What are Kitchen Hygiene Rules?

Hygiene is of immense importance for every food business as each stage of production, distribution, and storage creates opportunities for the development of foodborne illnesses, cross contamination, and the spread of bacteria (and subsequent food poisoning) to occur. Kitchen hygiene rules help enforce practices and systems which minimize the risks of this occurring, thus protecting your clientele from potentially life-threatening ailments.

The Food Hygiene Regulations 2006 specifically state that it is a legal requirement for food businesses to perform food tasks safely and hygienically. It is also an offence under the same regulations to supply food to consumers which is harmful to their health. As such, food businesses have a duty of care to their consumers and all food safety and hygiene processes must take priority as a result.

Every type of food business will be able to find a set of hygiene protocols to follow based upon their business’s specific needs. The first port of call should always be your Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Plan, which will explain how biological, chemical, and physical hazards can be monitored and analyzed throughout your business.

However, full HACCP plans are not practical or possible for all business types, and as such alternative initiatives such as Safer Food Better Business, and free online safety training courses have been introduced by the government to ensure there is ample guidance for all business types.

Maintaining a clean food handling area is one of the keyways of preventing the buildup of harmful bacteria, and its possible encounter with food. Food areas, surfaces and equipment should be cleaned and disinfected (using products which meet the BS EN standards*) between different tasks, especially after the use of raw food. Cleaning shoud be performed on both a ‘as you go’ basis and also as part of a regimented cleaning schedule to ensure that surfaces and equipment are cleaned when they need to be and that cleaning products are not being wasted or used incorrectly. Equipment that will be used to transport the food, especially when being ferried to the customer, should have extra attention paid to it. For example, all plates should be cleaned and sanitised before food is placed upon them. Food waste should also not be allowed to build up; regular and suitable waste disposal is of paramount importance to a kitchen’s cleanliness.

* Check product labels for either of these codes: BS EN 1276 or BS EN 13697.

Thorough cooking is one of the most impactful ways to kill harmful bacteria and prevent food poisoning. It is of paramount importance to cook potentially dangerous foods (most namely meats) all the way through as harmful bacteria may survive hidden in an undercooked middle. Standard advice is to cook food until its core has reached a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius for two minutes, which can be checked using a clean temperature probe. Other time-temperature combinations (60°C for 45 minutes, 65°C for 10 minutes, 70°C for 2 minutes, 75°C for 30 seconds, 80°C for 6 seconds) are also suitable.

It is important to note that reheating food means cooking it again, as such the same time-temperature guidance should be followed. Cooked food can only be reheated once.

Storing food correctly is vital to ensure its continued suitability for consumption. Harmful bacteria, physical hazards, and dangerous chemicals can arise in food that is stored incorrectly and will make previously safe food unfit for consumption.

All foods should be stored in a container, or vessel which minimizes the possibility of contamination by physical hazards. Any food that has a use by date, been previously cooked, or is ready to eat (e.g., salads) must be kept chilled below 8 degrees Celsius or be left at room temperature for no more than four hours. Food that is to be frozen should be placed in a freezer below 18 degrees Celsius as soon as possible and always be clearly labelled to ensure use by dates and best before dates remain accurate. Hot food must be kept at 63 degrees Celsius or above for up to two hours. After this time food must be cooled to 8 degrees Celsius as soon as possible or thrown away.

When bacteria is spread between foods, surfaces, or equipment dangerous cross-contamination can occur. Most frequently it is raw food that contaminates ready-to-eat food, for example if raw chicken drips onto a salad. All equipment must be cleaned and disinfected after using dangerous foods such as raw meat. Hands must also be washed thoroughly. Another impactful way to minimize the chances of cross contamination occurring is to ensure raw and ready-to-eat foods are kept separate at all times. Your HACCP Plan should layout the methods of doing so.

There are also other general areas which influence the hygiene levels of your kitchen or food handling area.

For food to remain safe for consumption all staff members working within a food handling environment must maintain a high level of personal hygiene. Key to maintaining good personal hygiene is frequent and thorough handwashing, this helps prevent harmful bacteria spreading from peoples‘ hands. Staff should also be reminded not to touch their face and hair, or to smoke, spit, sneeze, eat, or chew gum while working in a food handling area.

Staff must also be fit for work. You must not allow anyone to handle food, or enter a food handling area if they are suffering from or carrying: a disease that is transmissible through food, infected wounds, skin infections, sores, or diarrhoea.

All staff that work in or enter a food handling area must wear clothing that is suitable, clean, and protective. They must also keep hair tied back and wear a suitable head covering, whilst abstaining from wearing any jewelry except a wedding band.

Ideally, all food should be defrosted in a fridge as this will ensure that the food remains at a safe temperature throughout the defrosting process. If this is not a possibility food (apart from raw meat and poultry) should be placed in a container and then placed under cold running water. Raw meat and poultry should only be defrosted using this method if they are in a sealed container. A microwave placed on the defrost setting can also be used in place of the aforementioned technique. Regardless of the method that is chosen, food must always be thoroughly defrosted before using, unless otherwise specified by the manufacturer.

Ensuring that staff are trained appropriately and that food hygiene systems are in place is the cornerstone of safe hygiene practices. Leafe, as a leading food hygiene app, ensures that all required documentation and training is easily completed, recorded, organized, and accessed online for future needs. This not only allows business owners peace of mind when food hygiene assessment time comes, but also ensures that your team will have more knowledge and time to dedicate towards executing an effective, safe, and ultimately enjoyable service.