Safe food preparation and storage

It is our responsibility to ensure that we always comply with the regulations relating to food preparation and sale. This section is therefore very important, and you must read, and understand it all.

To begin with, to follow is some useful information for you, as a food handler . . .

Food handlers and the law

Everyone who deals with food as part of his or her work has a legal responsibil- ity to safeguard food. Generally speaking your legal responsibility means that you must ensure that:

You keep yourself clean.

You keep your workplace clean. You wear suitable clean clothing.

You do everything possible to protect food from contamination. You store, prepare and display food at safe temperatures.

You tell us if you have any symptoms of a food-borne illness (sickness, upset stomach, etc.), or other illness and conditions.

You must also ensure that you do not:

Do anything that would expose food to contamination. Sell food that is unfit for human consumption.

Work with food if you have food poisoning or similar symptoms until we, or your doctor, say it is safe to do so.

Personal hygiene

You should be dressed as required by the ‘Taste Dress Code’ in the Housekeeping section of the handbook.

You should always wash your hands in hot water, using the antibacterial handwash provided, before preparing food.

The right-hand sink in the kitchen is for hand-washing only. Do not wash dishes or any food produce in this sink.

You should always wear gloves when preparing food. And change your gloves each time you begin a new task.

You should not touch your face or hair, chew gum or eat, while preparing food.

You should have removed all jewellery (except wedding band) from your hands. This includes watches, bracelets, etc.

Your hair should be securely tied back. You should have put on a clean Taste apron.

You should be ‘fit for work’ and not carrying an illness which could cause a problem with food safety. This includes diarrhoea, vomiting, skin sores, etc. If you feel you may be suffering from such an illness tell the café manager immediately.

Food preparation

It’s also vital that all staff follow our food preparation guidelines, as this ensures that no cross-contamination occurs and that food is stored safely. Here are some key points you must remember . . .

Different tools for different jobs. Undertake one food preparation job at a time, and always have a fresh chopping board, knife, gloves, bowl, etc. This way you won’t contaminate one food type with another.

You must always label any food which you prepare, open, decant, slice, wash, etc. Labels are provided; you must simply fill in each section and put on the outside of the tub where it can be seen. If you forget, guidelines to use-by dates are on the fridge and freezer doors, or just ask the manager who’ll be happy to remind you.

Always clean and clear as you go. Remove all packaging, plastic, string, etc. This reduces the chances of any debris getting into the food as you prepare it.

Always follow the Taste recipe book instructions. This is because weights, measures, possible allergy issues have all been considered, and by failing to follow the recipe instructions you could put a customer at risk.

Only remove ingredients and foodstuffs from the fridge or freezer when you need to use them. Don’t leave things sitting out at room temperature when it’s not necessary.

Keep food covered as much as possible, to prevent the possibility of anything falling into it.

If you think anything has contaminated the food tell the manager immediately.

If a customer has a food allergy and queries the ingredients of a dish, don’t guess! Ask the manager who can help you.

When you are re-heating food always use the probe provided to ensure it’s piping hot! Undercooked food could be very dangerous and make a customer ill!

Section 4 – Cleaning

It’s very important for our café to be clean. This is because it makes it not only more hygienic, but also safer.

To follow are some important points for you to remember.

Dirty cloths are the worst offenders for cross-contamination. If you are cleaning a surface use a cloth, then dispose of it, or use a length of blue roll. Ensure that you take care not to spray disinfectant spray when open food is close by.

We have a set end of day cleaning schedule. We stick to it strictly so that nothing is missed and everything is cleaned properly. Once trained you must follow the schedule, and not change it or amend it without being asked to do so by the manager.

Clean and clear the workstation area as soon as you have finished a task. Don’t let dirty tools, chopping boards, etc. back up.

Wash or wipe away any spills as soon as they happen.

Regularly use the spray disinfectant and blue roll to clean work surfaces and fridge handles.

Bins should be emptied regularly, and stored in the rubbish store area to await twice-daily collections. Wash hand, in hot water, using disinfectant soap provided, after empting bins.