LOCAL food authorities estimate that close to four million Australians suffer from some type of food poisoning each year.
Unfortunately for the hospitality industry as a whole, a high proportion of food contamination cases still originate in commercial food outlets, a statistic that is causing food outlets to take a closer look at food handling operations.
In today’s highly litigious climate, where class action claims are becoming the norm, a case of food contamination is enough to send the most lucrative restaurant broke.
While Government food safety and hygiene regulations vary slightly from state to state, they all have two things in common—they are tough and carry heavy penalties for anyone found guilty of breaching the legislation at any stage of the handling process.
Manufacturers and suppliers of kitchen equipment and cleaning materials are equally at risk and morally and legally bound to ensure that they have taken best practice food hygiene measures on board.
The biggest safeguard for both groups is HACCP Australia which designs and manages food safety programs (FSPs). The company says that an FSP requires a thorough systematic approach, including staff training, in order to maintain measurable standards of cleanliness and hygiene.
HACCP director Martin Stone says the group identifies and manages potential hazards and reduces risks for its clients. This includes endorsing products and services—provided they measure up to the stringent HACCP criteria that have been adopted worldwide.
As a result, leading manufacturers and suppliers are ensuring their products are HACCP-compliant in order to minimise potential food contamination risks.
The latest dish and pot washers, for example, incorporate temperature controls to ensure that sanitising rinses of 82 degrees are achieved—data can be saved to prove that proper procedures have not been compromised in the event of any dispute.
Efficient temperature controls—in cooking, storage and cleaning—are vital components of the food handling process and ensure there is no risk of bacterial growth.
When food is cooked and stored there is always a risk that food contamination may occur unless the food is immediately chilled. As a result, the latest blast chillers and fridges/freezers now continually monitor correct temperatures.
Staff training in personal hygiene and food handling operations is also paramount. So is making sure your entire premises are ‘spotless’, while remembering, and planning for, the fact that residues from cleaning chemicals also pose a threat to food.
The use of steam cleaning devices continue to be a growing tool of choice for kitchens—the fact that most do not use chemicals is an obvious benefit.
One of Australia’s largest suppliers of steam cleaning machines, Steam Australia, reports that recent demand has far exceeded its expectations. Steam Australia proprietor Mark Rosenberg says the use of steam cleaning machines is huge overseas and all indications are that Australia is now following the lead.
He says the company’s machines have been tested in controlled laboratories in the US and UK and the steam was shown to eliminate bacteria in self-generated slime (biofilm) that is an unwelcome guest in the moist conditions found in many kitchens, bathrooms and toilets. The tests showed that 90–100% of germs were killed within three seconds being steam sprayed.
Rosenberg says steam cleaning is beneficial to commercial operations because the machines are safe; they reduce labour and are cost-effective.
He claims outlets benefit by reducing labour, energy and chemical bills and minimising the risks of food contamination; patrons and staff enjoy a safe, hygienic workplace; and the environment is benefiting through reduced chemical and water use—no chemicals are needed in steam cleaning—a small amount of water, and the energy to heat it, are used to generate blasts of dry steam. “No matter how good the cleaning staff, the old mop and bucket method is dangerous, simply moving dirt from one place to the next. And it requires chemicals which can be left as residue on surfaces,” Rosenberg says.
“Dirt and grease are able to build up, providing the perfect growth environment for dangerous organisms and the risks of direct and cross contamination.”
He also says the latest steam cleaning machines can handle any cleaning/sanitising job—furniture, upholstery, drapes and blinds, carpets, windows—in any room as well as the tougher tasks in kitchens, toilets and bathrooms, because they operate at temperatures of between 130-180 degrees Celsius, which eliminates the build up of dirt and grease leaving only water as a residue.