.

Cleaning & Sanitising

Cleaning is the removal of food, food scraps, dirt, and other forms or grime that may contain pathogenic or food-spoilage bacteria.
Detergents and hot water are used when cleaning as they help break down oils and fats and remove food scraps.

Sanitising all equipment and utensils is the only way to ensure a high level of hygiene is maintained and the elimination, or reduction to a safe level of bacteria.
Sanitising utensils can be achieved by submerging the item in water of 70 degrees Celsius for at least 30 seconds.
Sanitising surfaces can be achieved by using a disinfectant or a chemical agent that kills most bacteria.

Once cleaned and sanitised all equipment and utensils should be allowed to be completely air dry before being re-used.

Correct Garbage Disposal means that as all internal bins are filled, they must be removed to the outside of the building, to a safe, hygienic and protected area.

Pests are a serious issue in the hospitality industry. Pests have the ability to contaminate and spoil large amounts of food quickly. To avoid the introduction of pests, a hospitality premises should be regularly and thoroughly cleaned (including cool rooms and shelves) and sealed.
The more common pests are rodents, flies and cockroaches.

All Linen & Laundry should be treated as if it were potentially contaminated. ‘Soiled’ (infected) linen should be handled only when wearing gloves and aprons and should be put into a linen bag for transportation. Linen bags should only ever be ¾ full.

Guest areas such as bars, restaurants, and hotel rooms need to be cleaned and sanitised immediately after their use, usually at the end of the day.

Food preparation and store areas need to also be meticulously cleaned and sanitised regularly. This includes equipment, fridges, cool rooms, sinks, boards, benches, floors, shelving and garbage storage. Regular maintenance should also be undertaken on all areas ensuring they are functioning correctly and are up to the highest standard.

3. Food Hygiene

Food Spoilage is food that is contaminated and no longer acceptable to eat. This food often shows a change in smell, appearance, colour and flavour.

Contamination can be visible and invisible.

Visible Contamination is the presence of dirt, insects, hair or chemicals that is visually noticed.

Invisible Contamination refers to microorganisms that can be present in the food without making it smelly or slimy. These invisible microorganisms are often the cause of food poisoning. Bacteria, Yeasts and Mould are the common microorganisms.

Chemical Spoilage refers to various chemical reactions that may also cause food spoilage. Improper cooking techniques or prolonged heating are examples.

Enzymatic Spoilage Enzymes are proteins that are referred to as biological catalysts. (Their presence brings a change)
Example
Ripening of fruit, spoilage occurs when a fruit ripens too much.
Meat aging, excessive action results in unpleasant flavour.

Food Poisoning is the consumption of contaminated food that results in a period of usually 24-48 hour physical discomfort (vomiting, diarrhea, fever).
In most cases of food poisoning
YOU CANT SEE IT
YOU CAN'T SMELL IT
YOU CAN'T TASTE IT

There are three causes of food poisoning

1. Chemical
Caused by the presence of toxic chemicals in food
Such as;
Pesticides
Insecticides
Rat poisoning
Food containers (food left in galvanised cans)

2. Physical
Food with harmful substances
Such as;
Glass fragments
Metal shavings

3. Biological
(naturally occurring) caused by eating plants containing naturally occurring substances with are harmful. such as :
Mushrooms - poisonous species
Green potatoes

What is food poisoning?
Food poisoning is where you consume contaminated food and become sick.
Symptoms are diarrhea, stomach cramps and pain, vomiting, nausea, fever, headache, sweats or any combination of these.

What causes food poisoning?
The three causes of food poisoning are chemical (presence of toxic chemicals; pesticides, insecticides), physical (food with harmful substances such as glass fragments and metal shavings) and biological (consuming naturally occurring substances that are harmful; poisonous mushrooms).

Food poisoning is almost nearly always avoidable. It occurs because someone has neglected, forgotten or has never been told the basic rules of food hygiene.

Where do food poisoning bacteria come from?
1. Wholesome raw foods, especially animal flesh foods
2. Bodies of kitchen workers, even healthy ones.

What do bacteria require for growth
At temperatures above 60 degrees bacteria begin to die
At temperatures below 5 degrees most food poisoning bacteria do not die but become dormant.
Bacteria grow temperatures between 5 degrees and 60 degrees that temperature is the danger zone

What are the consequences of food poisoning?
Food poisoning can be extremely costly to managers and/or owners of establishments that sell food to the public, and financially and professionally damaging to employees.

How does food poisoning occur?
Two events must occur to lead to food poisoning.
1. Contamination of a potentially hazardous food with food poisoning bacteria
2. Growth of the food poisoning bacteria in that food.

Harmful Bacteria causes the most incidents of food poisoning.

Potentially hazardous foods
Food which we normally consider to be moist and nutritious. Such as cooked meat or poultry, casseroles and sauces, seafood dishes, egg dishes, dairy products, cooked rice and other moist cereals. HIGH PROTEIN FOODS.

Food that are not potentially hazardous are those we store in the cupboard for example vinegar, jams, pickles, flour, sugar and dried foods. Contain too much salt, sugar, acid, alcohol or too little water for bacteria to grow.

