Food Safety and Hygiene part 1

Food safety 1 | Food safety 2 | Food safety 3 | Food safety law | COSHH | HACCP |

Statement Of Food Policy

The Blue Pudding will strive to assure that all food produced within Blue Pudding's kitchens and restaurants will be carried out in accordance with the ingredients and methods specified by the Head of Blue Pudding in liaison with the Executive Head Chef and the Hazard Analysis procedures.

It is the unit manager's responsibility to assure that all of the food produced is of the highest quality, matches it's description, is wholesome and appetising.

In order to produce food that is wholesome and safe, the following provisions will have to be made and will be strictly adhered to:

Each stage of every catering operation from delivery to service shall be constantly monitored, reviewed and corrective action taken where appropriate.

Risk Assessments associated with food safety and Hazard Analysis studies shall be carried out and all identified risks ought be eliminated or satisfactorily controlled.

All food handlers should receive sufficient information and training to a nationally recognised and certified standard in food hygiene and safety, commensurate with their role and responsibilities.

The highest possible standards of cleanliness have to be maintained for premises and equipment at all times.

Suitable washing facilities will be provided for all food handlers as well as a daily provision of clean protective clothing.

All food handlers should be medically screened pre-employment, and thereafter annually, to ensure good health and hygiene standards.

All complaints from customers regarding ill health, foreign objects in food or poor quality will be thoroughly investigated and remedial action taken as necessary.

Strict temperature controls should be maintained on all foods.

Food premises will be maintained in good repair and condition at all times.

Blue Pudding acknowledges the hazards associated with food production in relation to food hygiene and safety and will exercise all due diligence and take all reasonable precautions to assure that the highest standards are maintained throughout the operation.

Signature........................................................

Date.............................................................

Organisation And Responsibilities

Who is carrying out the policy? In general, it depends on the law of the relevant country; the Managing Director is ultimately responsible for all of the catering activities undertaken within company while the Manager of the Catering Department is responsible for the implementation of the Food Safety Policy.

Food Safety Advisor

The responsibilities of a Food Safety Advisors, if Blue Pudding has employed such a person, are:

To give advice to the Head of Blue Pudding on all matters of food hygiene and safety. The Food Safety Advisors report to Blue Pudding's General Manager, with responsibility for providing technical advice on matters concerning food hygiene, staff training, staff practices, specific cleaning, design of kitchens / restaurants and departments, quality assurance and equipment specifications.

To provide training for members of the Catering Department in Food Hygiene and Safety at all levels.

To carry out inspections of all food areas as deemed necessary to assure compliance with all aspects of the law and other related legislation.

The Food Safety Advisors will investigate and take any necessary remedial action for all food complaints or enquiries that relate to the hygiene or safety of food and assure that Blue Pudding's reputation is upheld.

General Manager

The General Managers of food areas must ensure that the Managers and staff under their control are trained to the required levels and supervise and train the staff under their control to ensure that company's food safety standards are maintained at all times.

Departmental Manager

The Managers and senior Chefs are responsible for controlling food hygiene and safety within their departments and must assure that themselves and the staff directly under their control adhere to all aspects of the policy.

They are also responsible for carrying out ongoing training for all staff under their control in order that they can perform the tasks given to them confidently and safely, and also understand the controls required to reduce the risk of food contamination.

The Heads of departments are responsible for ensuring that all maintenance and engineering work is carried out by reporting faults to the their line manager. Advice will be given as required by the Food Safety Advisors regarding the nature of repairs.

They must carry out periodic self-audits within their own units in order to determine what is required in terms of food safety. Again, the Food Safety Advisors will provide advice and assistance. A copy of a blank self-audit can be found in the Appendices and should be photocopied.

Food Handlers

All food handlers have a moral and legal responsibility to protect food from the risk of contamination; to keep themselves, their protective clothing and work areas clean at all times; to avoid direct food handling and to report any illness that may place food, customers or other staff at risk.

All staff should undergo pre-employment medical screening to ensure good health and hygiene standards. Thereafter, an annual check-up ought be carried out to monitor health and reinforce hygiene standards.

