Hygiene--an economic factor in catering

Both nutritional and hygienic factors contribute to the economic success of a catering operation. Customers are increasingly nutritionally health conscious and also look for cleanliness when choosing somewhere to eat. Outbreaks of food poisoning are very bad publicity. Good quality of food is important but this is not necessarily synonymous with microbiological safety. Raw materials need to be checked on receipt and there should be good communication between the purchasing and the reception staff. Correct storage prolongs quality and safety and prevents waste, which frequently becomes most apparent when the food reaches the preparation area. The cold kitchen is very vulnerable and poor quality or badly stored raw materials compound bad handling to cause a risk to the consumer and a reduced shelf life leading to wastage. Warm holding of food needs to be balanced between the requirements of microbiological safety and loss of quality from holding too long at a high temperature. The official food inspector plays an important role, not just as the enforcer of food hygiene law, but also as an impartial adviser on hygiene. Caterers and their staff need to be encouraged to see hygiene as a positive way to economic success by reducing waste and thus achieving greater productivity: it is easier for most people to become enthusiastic about profits than about microbiology. The Swedish Catering Institute has published a training package with this as its main objective.