Breaking into the food business is an exciting time for new entrepreneurial restaurateurs. If you’re planning to own a restaurant or a food truck, you and your employees must practice safe sanitation. Maintaining a sanitary preparation area for your food will make your food delicious and safe to eat for your customers.
Follow this list of guidelines to get started on the journey to safe sanitation for your restaurant or food truck.
Maintain Good Personal Hygiene Habits
Maintaining good personal hygiene habits is the first step to proper safe sanitation. Safe sanitation starts with the preparer because the responsibility of that individual decides the overall outcome of food safety.
A personal hygiene schedule as a restauranteur includes showering daily, washing hands in between food preparation tasks, and wearing hairnets if you have long hair. If your employees do not wash their hands, there is risk of germs and viruses being transmitted to the food and possibly making your customers sick.
Be sure that Food Equipment and Utensils are Cleaned and Sanitized
Keeping food equipment and preparation utensils clean and sanitized will lessen the possibility of transmitting foodborne illnesses to your dishes. Watch out for the health of your customers by regularly cleaning and sanitizing equipment and utensils after every use.
Be sure that certain food equipment and utensils are only used for its intended purpose. For example, the meat grinder should only grind meat and not grind vegetables. Cross contamination occurs when you use one equipment or utensil for a different type of food than in which it is intended. Keep all vegetable prep on one cutting board, all beef on one cutting board, and etcetera.
Ensure proper Maintenance in the Working Area
Ways to ensure proper maintenance on the working area in your restaurant or food truck include:
- Have a pest control treatment every so often done in the kitchen.
- Clean the kitchen top to bottom before closing every night.
- Clean and sanitize counters used to prepare food.
- Sweep, mop, and sanitize the floors to get rid of dirt and germs that may invade the air during kitchen prep the next day.
Keep preparation spaces with these guidelines to practice safe sanitation in your restaurant or food truck. Know the best and easiest ways to keep a working area safe and sanitary, like using the correct dairy brick flooring. A sanitary work environment starts with the responsibility of the owner and the employees. Be sure to regularly train your staff for sanitary food preparation.