Staff must report any illnesses to their manager or supervisor to prevent the possible spread of infection.

All staff must attend courses as the law in most countries requires (Basic Food Hygiene and COSHH) complying with current legislative requirements, and must attain passes on appropriate courses in order to maintain Blue Pudding's standards and allow for continual professional development. Staff working with high-risk foods may be asked to undertake a higher level of training.

H.A.C.C.P. Policy

Blue Pudding will endeavour to assure that all food produced within kitchens and restaurants will be carried out in accordance with the ingredients and methods specified by the Executive Chef and the Hazard Analysis procedures.

Mission Statement

"Blue Pudding's aims to achieve and maintain the highest standards of food and environmental safety, to protect the consumer from food poisoning and other contamination dangers, and to maintain a system which enables the production of high quality food products".

Emphasis is placed on:

Health, knowledge, and responsibilities of all food management, supervisors, and their personnel. Time, temperature controls, and safe food handling practices by means of training and supervision.

Implementation of HACCP will involve the following stages:

Assessing hazards within food production (Chemical, Physical, Microbiological)

• Assembling a HACCP team, informing each member of their duties
• Training food handling staff in principles of HACCP. Keep training records and update training as necessary at least annually or when new recruits join Blue Pudding.
• Detailing ingredients and products
• Constructing and verifying detailed flow diagrams identifying every process step
• Identifying hazards at each step in the operation
• Identifying points which are critical to the safety of food
• Determining targets which must be reached
• Establish monitoring systems for each critical control point
• Record and document system
• Verify system with all of HACCP team
• Issue system to all of HACCP team and line chefs
• Review and update HACCP system when necessary. Review whole HACCP system at least annually

HACCP systems are only as effective as the input and commitment shown by the food handling Mangers, their staff, and food safety management. The education and training of all personnel are critical to the success of the HACCP system and the prevention of a food poisoning outbreak.

We never underestimate the benefits of high standards of hygiene in satisfying customers, ensuring that Blue Pudding's reputation is maintained along with staff morale, compliance with legislation, and the minimisation of food complaints.

Managers must always lead by example and provide staff with suitable incentives to encourage the maintenance of standards and prevent the contamination of food. For more information have a look under HACCP.

Topical Food Issues

All food-related issues that become 'food scares', or those of general interest for customers and staff, will be reported upon by the Head of Department; up-to-date information regarding these issues should be provided by a regular newsletter, and advice will be given on any action necessary. All products recalls will be co-ordinated by the Head of Department, who will advise managers on the procedure.

Bse

Bovine Spongiform Encaphalopathy affected a number of beef cattle over the last two decades and it was alleged that this could be transmitted to humans through eating certain cuts of beef. Blue Pudding will only purchases and serves what are considered by the Government to be safe cuts of beef, from reputable suppliers.

Salmonella

In 1988, the Agriculture Minister of the UK was forced to resign after stating that most of the UK egg -producing hens and their eggs were infected with salmonella. This was at the time fairly accurate, and raw shell eggs still pose a high risk to consumers if they are eaten raw or under-cooked. Due to this, all eggs used in Blue Pudding will be liquid, pasteurised eggs except those which will undergo carefully monitored cooking and/or cooling processes to obviate the risk of Salmonella poisoning. Any shell eggs that are used will always be stored in a lidded plastic container under refrigeration, away from other high-risk products, as there is a possibility of contamination both on the shell and inside.

All raw poultry products has to come from reputable suppliers and is carefully monitored from delivery and storage to preparation, cooking and service, to ensure that the risk to consumers is minimised.

E. Coli 0157

Due to the potentially fatal consequences of consuming food contaminated with these bacteria, strict control measures have been implemented. As cattle are the primary source of contamination, Blue Pudding will only accepts beef that is purchased from reputable suppliers and carries relevant abattoir safety stamps, allowing the meat to be traced to the supplier and the actual herd if required.

All beef products must be carefully cooked and physically checked with digital, probe thermometers to ensure that the centre of the meat has reached the desired temperature for a sufficient length of time (+75°C for at least 2 mins). These checks must be logged and records kept on file for three months in the office. All raw and cooked meat products are physically separated during storage and presentation for sale to reduce the risk of cross contamination.

