| By :
Alison Withers
Copyright (c) 2010 Alison Withers Commercial kitchens are already required to ensure high standards of hygiene, protection against food contamination and fire hazards for the protection of their customers and staff. This is likely to become an even greater issue as the effects of climate change are felt and grow. The UK is predicted to experience higher summer temperatures as well as milder winters and it has already been recorded that the 2000s was the warmest decade in central England since records were first started in 1850. Among the predictions about the possible consequences are the effect it will have on food, the spread of diseases and on health. It has been suggested that higher temperatures in summer could cause an estimated 10,000 extra cases of salmonella infection per year as well as a rise in heart-related deaths. Urban populations are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Among the likely increased hazards are the possibility of hitherto unknown vector borne diseases like malaria, dengue fever and tick borne encephalitis as the warmer temperatures create conditions in which their carriers are able to survive. This is also applicable to water-borne diseases like cholera. A recent FAO (the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation) report on food safety in the context of climate change suggests that bacteria, viruses, and parasitic protozoa that are pathogenic to humans and frequently contaminate the food supply and environmental contamination (from air, water, food contact materials etc) are vulnerable to changes in both ambient temperature and humidity and do have a role in food borne disease transmission. It advises that those food borne pathogens that cause disease at very low doses (such as enteric viruses, parasitic protozoa, E. coli strains) and have persistence in the environment (enteric viruses and parasitic protozoa) will likely to be of great concern.
Hot and humid conditions also actively aid the development of fungal and mould deposits. All this has implications for guidelines on food handling and for the efficient functioning of such kitchen equipment as fridges and ventilation extraction systems, which will have to work harder in higher temperatures. Perhaps one of the most crucial pieces of equipment in a hot, steamy and busy commercial kitchen is the ventilation and extraction system and the filters that protect the air from contamination that could affect the safety of food. The predictions on the effects that climate change and higher summer temperatures might have on food safety suggest that commercial kitchens need to pay attention to the efficiency of duct systems. A regular programme of filter inspection, cleaning and maintenance is likely to be critically important as is regular kitchen deep cleaning and extract cleaning. The frequency needed for such regimes will depend on the type of food that is regularly produced as well as the kitchen's level of activity. A specialist commercial cleaning company can assess all this and advise on the best system for keeping hygiene and food safety at the highest possible standards. It could also save companies money as they will be sure that their duct and ventilation systems are operating at peak efficiency and not incurring unnecessary energy costs.
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