Tips for best practice in hygiene equipment storage
Ensuring everything is in its correct place, where it can be found quickly when needed, can save time and money when it comes to food safety.
Colour-coding products can help make storage simple and ensure the right items are used in the right areas.
Having clear security protocols is important to prevent untrained members of staff accessing hygiene products and it is especially important when storing cleaning chemicals.
Biometric access control locks ensure only authorised staff can get to the bits that matter. This protects against theft or loss of items and ensures that hygiene equipment will only be accessed by authorised staff.
Training staff
On the subject of staff, the more rigorous training operators put in place, the less robust security needs to be.
All relevant staff should be trained in the correct use and storage of hygiene equipment and operators should reinforce the link between the equipment, food safety, consumer safety and the success of the pub.
Hygiene equipment performs better when it has room to breathe and so storing items in a ventilated room or area will protect against mould and enhance the lifespan of products.
Equipment should also be checked regularly. As Klipspringer said: “Your production areas are only as clean as the equipment that cleaned it”.
Keeping record
Taking an inventory of hygiene equipment and ensuring each item is accounted for on food safety checks is one easy and effective way operators can alert themselves to lost or misplaced items.
Not keeping equipment clean and safe could result in pubs falling foul of the law or putting their customers in danger.
Food contaminants are a concern for pub kitchens and there are many risks that must be taken into consideration.
British Hospitality Association (BHA) food safety advisor Dr Lisa Ackerley gives regular advice to operators on how to avoid food safety hazards.
She said: “A good food-management system will cover all issues because it is a systematic way that food businesses can consider all the hazards in the business and ensure they control them.”
