Campylobacter in Chicken

Tip of the Week Many chickens are infected with Campylobacter Bacteria.  Campylobacter is killed when you cook to a core temperature above 75°C but the main hazard is the handling and preparation of raw chicken To keep food safe and avoid cross contamination of...

Food Handlers

Tip of the Week Did you know that food handlers themselves are the greatest cause of food poisoning incidents in this country! Bacteria and viruses passed from ill food handlers (or bacteria picked up from handling raw foods) can contaminate common touchpoints such as...

The 5 Top Kitchen Procedures

Tip of the Week   Reminder of the 5 Top Safe Kitchen Procedures.      Here are our 5 top procedures:- Hygiene – Staff to wash hands (using the handwash sink!) before starting work and after each change in task Storage – Store at correct temperature. Store ready to eat...

Employee trapped in walk-in freezer

Tip of the Week Pret a Manger has just been fined £800,000 after an employee was trapped in a walk-in freezer for 2.5 hours The employee became trapped in the walk-in freezer due to a defective push button on the inside of the freezer door. Apparently there had been a...

Sous Vide

Tip of the Week Cooking food via the sous vide method (water bath) is a perfectly safe method of cooking if you have a safe procedure in place The biggest additional hazard with sous vide cooking is the potential for multiplication of bacteria and production of toxins...

No dishwasher?

Tip of the Week No Dishwasher? How do you effectively clean and sanitise chopping boards and knives without using a dishwasher? If you do not have a dishwasher and wash crockery, cutlery and utensils in a sink, follow these safe procedures:– Remove excess debris...

Bacteria in Ice

Tip of the Week Research has identified ice machines as potential sources of Legionella bacteria Ice machines operate at temperatures below 20°C (safe temperature to avoid legionella) so you would think they would be safe.  However, ice machines contain a mechanical...

Vegan Foods containing traces of milk and eggs

Tip of the Week What a contradiction!  Are you aware that some manufactured vegan products state on the packaging that the product “may contain traces of milk or eggs”. What if a customer orders a vegan dish because they have a dairy or egg allergy and...

Allergen Management with Substituted Items

Tip of the Week How do you manage allergens when you are delivered substituted products? Many food suppliers are having issues with their supply chains and it is increasingly likely you will receive some substituted ingredients when the normal item you purchase is not...

Defrosting Food Safely

Tip of the Week Defrost food under controlled temperature conditions in the fridge Freezing food at -18°C will put any bacteria present on pause, but it will not generally kill it.  Therefore, you must defrost under controlled temperatures in the fridge (keeping the...