Kitchen Deep Cleaning – Advice for Caterers

Kitchen Deep Cleaning – How Can Caterers Guard Against Food Poisoning Risks?

Food poisoning is one of the major worries for all caterers, so it's vital to put measures in place to guard against the risk, including kitchen deep cleaning. It's estimated there may be as many as a million cases every year in the UK. Although most of those affected might just suffer a stomach bug, some end up in hospital and research studies have found that bouts of food poisoning can have damaging long-term effects.

The risk to health is of course the most serious concern, but there is also a danger to your business. If a case is traced back to your restaurant, you could face fines and a temporary shutdown, as well as suffering bad publicity. 

All food businesses need to meet various hygiene regulations, undergoing regular inspections. By showing that your premises are spotless, you will gain a top hygiene grading, helping to attract customers. If you need advice on how to improve your kitchen cleaning practices, expert commercial cleaning contractors can help.

Handling Poultry

Bacteria in raw poultry is one of the most common reasons for food poisoning outbreaks in Britain.

The Food Standards Agency estimates around 280,000 cases a year are due to the bacteria campylobacter, with the vast majority being down to unsafe handling of contaminated poultry. 

The FSA has recently been raising awareness of the dangers and how to avoid them, by launching its 'Chicken Challenge', aimed at both businesses and individuals. It is urging anybody handling chicken to store it covered and separate from other foods and keep it chilled, at the bottom of the refrigerator. It must then be cooked thoroughly.

Other key advice is not to wash raw chicken, which only ends up spreading bacteria, but to ensure thorough cleaning of everything which has come in contact with the poultry, including kitchen equipment and surfaces. 

Safe Kitchen Practice

As well as safe handling of poultry, constant vigilance against the risks of cross-contamination in general is needed. This means keeping raw foods separately from cooked ones and cleaning and disinfecting all cooking and preparation equipment and surfaces before use. Washing hands both before food preparation and after touching any raw foods is another must. 

Cooking and chilling are two other key areas for safe practice. All food must be cooked properly so that it is piping hot right through. Cooked food needs to be cooled as quickly as possible before it is put in the fridge. If you have chilled products delivered to your restaurant, their temperature needs to be checked on delivery. Food which needs chilling must be put straight into the fridge and kept out for as little time as possible during preparation. Your fridge must also be kept at a safe temperature. 

Thorough Cleaning

A daily cleaning regime is essential in all areas where food is prepared, including cleaning as you go, with attention to both surfaces and equipment. However, daily cleaning alone is not enough. There will be some hidden areas you can't get to and some cooking equipment, such as an industrial oven, may need to be partly dismantled to enable thorough cleaning.

Regularly scheduled kitchen deep cleaning is therefore essential to ensure you are cooking and preparing food in a safe environment. You also need to arrange regular ductwork cleaning, since kitchen ventilation will contain a build-up of grease you can't see but which, if neglected, could grow bacteria and contaminate food.

Ingot Services can provide customers in Suffolk, Essex, Liverpool, London and across the UK with one-off deep kitchen cleaning or regularly scheduled deep cleans, as required. Our services will give you confidence that your kitchen complies with all official standards on hygiene and food safety.

Kitchen Deep Cleaning  – Follow the link or call us now on 0800 731 7892 for details of our services.