Food safety is the one of the top priorities in the food service industry. Nothing can destroy a restaurant faster than food borne illness as a result of poor food safety techniques. Here at Serv-U, we strive to not only supply our customers with top quality restaurant equipment, bar supplies, restaurant supplies, and bar equipment, but we also recognize the importance of sharing food industry information. Today we present the eleven rules for improving food safety in your restaurant. You’ve seen them before, but they are well worth repeating:

1. Educate all employees in the technique of proper hand washing. Provide a soft nailbrush to clean fingertips and instill the importance of washing hands for twenty seconds. Keep track of your employees’ hand washing techniques and encourage proper hand washing practices.
2. Require strict personal hygiene practices. Every employee should have a clean uniform and proper hair covers. Items such as jewelry and false nails should not be worn in the work area and any crew member that is ill should be removed from any task that would require them to handle foods.
3. Encourage a policy of not using bare hands when in contact with prepared food. Instead invest in restaurant supplies that will promote this policy; such as disposable gloves, clean utensils or paper wraps to handle all ready-to-eat foods.
4. Obtain food and restaurant supplies from reputable approved sources. Food should be inspected for spoilage and temperatures should be checked during all stages of preparation. This includes when food is received from the supplier, is placed in cold storage and is being prepared on the prep tables. If there is any question that food or restaurant supplies have been contaminated, properly dispose of them immediately.
5. Identify all potentially hazardous foods on your menu and keep them as cold as possible during storage and preparation. An internal food temperature ranging from 35 to 38°F is optimal; never higher than 41°F. Keep frozen food at a temperature of 0°F. Safely thaw foods a day in advance under refrigeration.
6. To prevent cross-contamination observe time & temperature guidelines when storing and handling prepared food. Label prepared foods with product, preparation date and time, and optimal temperature.
7. Keep foods out of the danger zone (41° to 140°F). Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold! Teach all restaurant employees to use temperature charts and a stem thermometer. Check food temperature in two places -- the thickest portion and the center. Sanitize the thermometer stem before and after each use with the proper restaurant supplies such as an alcohol swab.
8. Cook and heat-process food to above recommended minimum temperatures (usually 145°F, 155°F or165°F depending on the food). Memorize your minimum cooking temperatures. Post a chart in an easy to locate place for all your restaurant employees.
9. Rapidly chill hot food to below 41°F within 4-6 hours! Techniques to reduce cooling time include using an ice bath or shallow pans, cutting or reducing food, stirring food and keeping food uncovered. Be sure to check local regulations.
10. Reheat food to 165°F + within 2 hours and hold at this temperature for 15 seconds. Hold hot foods at 140°F.
11. Avoid cross-contamination of raw and ready-to-eat foods by hands, utensils and restaurant equipment. Wash, rinse and sanitize all food that comes in contact with restaurant equipment. Keep raw products separate from ready-to-eat foods.

If you would like to learn more about how Serv-U can help you improve your restaurants food safety techniques, please call us at 1-800-797-3788 or chat with us online by clicking the “live chat” icon in the upper left hand corner of each page.