The holiday season is one of the busiest for Sprague Pest Solutions’ hospitality and food industry clients. Restaurants and banquet facilities are booked solid with office holiday parties and family gatherings, and hotels are hosting holiday events and giving party-goers and out-of-town visitors a place to lay their weary heads.
During the hectic rush of preparing a 400 person holiday party or serving a long-line of hungry diners at the mall food court, it is easy to forget the food safety protocols that have earned your operation an A+ food safety rating.
Reducing the threat of food-borne illnesses comes to down to adhering to good sanitation practices and reinforcing these procedures with employees. The Sprague Pest Experts offer the following reminders as a “gift” to put under your food safety tree:
- Bacteria can spread throughout a kitchen, food preparation or serving area and be transmitted onto hands, cutting boards, utensils, counter tops and food. In addition to washing hands with warm water and soap, make sure to wash cutting boards, dishes, countertops and utensils with hot soapy water.
- Avoid cross-contamination by using separate cleaning tools and cutting boards for fresh produce, and raw meat, seafood and poultry. Replace cutting boards that are worn and have grooves where bacteria can hide.
- Keep food preparation and storage areas clean of food scraps and waste. These items are prime attractants for pests including rodents, flies and cockroaches – significant carriers of bacteria that cause food-borne illnesses.
- Clean fresh fruits and vegetables in running tap water to remove visible dirt and grime and clean surfaces that may have been crawled on by pests during transit or storage.
- When food products are delivered they should be inspected for general cleanliness, condition of containers, and signs of temperature abuse.