Get Armed With Information About Safety For Produce
Your Restaurant Your Life: Safety For Produce
SAFETY in the on Kitchen and beyond
Food safety doesn't only concern restaurants. It also involves the growers and their fields. This is because the produce we eat comes from the fields in the first place. Concerning food safety, we have to first look into where the produce came from.
Let's first take a look at an ideal field for growers to grow crops worthy of restaurant diners.
It should be a clean site. An ideal field for growing crops must have no history of livestock use. It shouldn't also be near any livestock operating fields. It would be even worse if the field is downwardly inclined from a field with livestock operations.
The area should also have no history with oil and gas operations and waste disposals. It must also be free from flooding. If manure was used before at high quantities, then it would also be best to avoid that field for growing crops and produce. If there are pets in your household or your neighbors', then keep them out. They can be another source of germs for the produce. Check the wells and irrigation channels. Water is another, and major, source of E. coli, salmonella, and others. One should always monitor the water channels to insure that the water flowing into the fields are as clean as possible. Always test and inspect them. Make sure to prevent the irrigation water from coming in direct contact with the crops. Concerning using manure as fertilizer, just make certain that it is adequately composted. But it would still be better if one would use inorganic fertilizers instead, for there are lower risks involved in using these. But just cleaning up the field isn't enough. The workforce has a big role in keeping the fields as sanitary as possible. The workers must be given training on proper sanitation procedures on the field. Plus, they should be given updates on the current status of food safety and the new dangers of unsanitary planting. If possible, do not permit injured or sick workers to work on the field. Facilities, restrooms, and equipments must also always be clean. When the harvest comes, make sure that your containers and bins are clean. The workers should also lessen their contact with soil and dirt, especially with the containers and the produce. Handle the produce with care! Be sure not to spoil, bruise, or cut them. Keep them in fresh shape. After the harvest, the newly-picked produce should be washed, packed safely, and stored in a clean facility. Look out for rats and pests, and make sure the storage room doesn't let these parasites in. The growers aren't the only ones who should observe cleanliness and sanitation when it comes to the produce. Those who pick the produce for the restaurant should also observe proper handling and sanitation processes to insure the freshness of the produce. Make sure that the produce is delivered using sanitized and refrigerated trucks. The truck should also be for produce only to avoid cross-contamination. The trucks should be checked before and upon delivery. Always make sure that the produce isn't stored next supplies and equipments which are susceptible to germs and bacteria. The storage room must also be checked constantly for sanitation and refrigeration. SOURCES: Littman, Margaret. GUARDING Earthly Delights.(produce safety tips). Restaurants & Institutions McAlavy, Tim W. A farming primer for...: Food safety: an issue to take seriously. Southwest Farm Press; 2/5/2004
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