Whatever your food company, whether a small home-based cake business or a larger scale factory, it is imperative to focus on improving or maintaining high levels of hygiene. At best, poor hygiene could lead to a few stomach upsets. At worst, you could be facing manslaughter charges. Here are five top tips on how to improve hygiene levels in your food company.
1. Set high standards
For staff members to show good hygiene within any business, it is essential to create a culture of high standards, showing everyone the expectations you have. For example, provide masks, hairnets and gloves, insisting that they should be worn. If your staff refuse to wear the necessary garments, then they do not belong in your food and beverage company. The same goes for regular handwashing. Given the recent Covid-19 pandemic, everyone is aware that they ought to wash their hands thoroughly for at least twenty seconds to stand the best chance of getting rid of all the germs. Be sure to place reminders around handwashing areas. Although as leaders, you may be pressed for time, ensuring that you set a good example by following all the protocols you have put in place is imperative.
2. Update old equipment
It is possible that older pieces of equipment may give you hygiene concerns. In the case of any piece of technology, tools, utensils, etc., it may be worth updating if they are in less than pristine condition. It may sound obvious, but sometimes, paying lower prices to begin with will mean that you must buy again much sooner than if you had paid a little more in the first place. In larger establishments, regular testing of items should be scheduled. Things, such as your food grade belt conveyor, should be looked at often to ensure that best practice hygiene procedures are being followed.
3. Train your staff members
Setting high standards is one thing for your employees, but for some people, knowing the fundamentals behind why certain procedures must be adhered to is far more useful. Furthermore, there will be certain trainings that at least one member of staff within your establishment must have. Seek support from your local food hygiene department if you are unsure what applies, and they should also be able to provide you with details of local organizations who offer training in these particular areas.
4. Improve the organization of your business
It may be tempting to leave items lying around in corners if you know they will be used again fairly soon. However, doing so increases the risk of their being hygiene issues within your business. If items do not have proper homes, they may be stored incorrectly and could lead to serious problems. Be sure to implement systems to ensure that everything has its own place and that everyone is aware of this.
5. Employ a top-quality cleaning team
Finally, while the staff working directly with the food items must meet your expectations in terms of hygiene, there are some things they simply cannot do. Employing the services of an experienced and top-quality cleaning company may help you significantly with this. They can help to maintain high levels of cleanliness.
