A CD-ROM entitled ‘All about allergens’ has been produced to provide a self-access resource for small business owners in the food industry to learn about food allergens. You’ll notice that I was one of the advisors on developing the CD.
If you run a restaurant or kitchen of any sort in Melbourne, you already know that it is a tough town when it comes to food safety standards and restaurant reputation. You will find that there are number of things that can sink a restaurant in Victoria, but nothing will shut a business down faster than sanitation violations. If it is discovered that your restaurant has health violations, you can watch your business drop like a rock.
The answer, of course, is to make sure that your kitchen stays in great shape and maintains a high standard of cleanliness. Though this is by no means a complete list, you will find that these suggestions can help keep your kitchen operating at a high standard.
Store cooked and uncooked food separately. This is essential when you are looking at making sure that your restaurant has a high degree of sanitation. Essentially, cooked food very often goes directly to the tables of your diners. Raw food, which is uncooked and untreated, may very well still be carrying bacteria or other contaminants that can be transferred to the cooked food. By keeping them separate, you’ll be able to keep them from affecting each other.
Label everything. It seems simple, but the truth of the matter is that you should label everything that comes into your kitchen. Make sure that your kitchen staff undergo food safety training and know what is in the various containers. This way they will only open them when necessary and they will not risk contamination through repeated exposure.
Labelling will also help to improve the speed and efficiency of your kitchen. Similarly, you may also want to think about dating things to know when they were received.
Temperature readouts. No matter where you keep food, you should make sure that there is a temperature gauge nearby. This can be instrumental when you are keeping cold foods and when you want to make sure that they stay good.
Take some time and really consider what your options are going to be when it comes to installing thermometers in your food storage location; this can help you a great deal.
Food satefety training for your staff? Remember that when it comes to keeping your restaurant sanitized that your workers play a large part. There does tend to be a fairly high turn around in kitchens, so take some time to make sure that your workers are aware of what needs to happen to keep the kitchen to high food safety standards. Make sure that you include both front room staff and kitchen staff when it comes to this kind of food safety training.
When you are running a commercial kitchen, you’ll find that you need to think about what your options are going to be in terms of keeping it safe and clean. Educate your staff and keep in mind the fact that there are professional services out there that can help you monitor your existing procedures and give you a detailed list of how they can be improved. Remember that a little money spent on this now can prevent large legal fees down the line.
Gavin can be contacted at gavin@agbsolutions.com.au or through his website at www.australianfoodsafety.com.au.
If you have cooked in or run a restaurant in Melbourne, you know that you are playing to a tough crowd! Not only does the city have great restaurants serving all types of food at a range of prices, but you will also find that it is a town with a long memory.
If you give your customers a great dining experience, you can bet that they will be back for more and that they will tell their friends, but if you mess up, word is certainly going to get around. Every restaurant manager fears a food poisoning outbreak, but if you work in Melbourne, you may have more reason than most to be frightened of it.
When you are looking at a food poisoning outbreak, you are looking at your restaurant getting a lot of publicity that it doesn’t need. You’ll find that you may be risking a citation or a warning at best, and complete shut-down at worst. This is how important adequate food safety and hygiene is to your restaurant.
Guests who are unlucky enough to eat at a time when your food safety isn’t as high as it should be may become quite sick, and while many cases of food poisoning can be quite mild, others are extremely severe or unpleasant. This is most common when children or people with weakened immune systems are exposed to tainted food.
Bacteria may easily exist on raw food like eggs, seafood, uncooked rice, or even raw vegetables. For the most part, good washing practices and cooking will take care of the problems there, but if these foods come into contact with food that has already been prepared, the bacteria are able to pass themselves on. Some bacteria can even be transferred through unwashed hands onto food that is ready to serve. Other pathogens or bacteria will develop on food that as been allowed to grow too warm or that has begun to spoil.
There are many different ways to prevent a food poisoning outbreak. The first and most obvious thing that you need to think about is the fact that your staff need food safety training: to be taught how to handle and prepare food. Strict regulations about hand washing and sanitation on the food preparation floor are things that you really need to drill home.
