6 minute read
FEATURE
Hygiene and Food Safety Stringent Measures in the aftermath of COVID-19!
By Sharmila Chand
Advertisement
As the hospitality, food and beverage industry gears up to revive its business in the aftermath of COVID-19, there are Stringent Food and Safety Measures which have been laid out to be followed by Front and Back of House teams. The sentiment is clear and loud – it is most crucial to pay prime attention to Hygiene and Food Safety concern so as to ensure wellbeing of not just the guests but the workers and hosts as well.
We spoke with industry experts to know what steps they are taking to create healthy spaces for food processing and dining.
Cleanliness & Sanitization
“The hotel passionately adheres to Accor’s ALLSAFE label – a rigid and strict cleanliness label created in association with Bureau Veritas, the world leader in Testing, Inspection and Certification in arenas of safety and hygiene. We also abide by the ISO22000 norms and regulations. High touch areas in the kitchen are disinfected frequently with a hospitalgrade disinfectant. The teammates also are given easy access to disinfectant wipes and sanitisers and are encouraged to sanitise their workstations at least 3 times during the shift,” tells Chef Suvaranjan Banerjee, Executive Chef - Grand Mercure Bengaluru – Gopalan Mall. He adds, “We train our team thoroughly about safety and hygiene protocols. Refreshers and assessments are also carried out in regular intervals. Visual cues in the form of signages and posters are also used as reminders for the process.”
“At Westin Goa, the team makes sure critical food contact materials like chopping boards, graters, storage containers etc are immersed in chlorine solution at every shift for at least 10-15mins and air dried,” points out Ravish Mishra, Executive Chef, The Westin Goa, “Besides daily deep cleaning of operational kitchens using detergent scrubbing, steam pressure jets and sanitizing, all food handlers are extensively trained and audited daily for safe food practices. All kitchen processes are strictly undertaken with proper food safety gear like face mask, vinyl gloves, hand sanitizer etc. All food packages are unboxed and sanitized from outside using chlorine and then maintained in the food store inventory.”
Ravish Mishra, Executive Chef, The Westin Goa
Dedicated personnel for making sure every table is disinfected after use and to remind guests to wear their masks and maintain social distancing”
Personal Hygiene is most crucial and the first check point. One must ensure uniform is clean which includes a clean apron, coat, hairnet, masks and gloves. Also more than one uniform should be purchased for each person so that the uniform is cleaned regularly. Every team member must also ensure that their hair and facial hair is well covered at all times when cooking and preparing food.
The task isn't easy for standalone restaurants too as they have to instill confidence in their customers for a safe dining experience. “Our precautions and SOPS start from the Personal Hygiene of our team members,” says Hitesh Tulsani, Head of Sales and Operations at Bangalore based Raahi Neo Kitchen and Bar. “In this regard, we ensure hands are thoroughly washed with soap and hot water after touching food and before performing the next job function. Always dry hands with a clean towel. It is important to change into work clothes and we make sure uniforms are light-coloured so that stains are immediately visible.”
Likewise, Anirudh Kheny and Chethan Hegde, Partners - Suzy Q by 1522,
“We have adopted technology such as automatic sanitiser dispensers so at any given point in time, everyone is required to take care of their personal hygiene and sanitise regularly. All staff’s temperatures are recorded before entering the premises using an automated body temperature scanner. Any temperature that is high is immediately notified to the managers through an app, so they can take action accordingly”
Bangalore point out, “All our staff members have been vaccinated and mandatorily have to wear a badge at all times, stating that they have received the vaccine. Apart from this, all our staff wear masks and gloves at all times.” Contactless Dining
Contactless dining is the need of the hour. Hotels & Restaurants have realized how crucial it is to have thorough digitalization process in place to reduce the contact between the guests and the staff. The team should be trained on how to communicate the action plan to guests, to make sure everyone is aligned towards the purpose.
Says Arun Prasanna, Head of Operations, at Byg Brewski Brewing Co, Bangalore, “We are very particular about Contactless Dining. With most Contactless Dining options, the customers place orders on their phones and it goes to the Pointof-Sale terminal and has to be further punched in by the staff so that they are relayed to the kitchen. Our version of contactless Dining is wholly integrated into our POS and Kitchen systems. Every order placed on the phone goes directly to our kitchen without need for intermediate action. Besides ensuring that we are in complete adherence to Contactless Dining norms, the full stack integration completely eliminates the need for any kind of manual intervention in the order flow process.”
A New Paradigm in Food Service
Conventional ways of serving guests and laying the food has taken a new turn. Buffets have been replaced by pre-plated combos and ala carte offers. This entails
Quick Check List at a Glance!
Hitesh Tulsani, Head of Sales and Operations, Raahi Neo Kitchen and Bar – Bengaluru
Proper ventilation in dining areas is a must. Limit seating capacity to allow for Social Distancing. Prioritize outdoor seating as much as possible. Ask customers to wait in their cars or away from the establishment while waiting to be seated. Discourage crowded waiting areas by using phone app, text technology, or signs to alert guests when their table is ready. Avoid using “buzzers” or other shared objects.
Disinfection of every table as soon as guests leave Daily disinfection of staff cafeteria and staff accommodation Disinfection of all produce at the receiving areas to ensure all germs are destroyed at source. Further cleaning of the produce at commissary kitchens and the products are distributed to respective kitchens.
Temperature Screening Protocols
Monitoring staff temperature every day when they get to work. Temperature screening of guests during entry at the concierge desk Temperature screening of vendors when they enter the premises on supply runs.
Suvaranjan Banerjee, Executive
Chef - Grand Mercure Bengaluru – Gopalan Mall
its own challenges as the team has to ensure the order is delivered on time complying with specific demands and safety measures.
“In buffets we have kept very limited food displays adopting a live model and the food on display is refreshed every 30 minutes. No contact menus are adopted and online payment methods are encouraged throughout our restaurants reducing the chances of a contact,” tells Chef Suvaranjan Banerjee. “In all our service areas, tables are sanitized periodically and kept at a minimum distance of 5 feet apart to reflect social distancing. QR coded digital menus are available for all our restaurants and inroom dining. Buffets are eliminated and replaced with freshly prepared high quality pre-plated dishes. Gloves are changed periodically and sanitized every 15 minutes and masks every three hours as per recommended guidelines. All beverage cans and wine bottles are wiped with sanitized wipes before serving to guests,” informs Chef Ravish Mishra.
The Road Ahead
To conclude, while SOPs are well in place, one has to wait and watch how well they are followed to ensure there is proper alignment between implementation and execution. Regular strict supervision is a must for all the measures taken to avoid any messing up and alarming situations. n
