Hygiene in restaurants.

In kitchens and restaurant environments, it is very important to have good hygiene. With good hygiene in the kitchen, you reduce the risk of spreading harmful microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses. This reduces the risk of food poisoning. By handling your food hygienically, your food will last longer which reduces food waste. Foods that get contaminated by bacteria, parasites or viruses must be discarded. Therefore, there is financial and environmental interests in keeping a good hygiene in your restaurant.

In Sweden, it is the municipal food control that controls and ensures the restaurants' hygiene. This is done in order to prevent guests from getting sick of the food served in the restaurants. Their controls include checking that food is stored at the right temperature, that there are clear cleaning routines, that there are good handwashing facilities for the staff, etc.

There are several things that you can do in your restaurant to increase hygiene and food safety. Below, we have listed some useful tips from our food and pest techniques that you can take with you to your business.

PRACTICAL HYGIENE TIPS TO YOU THAT WORK IN THE RESTAURANT

• Clean you dishwasher, so that the clean dishes do not get dirty
• Work wear should be used and stored in the workplace to minimize the spread of contaminants and infections
• Mobile phones are dirty, wash your hands after handling it
• Disposable gloves are used to protect the food and not your hands
• Prevent uninvited guests with preventive pest protection
• Always label your products when storing them to prevent allergic reactions
• Weekly cleaning schedule helps to prevent spread of bacterias
• Your restaurant must be able to informe about which allergens your food contains
• Color coding of cutting boards reduces the risk of cross contamination
• Do not cook food for others when you are ill
• The hands should be thoroughly cleaned to minimize the spread of infection