Food for thought how to keep abreast of legislation
August 1st 2006 Following the EU food hygiene legislation that came into force on 1st January 2006, Emma Nourry, trade marketing manager at Lotus Professional discusses its implications for commercial kitchen health and hygiene
Maintaining stringent levels of food hygiene is always a major concern for food outlets but with the introduction of the new EU legislation this year, standards are coming under more and more scrutiny," says Nourry.
"The EU legislation introduced a "farm to fork" approach in that for the first time it applies not only to businesses serving food but also producers such as farmers and growers. The other key change is that businesses are now required to put in place and maintain food hygiene procedures based on HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points).
"HACCP relies on the identification of "Critical Points" in both food production and preparation processes: these are the areas where food safety problems could arise and where steps must be put in place to prevent things going wrong.
"It is estimated that 5.5 million people are affected by food poisoning every year. The new food hygiene laws have therefore been put in place to protect customers and to ensure that proper care and attention is taken to prevent the kitchen environment from becoming a potential breeding ground for bacteria.
"The most common forms of bacteria which can cause food poisoning if food hygiene procedures are not observed are: Clostridium Perfringens, Salmonella, Listeria and E.coli 0157.
"For kitchen managers, the first step in creating a HACCP plan is conducting a hazard analysis. Every step of the process from supply to end customer needs to be examined. Managers must then determine the critical control points in their kitchen environment. There are courses available in how to write HACCP plans making the process much easier to manage.
"When reviewing kitchen hygiene an area that can sometimes be overlooked is the use of appropriate cloths to wipe food preparation areas, chopping boards and utensils. If not used safely, cloths can be a major cause of cross-contamination of bacteria from raw to cooked food.
"It is also critical that any cleaning cloths used are suitably hard wearing and resistant to harsh sanitisers and textured surfaces.
"Colour coded cloths, such as Dine-A-Wipe by Lotus Professional, can help increase hygiene in the kitchen environment and reduce the risk of cross-contamination. Thanks to anti-microbial treatment that is active throughout the life of the cloth, bacteria is prevented from growing. Tests show that the anti-microbial treatment inhibited the growth of four of the most common and aggressive types of germs* within the cloth.
"The different colours red for raw poultry, yellow for cooked meat and cooked foods, green for raw fish or raw meat and blue for vegetables, limit the risk of cross-contamination from raw to cooked food, increasing hygiene further. For optimal food hygiene, the colour code should also be applied to utensils such as chopping boards and knives. All kitchen staff should be aware of the colour coding system and it's a good idea for managers to provide ongoing training and refreshers to ensure that staff continue to follow the codes in place.
"Improving hygiene in the kitchen should be at the top of the agenda for caterers. With the new laws now in place, food outlets have a lot to do to ensure standards are maintained. Despite this it is clear that together with a HACCP system, good staff training and careful thought about the products used, small changes can make a huge difference in removing hygiene risks in the kitchen."
For more information please visit www.lotusprofessional.co.uk or visit: www.cleaning-matters.co.uk and use the free enquiry service.
* Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli 0157, Salmonella enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus. Dine-A-Wipe inhibited growth to 42mm and beyond that of the material to 60mm. More articles from Georgia-Pacific GB Limited (Lotus Professional): | 