High-risk foods are often high-protein foods that are moist and nutritious. These include:

Meat & Poultry - Minced meats
Small goods - Salami, ham, bacon
Meat products - Sausages, pies, casseroles, stews, soup
Fish - Shellfish, prawns, raw sushi, seafood
Dairy & egg foods - Cheesecake, tarts, puddings, soft cheeses
Cereal products - Cooked rice & pasta dishes

Food poisoning bacteria grow very rapidly in the right conditions. Bacteria split in half (so one becomes two) every 10-20 minutes. This means that a single bacterium can become 4,000 in only 4 hours.

Bacteria need the following conditions to grow:

Food - Bacteria will grow on anything (love high protein food)
Water - Some moisture is needed for the growth
Temperature - Bacteria grow most rapidly in the danger zone (5-60 °C)
Time - It takes 20 mins for individual cells to multiply into two
Oxygen - Some bacteria require oxygen to grow
Acid - Bacteria tend to have a preference for food with low acidity.

Food poisoning can be prevented with attention to personal hygiene and health, prevention of cross-contamination, and cleaning and sanitising.

Cross-contamination is the transferring of micro-organisms from contaminated foods and areas to cooked or prepared foods (In other words from raw to cooked food). To prevent cross-contamination use separate utensils, chopping boards and storage facilities for raw and cooked foods. Also wash hands between handling raw and cooked foods. Microbial spoilage and food poisoning
Microorganisms are one of the major causes of food spoilage, invisible microorganisms are often the cause of food poisoning.
Bacteria
Commonly spoil meat, seafood, milk and some fruits and veg (HIGH PROTEIN FOOD)
Indications
Slimy, sticky texture (meat)
Putrid smell (sour milk)
Soft and mushy texture (veg)
Discolouration (Green meat)
Sour taste (curdled milk)
Bacteria we can see that cause disease are called pathogens.
Yeasts
Grow in high moisture food with high sugar content.
Causes food spoilage but not often food poisoning.
Indications
off flavours and musty odors
Cloudy liquids e.g.. juices decrease in sweetness and increase in sourness

Moulds
Drier foods are usually affected such as bread, fruit, vegetables, cheeses and cakes.
Indications
Visible spores, in the form on cotton wool like patches of varying colours. Eg blue/green, white/grey, dark blue to black.
Mildew smell (musty odor)
Soft mushy texture

Viruses
The common cold - invisible to the eye.

Food contamination the consumption of contaminated foods causes many thousands of cases of food poisoning and other foodborne illnesses each year. Most food poisoning is caused by foods handled, prepared or stored incorrectly by operators in the foodservice industry.

Food poisoning is nearly always avoidable. It occurs because someone has neglected, forgotten or has never been told the basic rules of food hygiene.

Preventing Food Poisoning
Since most food poisoning bacteria come from people and raw food, the best way to prevent contamination of the food we eat is to prevent direct or indirect contact between these major sources and our prepared. This can be achieved by:
-attention to personal hygiene and health
-prevention of cross-contamination
-cleaning and sanitising

Personal Hygiene
Following is a list of the important aspects of hygiene, which must be followed by anyone who handles food.
-practice personal cleanliness by showering daily, using deodorant, by keeping hair clean and neat, nails clean and trimmed and by wearing clean clothes
-wash hands frequently during the day and every time after -visiting the toilet -using a handkerchief or tissue -handling raw foods -handling garbage -smoking -coughing, sneezing or scratching -any work break
-keep hands and fingers out of food; do not taste food from fingers; use a clean tasting spoon every time. Otherwise eating on the job must be discouraged. Crumbs can fall from mouth and saliva contaminate the fingers.
-if food must be manipulated by hand, wear plastic disposable gloves, and dispose of the gloves after use.
-handle customers’ eating utensils in a sanitary manner. Do not touch the parts of the utensils, which are to come into contact with the food or the customers mouth.

Avoiding Food Contamination
Definition- Cross contamination is the transferring of microorganisms from contaminated foods and areas to cooked or prepared foods. This usually means transferring micro-organisms from raw food to cooked food.
-consider all raw foods as contaminated with food poisoning bacteria
-use separate storage areas for raw and prepared foods. If you have insufficient facilities to store them separately, prevent cross-contamination within a storage area by placing raw food on shelves below cooked food. Food should always be covered during storage.
-use colour coded chopping boards (red = raw meat, yellow = chicken,green = vegetables, brown = cooked meat, white = dairy and bread, blue = seafood
-use separate utensils for the handling of raw and cooked foods, or wash and sanitize them thoroughly between jobs
-wash hands after changing duties
-do not keep food in the danger zone for extended periods. Place food in the cool room until required
-a thermometer should be used to check the temp of food that is being cooked or reheated. Food should be cooked above 80 degrees celsius and reheated to 75 degrees celsius
-thaw food in the microwave or cool room only

Safe Food Handling Practices

Safe food handling practices refers to the practices adopted to protect food from contamination and eliminate the growth of bacteria.

