Food board urges restaurants to review hygiene procedures

THE Food Safety Promotion Board has urged all restaurants to review their premises and hygiene procedures to reduce the risk of food contamination.

A new survey by the board, otherwise known as Safefood, concluded that restaurants on both sides of the Border generally operate good food handling practices.

However, the study of 200 restaurants warns that many still have the potential for cross-contamination of food due to poor hygiene standards.

Most restaurant and kitchen managers expressed concern about the potential for contamination through the use of dishcloths and the structural aspects of kitchens.

Safefood has recommended in particular that all restaurants implement a review of equipment cleaning procedures and training for kitchen staff. It also recommends dishcloths be replaced with disposable paper towels where possible.

On a positive note, all but 1% of restaurants surveyed had a designated sink with hot water and soap for washing hands.

The vast majority of kitchen managers had a high level of knowledge about the correct temperatures for storing food.

However, inspection systems for food deliveries varied considerably between restaurants.

Just 42% ensured every delivery was checked for “use by” dates, packaging and temperature.

Only 40% of restaurants used a temperature probe to check meats were adequately cooked.

The survey was conducted against estimates there are about 3.2 million cases of acute gastroenteritis in the Republic and Northern Ireland each year.

It is believed this results in 1.5 million lost working days, 1.3 million lost school days, and €173.5m in lost earnings.

Safefood’s science and technical director, Thomas Quigley, welcomed the findings, especially as more than 70% of people in another recent survey blamed food consumed from a commercial premises for their illness.

He urged all employees in the catering industry to be vigilant about food safety in the kitchen.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland attributes most cases of food poisoning to inadequate cooking, re-heating and storage methods, as well as cross-contamination and infected food handlers.