Food safety is paramount in any kitchen, retail outlet or warehouse in the foodservice industry. The value of a great product or meal is completely undermined when risks associated with ill-hygiene and preparation are involved. This is especially important as an aged-care hospitality provider or a small caterer.

So, to make things a little clearer and to avoid any doubt, we’ve made a list of five food safety handling tips which we encourage you to read, learn, and share. You won’t regret it – and your customers will thank you for it!

1. Clean

The Food Safety Information Council is right when they say ‘our health is in our hands’. The bacteria, germs and who-knows-what we carry on our hands is a smorgasbord of risk when it comes to food prep, so clean hands are the first and most important tool in any food handling.

Remember the 20/20 rule – 20 seconds of cleaning and 20 seconds of drying – before AND after you prepare or cook food, especially raw meats.

2. Same/Same But Not Different

Cooked food should never be stored with raw food – especially meats. This is the same for plates – don’t put cooked meat back on the plate that raw meat was on and use separate knives and cutting boards for each.

3. If It’s Hot, Keep It Hot

Make sure food is being cooked at a temperature of at least 60 degrees. Hot food needs to stay hot too – so unless you’re going to chill it straight away, make sure it never loses heat. When reheating, get it back to that 60 degrees and make sure it’s heated all the way through.

4. Get It Cold, Quickly

Any food that needs to be stored in the fridge should be done as soon as possible – food that’s been left out for more than two hours is no longer safe to eat. Remember to keep cooked and raw food separately, and choose smaller, shallower dishes if you want your food to cool faster.

5. If In Doubt, Throw It Out

Customers except a lot of from you – great service, great food, and a great experience, but they probably aren’t asking for a few days off sick – and the feeling of never wanting to return to your restaurant or product again! If you’re not sure if the food is safe or has been handled properly, then throw it out. And if the cost of doing this makes you cringe a little, the value of healthy, safe food handling tips will certainly be much higher on your to-do list!

There’s a lot to keep in control in the kitchen, but there’s also plenty of information and business out there are here to help you! To find out more and to get more insight into the best way to keep your kitchen safe, check out Fine Food Australia 2015 – register online today for free entry.