Food and Bacteria

Germs get into your catering facility on:

· Food you receive in the catering facility

· Raw food

· Equipment

· Store foods

· Your hands and clothes

· Flies and Vermin

When your food is delivered:

· Record the time and date it arrived

· Don’t let food sit outside

· Ensure that cold foods are cold (use a thermometer to check that the food is below 5˚C) and frozen foods are hard frozen (at least -16˚C)

· Check that the packaging is intact and clean

· Record and remove damaged items from the catering facility.

Handling Food

Germs move easily. You can stop this with good food handling.

· Wash your hands before and after handling food

· Keep different food categories separate

· Handle all fruit and vegetables in a safe manner

Equipment

Germs can hide in cracked or chipped equipment that is used for food handling or storage. Regularly clean the catering facility equipment.