For most, December is the busiest season of the year. High volumes of food is prepared, served and eaten. This means that there are natural risks that increase as a result of the higher volumes. Meaning we need to know how to manage food poisoning risks over the festive season.
What are these risks?
Larger volumes of food, mean that there is less space to stores these food in the fridges. Less space means that there is a high chance that raw meats get stored with Ready to Eat Foods, such as salads. Never mind separating vegetables, dairy, meats and shellfish. There is often just no space.
Suppliers close over the season, meaning that if you run out of chemicals such as hand soap, cleaners and sanitisers. You are left without support, with no ability to clean and sanitise. This means you won’t be able to effectively clean and kill bacteria in the kitchen.
It’s crazy busy, which means, that foods get left at ambient temperature for longer that is necessary. Staff in the kitchen are focused on preparing the meals, which will be in large batches to cope with the increased numbers of orders.
It gets hot (at least in the Southern Hemisphere), meaning that the closer the kitchen temperature is to 37° C (98° F), the easier it is for bacteria to grow. This is a natural risk.
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