HIDDEN DANGERS

3rd July 2008, 12:46pm

WITH INCIDENCES OF FOOD POISONING INCREASING DURING THE WARMER MONTHS, WE LOOK AT HOW RESTAURANTS CAN AVOID FALLING FOUL OF BAD HYGIENE PRACTICES THROUGH THE SUMMER SEASON

Tourism in the UK is on the increase with holidaymakers enjoying around 500 million days out while there are more than 7.3 million domestic short breaks predicted to be taken this year. The summer months are the busiest time for the UK's tourist attractions, cities and seaside resorts with the increase in visitors resulting in booming business for restaurants, café bars, food kiosks and ice cream vans.

This influx in customers is good news for the food outlets, often relying on the holiday period to boost business and profits. The summer season, however, can also bring hidden dangers, which should not be ignored.

The Food Standards Agency predicts that 5.5 million people suffer from food poisoning every year, with incidences increasing during the summer months. But the true number is not known, as most cases of food poisoning are not reported because people have mild symptoms and recover quickly. As a result, less than 100,000 cases a year are tested for the exact cause of food poisoning.

Bacteria thrive in humid conditions so hot, sunny days create the ideal environment for bacteria to grow rapidly, turning food into a potential health hazard.

What's more, busy periods can often lead to higher demands being placed on kitchen and waiting staff to ensure that food is quickly prepared and served.

At busy  times, hand washing and basic hygiene procedures may be overlooked, leading to an increased  risk of cross contamination.

People carry food poisoning bacteria on their skin and within their nose, ears, mouth and intestines. Busy kitchen and waiting staff must remember, however, to wash their hands regularly especially after touching raw food, using the toilet, coughing sneezing or touching their nose or mouth.

Hands should be washed using warm water and soap and special care should be taken to ensure that all areas of the hands are thoroughly cleaned. This includes in-between the fingers and thumb and all parts of the palms and backs of the hands.

Hand drying is also extremely important when it comes to promoting hand hygiene as friction when drying helps to trap and remove dangerous microbes.

Studies over the past 30 years have shown that washing, rinsing and drying using a hand towel gives optimum bacteria removal of around 98-99% of transient bacteria, compared with washing and rinsing alone where only 88% is removed.

When considering hand-drying solutions, a touchless hand towel dispenser can provide a hygienic and cost effective solution says Emma Nourry of Lotus Professional. "The enMotion unit can help caterers as it has a sensor to dispense a length of towel when a hand is waved in front of it.

"This means that the user - in a busy kitchen or food service environment – does not need to touch the dispenser to remove a paper towel, reducing the risk of cross contamination considerably."

If not used safely, cloths can be another major cause of cross-contamination, especially when it comes to passing bacteria from raw to cooked food.

Unfortunately this is an  area that can often be overlooked, particularly during the peak season when staff are under  pressure. Colour-coded cloths are ideal to help increase hygiene standards and reduce the risk of  spreading bacteria. Red is for raw poultry, yellow for cooked meat and foods, green for raw fish or  meat and blue for vegetables, limiting the risk of problems.

For optimal food hygiene, the colour  code should also be applied to utensils such as chopping boards and knives.

HOW TO PREVENT IT
To help prevent food poisoning:
• Always wash hands thoroughly before preparing food and after going to the toilet
• Keep kitchen work surfaces clean
• Make sure food is defrosted completely before cooking
• Ensure food is cooked thoroughly before eating. Meat shouldn't have any pink bits
• Serve reheated food piping hot
• Keep raw meat and fish covered and store at base of fridge
• Store all perishable foods at 5°C (41°F) or less
• Keep raw food covered up
• Rinse fruit and vegetables under running water before eating
• Throw away any food that's past its use-by date, doesn't smell right and/or has fungus on it