16 Aug Hot Food Display Case Safety Tips You Must Know
This article will give you information on how to organise a hot food display case so you can avoid such dangers in future. By the end, you should have a good understanding of the basics of how to manage such a display, so read on for more information.
Despite safety expectations, almost two hundred people die every year in the UK due to food poisoning. A lot of this is due to people not following health and safety advice. But do you and those who work for you know and follow these recommendations.
Allergen Control
Be aware of cross-contamination. To prevent this, do not share utensils or equipment between different food types. This is especially important if the food contains common deadly allergens such as peanuts.
Another good practice is to have spare one-use equipment available. You should use these for orders by people who inform you they are allergic to specific foodstuffs.
Ensure you clean surfaces between serving different customers. This is even more true if the customer mentions an allergy.
Correct Heat
Bacteria can multiply fast if food remains in the “danger zone” of warmth. This heat is between around five and sixty degrees Celcius. When at this temperature, food poisoning bacteria will grow and spread with great speed.
Any hot food display case in the UK should remain at an appropriate temperature to avoid this. Cold food can also remain refrigerated for a similar effect to prevent contamination.
Do Not Mix Batches
If you have food out for any significant length of time it can start to build up bacteria. If you then put new food in with it, you will contaminate it with the already-existing bacteria. You should instead remove old food and clean the surface before replacing it with new food.
These days, a commercial hot food display case will have removable inserts that can swap out instead of you needing to refill them. This can prevent old food and new food mixing.
Cover Food
When working in a busy environment, it is possible for accidents to happen. When that occurs, foreign objects such as jewellery can fall into the food. This will contaminate the food with any bacteria already on the object.
If you have food out, you should have the ability to cover the food to prevent it from coming into contact with items like this. If the food is public-facing, such as in a restaurant hot food display case for a buffet, this is especially important.
The Best Hot Food Display Case
You should now have a good idea of some of the best practices for handling any hot food display case you might have. If you are planning to buy such an installation, though, you may still have questions, and we are here to answer them.
We are a refrigeration company based in the Hoddesdon area that provides catering equipment across the UK. If you have any queries on how to best use our products, you need to only get in touch and we will be able to advise you on what your next steps should be.
