AMY IRWIN
Amy Irwin, an Environmental Health Officer and food safety and zero-to-landfill consultant with 12 years of experience, has seen many things during the course of her work, such as rats, cockroaches, and poor food storage practices. She aims to eliminate the fear that chefs and food business operators have when an EHO inspects their premises, empower them to achieve the best outcomes, and help them reduce waste. During an inspection, it is crucial for the food business to demonstrate compliance with the relevant legislation, update HACCP regularly, and provide specific training to staff about inhouse practices.
Amy reminds us that food quality and food safety are two different concepts and that a food item can look good but be unsafe and vice versa. Amy provides her answers to some questions we wanted to know more about around food safety practices, such as reusable cloths, leaving meat and fish uncovered in the fridge, using disposable paper towels to dry hands, labelling food items, and using reusable piping bags in relation to allergens.
Amy’s top points to remember during your next inspection
1. Ensure all staff are trained.
This is a legal requirement but also one that is beneficial to your business.
2. Keep your kitchen and all food storage areas well organised.
An organised food preparation area is going to ensure that stock is well rotated, there will be access for cleaning at all times, the potential for cross-contaminationn is reduced etc.
3. Ensure you have adequate sinks.
A handwash basin with soap and paper towel; one sink dedicated to food preparation; a double bowl sink if you are washing dishes and equipment by hand. These sinks must be able to take your largest piece of equipment; or one sink and a dishwasher.
4. Ensure you have a thermometer and sanitiser.
Everyone in the kitchen must know how to use it. When measuring temperatures for your records, check the temperature of the actual food daily.
5. Maintain a good standard of cleaning and implement a cleaning schedule.
OUR QUESTIONS FOR AMY
Is it ok to use reusable cloths? Do they have to be colour coded?
There is nothing to say that you can’t, so by implication you can. As long as you have a systematic procedure that you can prove is safe then you’re good to go. Again, if staff understand your process, can follow/implement it and they are able to explain it to a regulator, then it is likely a safe process and can be rolled out!
There is no prescriptive need for it to be colour coded but in this instance, colour coding, lettering or numbering may easily identify cloths for particular purposes in the food preparation area. This can ensure there is no cross-contamination.
Q: Can we leave food uncovered in the fridge? What about meat and fish?
If it is a whole food that has not been processed, it is suitable to leave uncovered. In general, we are referring to whole fruit and vegetables. All processed and prepared foods must be stored in a sealed container to protect them from contamination. Food must also be stored in an organised way so as to eliminate the risk of cross-contamination e.g raw meat, fish, poultry on the lowest available shelf. Cooked and ready-to-eat foods should be placed on higher shelves.
If you wish to leave food such as meat and fish uncovered it could only be determined on a case-by-case basis. If your premises has adequate space to store food in this way, it may be possible to do it safely.
On the topic of high risk food preparation currently popular among chefs e.g dry aged meat or in-house smoked fish, these are not processes that can be rolled out just anywhere. There are many associated risks to the production of such foods that could be detrimental if not carried out correctly. The first hurdle is likely the premises and whether or not it is adequate. Get in touch with me here, if you would like to discuss this more.
Q: Do chefs have to use disposable paper towels to dry their hands?
All guidance says that you ‘should’ use paper towels as cloths can harbour bacteria, specifically pathogens. I would say it is best practice to use paper towel (that is destined for the compost bin hopefully).
Example: Practicality
If you are in a busy restaurant kitchen an EHO may ask you to provide a fresh hand towel every time you wash your hands. The practical application of this is not likely to work out.
Versus
Two food handlers in a prep kitchen making chocolate-covered bananas all day long you may be able to implement a policy whereby you use cloth towels to dry your hands during the day. Based on the risk associated with inadequate hand washing, the paper towel option is probably the safest, and one where convenience wins out!
Note: If you wear gloves you are expected to wash hands before you put them on and after you take them off. Therefore hand washing is the key.
Gloves offer a false sense of safety and create unnecessary waste in many circumstances. Regular hand washing wins everytime!
Q. Will EHO’s mark down an inspection for using reusable piping bags in relation to allergens?
If you use reusable piping bags ensure that you follow the instructions of how to clean it effectively after each use. Ensure that you have a clear and documented procedure for using reusable piping bags that can be taught to all staff and future staff, and that it is implemented correctly.
On Allergens - remember there is an equal onus on the food business preparing/selling the food to identify allergens as there is on the consumer to be transparent and inform you of their allergies.
Q: How should we be labelling our food?
When you hear that a food is “safe to store for three to five days after opening”, it is a best practice guideline that is accepted within the industry. It is a baseline available for everyone to apply.
If we are talking about a food product that you have produced yourself, e.g hot sauce or kimchi you may need to carry out shelf life testing to ensure that it is safe to serve or sell. Dry goods can be decanted and carried over the best before and storage instructions from the original packaging, i.e “store in a cool dry place. Best before Jan 2025.”
You can date label a food according to the date that you opened it, prepared it OR specify the date it must be used by. Either way you must be consistent across all labels to avoid any confusion, miscommunication, spoilage or food waste. Stop spending time switching and changing labels, there is no need for this! Choose your system, tell everyone and implement. Best Before dates are being called up for question at the moment. Food storage and preparation methods have come a long way and in turn Best Before dates may not be as relevant as they once were. Think twice before you read the date and decide the product has reached the end of its life.
Amy believes it is important for food businesses to understand that It is up to you, the food business, to “demonstrate compliance”. What Amy means by this, is that legislation is not black or white. The onus is on you to demonstrate that what you are doing is safe. This is where you draw on good communication skills to explain your process.
Thanks Amy!