1. Purchasing & receiving foods
-to ensure good quality products, deal only with well-established, reputable suppliers
-on delivery, establish inspection procedures to be followed. Eg. Check for damage to packages, leaks, odours, bruising, surface moulds, moisture, swelling cans, partial thawing, insect damage and/or date stamping
-potentially hazardous foods should be below 5 degrees celsius, or at a temperature of 60 degrees celsius or above

2. Storing foods
-all foods, whether a dry good, refrigerated or frozen food , should be stored following the FIFO ( first in first out) rule.

3. Storing dry goods
-store foods in sealed containers
-foods must be stored on shelves

4. Cold storage
-cold storage areas must be well maintained to prevent contamination of foods and the growth of bacteria
-store at correct temperatures - cold food less than 5 degrees celsius and frozen food less than -18 degrees celsius
-store raw and cooked foods separately. Never store raw foods above cooked foods as any juices containing bacteria may drip onto cooked food and contaminate it

5. Shelf life of foods
Shelf life reflects the period from the time of manufacture until the time the food item is no longer fit for human consumption

6. cooling & defrosting foods

-COOLING
-cool to < 5 degrees celsius within 4 hours
-break down and place into wide shallow containers
-use the refrigerator to cool when the food is 60 degrees celsius
-use a blast chiller if available

Defrosting foods
If defrosting occurs at too high a temperature than food poisoning bacteria could grow
-never defrost foods at room temperature, such as on the bench
-defrost foods at below 5 degrees celsius or in a microwave

7. Food preparation
-wash raw foods thoroughly, particularly fruits and vegetables that may be contaminated with dirt, fertilisers and pesticides.
-avoid unnecessary human contact and over handling of food, Use tongs or disposable gloves
-prepare raw and cooked foods separately, using separate chopping boards and utensils where possible. This helps to prevent cross contamination, which occurs when microorganisms are transferred from a contaminated food to an uncontaminated food via hands, utensils or poor storage

8. Cooking and holding food cooking foods at a high enough temperature destroys most bacteria and holding at the correct temperature reduces further growth
-food such as chicken, boned and rolled roasts, cubed meat and mince should be cooked to above 75 degrees celsius within 1 hour of starting the cooking process. this refers to the internal temperature of the food and can only be effectively checked by using a thermometer or temperature probe.

9. Reheating foods
-reheat foods to above 60 degrees celsius within 1 hour and continue heating until the food is at least 75 degrees celsius
-only reheat foods once

WHEN IN DOUBT THROW IT OUT!

Displaying and serving food
-during self service the food must be protected from contamination eg sneeze guard
-check temperatures regularly, ensure hot food is above 60 degrees celsius and cold food is below 5 degrees celsius
-all self-service food must display a sign of at least 10 millimetres stating CUSTOMERS - USE ONLY THE SERVING UTENSILS PROVIDED IT IS AN OFFENCE TO HANDLE FOOD WITH YOUR FINGERS

Temperatures safe temp - 75 degrees celsius zone of destruction - 100 degrees celsius danger zone - 5 to 60 degrees celsius dry storage - 10 to 20 degrees celsius refrigerator - 0 to 5 degrees celsius freezer storage - -18 degrees celsius zone of inactivity (freezing point) 5 to -30 degrees celsius

The legal requirements

Laws are developed to ensure that food is handled, stored, transported and offered for sale in the best possible condition.

legislations exists in the form of
-Food Act 2003 (NSW)
-Food Regulation 2004 (NSW)

NSW food act 2003 the 2003 NSW Food Act is the main legislation relating to the safe handling of food for sale in NSW. This act replaces the NSW Food Act of 1989. Its aim is to protect public health by prevent the sale of contaminated or adulterated food.
The food act covers all aspects related to the handling of food and the maintenance of hygienic food premises.
Environmental Health Officers (EHO’s) are authorized to inspect any hospitality premises where food is destined for sale and take samples of food away for further investigation if necessary.
In the case of an EHO determining the establishment does not meet requirements, the Department of Health will order a cleanup notice temporarily closing the establishment.
In the worst-case scenario where the clean up is not satisfactory, the Department of Health can order that the premises be closed down.

The objects of this Act include the following:
(a) to ensure food for sale is both safe and suitable for human consumption,
(b) to prevent misleading conduct in connection with the sale of food,
(c) to provide for the application in this State of the Food Standards Code.

Food (General) Regulation, 2004
Food (general) Regulation, 2004, covers in detail, everything related to the handling of food, the food handler, premises, equipment and the transportation of food and food products.
It includes:

Construction standards for food premises and vehicles.
Appliances used to handle food to be safe, clean and unbroken and made out of certain materials
Packaging and labeling of food
Protection of food from contamination
Cleanliness and hygiene of food handlers
The storage and labeling of prepackaged pre-packaged meat and the use of butcher shops (provisions relating to the sale of meat).

Food Standards Australia New Zealand food standards Australia new zealand (FSANZ) review food safety standards in Australia and have developed the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. This code was put into place to
-responsible for developing and reviewing standards for food available in Australia and New Zealand
-co-ordinating national recall systems