Food safety is the main priority for corporate dining operations because they are often serving all the way until closing time with minimal downtime. They have to tackle a massive amount of preparation, cooking, serving and cleaning in a short period of time. And every step of the way, food safety is a critical concern.
Food safety is a growing issue for all foodservice operations these days. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 76 million people in the United States become ill every year from pathogens in food. Of these, some 5,000 individuals die.
NAFEM Protocol-Based Equipment Simplifies Food Safety
There have been several technical advances that help prevent food-borne illness. Some foodservice equipment has NAFEM Data Protocol-based safety features that link to PCs and automatically monitor food temperatures.
Foodservice equipment can greatly diminish the risk of food-borne illness across the board. Refrigeration products make it easy to manage and document safe food-preservation processes, and some food processing and warewash equipment is designed to meet stringent requirements that ensure they are easy to clean, sanitize and maintain.
Undercounter Storage and Cleaning on the Fly
In most corporate dining environments, the action is in the front of the house and in front of the customer. Several equipment solutions are available to help foodservice staff eliminate food-borne bacteria in the service area.
Undercounter refrigerators and freezers keep food cold without taking up valuable space. Traulsen undercounter refrigerators and freezers use exclusive INTELA-TRAUL® microprocessors that constantly monitor and maintain consistent temperatures ranging from 0 degrees Fahrenheit to -5 degrees Fahrenheit in the freezer and 34 degrees Fahrenheit to 38 degrees Fahrenheit in the refrigerator. One of the main benefits of Traulsen undercounters is they are equipped with NAFEM Data Protocol capabilities, allowing operators to monitor and record temperatures and other data through a central server or PC network.
It’s important that equipment used in corporate dining environments be easy to clean and maintain. Some machines require multiple cleanings every day. Hobart’s 3000 Series Slicers have swipe-clean controls and a removable Stay-Clean™ ring guard cover and sharpener that let kitchen staff safely remove the knife and components for simple, fast cleaning. The slicers also have a tiltable, removable carriage that can be washed right on the machine or in a ware-washer. Cleaning is further simplified by the design, which places the index mechanism out of the food area and splash zone, so moving parts are less likely to be contaminated during operation.
Don’t Neglect the Back of the House
While the main show might take place in front of the customers, the kitchen and dishroom are still heavily utilized in corporate dining environments. Many corporate dining operations prepare meals in bulk to save time. Preparing more food than is needed at any given time requires proper chilling and storage solutions to eliminate food-borne bacteria.
Blast chillers are one way to quickly and safely take food through the temperature Danger Zone (135 degrees Fahrenheit to 41 degrees Fahrenheit) in about 90 minutes. According to the International Food Safety Council, the leading cause of food-borne illness is improper holding temperatures, which accounts for 30 percent of food-borne illness cases. Traulsen blast chillers utilize the Smart Chill™ controller, which is designed to assist in proper cooling of food so it spends the minimum amount of time in the Danger Zone. This also helps facilitate proper record keeping as a part of a HACCP-compliant program.
Conventional refrigeration is designed to keep cold food cold. Placing prepared food in a refrigerator could leave it in the Danger Zone for six or more hours—in some case up to 24 hours—too long to ensure safety. Blast chilling is the enhanced refrigeration technology that is the most effective method for cooling food to 40 degrees Fahrenheit before storing the product in a conventional refrigeration unit.
Depending on the size of a corporate dining operation, the dishroom could be busier than the kitchen and the service area combined. Several warewashers are available that offer the speed and efficiency to quickly clean dishware to get it back into rotation without sacrificing sanitization and cleanliness.
Hobart’s AM Select door-type dish machine is like having two warewashers in one, handling grimy pots and pans side by side with delicate glasses and dishes at the wash cycle you want—1, 2, 4 or 6 minutes. The patented 70 degrees Fahrenheit-rise Sense-a-Temp™ booster heater ensures sanitization with 180 degrees Fahrenheit rinse water, all monitored and documented with NAFEM Data Protocol capabilities.
Take the Guesswork Out of Food Safety
Most restaurants don’t expect all of its customers to show up at once, but at corporate dining operations this is an everyday occurrence. Because of the stressful and hectic atmosphere, it’s important that food safety not be overlooked. Luckily, several equipment options are available that take the guesswork out of food safety, freeing up valuable resources to focus on corporate customers.
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