| By :
Alison Withers
Copyright (c) 2010 Alison Withers In the high pressure environment of a commercial kitchen, even with efficient staff, it is difficult to keep everything thoroughly clean especially when there are some tasks, like high-level cleaning, that catering staff can't do because of Health and Safety regulations. A kitchen cleaning regime needs to get to all those hard-to-reach areas to remove grime, such as around the feet of preparation tables, areas under sinks and in between cookers. Peace of mind for anyone running a food outlet, restaurant, school or large commercial kitchen comes from a complete kitchen deep cleaning at least once a year. Good food hygiene is crucial to ensure that the food for sale is safe. It helps protect customers and the reputation of a business, and, of course, observing good hygiene is necessary to obey the law. Harmful bacteria that cause food poisoning can spread very easily. Food poisoning can be a serious illness, especially among the very young, the very old and ill people, who are particularly at risk and for whom if can be fatal. Cross-contamination is something to be particularly aware of as it can transfer bacteria from one food to other foods. It is a particular problem with raw foods, where bacteria could be transferred directly when one food comes in contact with another. Also bacteria can be transferred indirectly from hands, for example, or quipment, work surfaces, cloths or knives. Cross-contamination is a major cause of food poisoning. It is very easy for cross-contamination to happen. if raw and ready-to-eat food are stored together or hands are not washed by someone between touching raw food and ready-to-eat food. Chopping boards can also be culprits, particularly if they are made of wood or if separate boards for raw and cooked food are not used. Commercial kitchen hygiene is controlled by strict guidelines in the British food safety acts 1990 and 1995. The General Food Law Regulation (EC) 178/2002 is European legislation on general food safety. The techniques for ensuring food safety include separating raw and cooked foods, cooking foods for the appropriate length of time and at the appropriate temperature to kill pathogens, storing food at the proper temperature and using safe water and raw materials. However, these should all be underpinned by an effective kitchen cleaning regime. This is not simply about keeping surfaces used for preparting and cooking clean and free of germs. Refrigerators should be regularly checked to ensure they are working at the correct temperatures and they should also be kept clean inside and out. Kitchen extractor and ventilation systems are another area that can get neglected. Over the cooker canopies and the ductwork leading from them are fitted with filters that should be replaced regularly. However, the whole system, from filters through to ducting and seals needs regular inspection, maintenance and cleaning because these systems are very heavily used in commercial kitchens and deposits of grease, dust, bacteria and mould can quickly build up leading to both air contamination and a potential fire hazard. A specialist commercial cleaning service can advise on maintenance and cleaning, set up a filter replacement regime and organise thorough, regular kitchen deep cleaning regime at intervals tailored to fit the heaviness of kitchen use to keep all those hard-to-reach areas such as around the feet of prep tables, areas under sinks and in between cooking equipment grime free.
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