All equipment used in the preparation of raw meat must always be thoroughly dismantled, cleaned and disinfected before it is used again. Beef burgers must be cooked to order or partially cooked and held above +63 °C or below +8 °C and then reheated thoroughly. Children must never be served ‘rare’ burgers.

No raw or unpasteurised cows milk should be used in any kitchen. Any unpasteurised cheeses for sale or service must be clearly labelled and physically separated from other cheeses to prevent the risk of contamination between them. Separate utensils and storage containers must also be used for these products to further reduce risks.

Genetically Modified Foods

Due to the current dilemma as to whether Genetically Modified (GM) food products could be harmful to health, every effort ought to be made to obtain details of ingredients from food suppliers and alternative suppliers or products will be sought if these are found to contain any genetically modified material.

Listeria

As with E. Coli 0157, Listeria monocytogenes bacteria can infect milk products. Soft cheeses made with unpasteurised milk pose the greatest risk, so the control measures for these products are the same as those for E. Coli 0157.

Pregnant women are advised not to consume mould ripened soft cheeses, as the bacteria can multiply slowly to dangerous levels even when refrigerated; infection resulting from ingestion of these has been reported to cause abortions. Mould ripened soft cheese must legally be kept below +8 degrees centigrade because of the risk from these bacteria (it may be kept at above + 8 degrees for a period of up to four hours but then must be discarded).

Allergies

The most common food allergies or intolerance’s are those associated with milk or wheat products, while much more severe or fatal reactions are associated with nuts, shellfish and sesame seeds.

Most people who suffer from an allergy are aware of it, and know not to consume those products, even in small amounts; however, ingestion is sometimes accidental. If a customer enquires about the ingredients of a product, information regarding this must be sought from the manager or chef. If the information is still unclear, it is safer to advise the customer not to choose that product.

Staff must be regularly trained in knowledge of all menu items and ingredients, especially when new menus are introduced. Clear signage on the menu is essential to assist customers make the right choices and avoid allergic reactions.

If a customer has a reaction, deterioration can be extremely rapid; typical complaints are swelling of the mouth and tongue and breathing problems. First Aid must be called immediately, and in some cases a Doctor or ambulance may also be required.

Quality Assurance Inspections

Formal audits should be carried out regularly by professional Food Safety Advisors, during which the structure and fabric within kitchens and restaurants will be examined, along with records, procedures, food handling practices and standards of cleanliness.

A written report will be given to the unit managers and senior management and at the conclusion of the inspection, verbal clarification will be given to unit managers in order to clarify any problem areas and the remedial action that is required.

It is the unit manager’s responsibility to report any defects in equipment or the fabric of the kitchens to the Head of Blue Pudding as soon as they occur. All remedial cleaning tasks (that are the manager’s responsibility) must be completed within twenty-four hours of this inspection unless otherwise stated by the Food Safety Advisor. The night cleaners will be informed of their requirements also. If bad practices are found, the problems will be reported to the manager or senior chef, who will instruct and supervise the staff in the correct procedure. On site training will be given to staff where possible. Where all parties will seek possible solutions in order that the problems can be rectified as soon as possible.

A "Managers Self Checklist" for restaurants and kitchens is appended at the back of this policy as a guide (only) for the managers to check on the standards found in their own units.

Environmental Health Officers

Periodically, Environmental Health Officers (EHO’s) will inspect the kitchens and restaurants without notice to ensure that Blue Pudding’s is complying with current food legislation.

Staff must fully co-operate with these officers and treat them with courtesy (as if they were a customer). Any questions asked must be answered honestly and in a professional manner. If the answer is not known, refer the EHO to a more senior member of staff or someone who can provide those details. Managers must ensure that all staff are familiar with any controls and procedures for safe food preparation and service in their immediate work area, and therefore should be able to provide the necessary answers.

EHO’s are entitled to study any documents (except those of a financial nature), processes and practices and any part of the catering area, and may take samples of food they believe to be suspect. A senior manager will, under normal circumstances, accompany the EHO during their visit, and most questions will be directed to them.