You will also find that good storage, where raw food is never permitted to come in contact with food that is ready to serve is something that all staff need to be aware of. It is important to establish routine to ensure that staff form good hygiene habits.
The truth of the matter is that there is a multitude of different ways that a food poisoning outbreak can occur, but you don’t need to live in fear. Most restaurant managers aren’t experts in food safety, which is why they will enlist the services of a good food safety expert before anything goes wrong. If you want to make sure that nothing gets overlooked in the food safety of your restaurant, talk to an expert. If you are cooking in Melbourne, you already know that you are playing to a tough crowd, so don’t make it any harder than it has to be!
Gavin can be contacted at gavin@agbsolutions.com.au or through his website at www.agbsolutions.com.au.
Recently, I’ve been working with the AMES as a consultant to produce a video training series. I was involved in training and content development, and we’ve produced a fantastic set of videos. Here’s a sneek peak at what you can see.
If you have any questions on Allergens, please don’t hesitate to contact me for info. Also, here’s a link to where you can check out the entire series.
If you work in a professional kitchen, particularly in a demanding city like Melbourne, you know that every night there is a lot at stake. Not only do you need to make sure that you are putting out great food, you also need to ensure that you are subscribing to the highest standards when it comes to food safety and hygiene.
Illness, a loss of reputation and even legal action are just some of the negative side effects that can occur when you start playing fast and loose with food safety. As a restaurant manager you have a responsibility to make certain that your restaurant is doing all that is necessary to meet the various challenges that food safety poses.
The first thing that you need to think about is education. No matter how experienced your kitchen staff are, make sure that they have all the information they need to be able to conduct themselves appropriately in a food preparation location.
Some food safety procedures are fairly straightforward, others are not. Make sure that everyone on the floor understands the measures that are taken and why they are necessary. Also make sure that they understand that no matter what kind of rush they are in, this is not something that they can be lax about!
Another area that you consider is proper food storage. While of course you will be able to set some things up to run permanently, like the temperature of your refrigerator or freezer, also keep in mind that there are things that need to be done to ensure that food is not contaminated before it even gets to the cook! Remember, for instance, that meat should always be stored on the lowest shelf possible, as there is a chance that even a slight drop in temperature will cause it to melt and drip, contaminating the food below it. Also, raw food and cooked food must always be kept separate.
Your staff must also be aware of the fact that they have a responsibility when it comes to keeping their areas clean. For instance, dishes, utensils and surfaces need to be cleaned and dried, with a strong preference for things to air dry. Similarly, all equipment that comes in contact with food needs to be sanitized in some fashion between tasks and before every use. All equipment that comes in contact with food, whether it is for transporting the food or serving or preparing it, must also be cleaned.
The consequences of taking food sanitation too lightly can be severe. You have a responsibility to ensure the safety of your guests, and a failure to do so can result in some extremely negative consequences.
Remember that consulting with an expert can save you a great deal of grief down the road, so if you are feeling nervous about the issue, make sure that you consider the services of a food safety expert who can offer valuable advice, perhaps even provide a suitable food safety program, to ensure that your restaurant runs smoothly and meets or even exceeds the food safety legislation. Peace of mind in this area will enable you to focus on providing your customers with the most enjoyable dining experience possible.
Gavin can be contacted at gavin@agbsolutions.com.au or through his website at www.agbsolutions.com.au.
Anyone who owns or runs a restaurant or other food preparation business wants to provide their customers with a safe and quality product. Unfortunately, there are times when mistakes are made and the end result could be a sick or even dead patron.
Do you know that there are approximately 5.4 million cases of food poisoning a year in Australia? Of these 120 will end with the loss of someone’s life. All of these cases of food poisoning could be prevented if proper steps had been taken in the preparation of the food products they ingested. I am sure that everyone in your kitchen wants and tries to comply with food safety standards, however, mistakes happen. Or what if those standards are simply not enough? What if there was more you could do to protect the people who are entrusting you with their well-being? Would you take the opportunity to learn enough to guarantee your foods safety?
A food safety expert can save your kitchen the embarrassment of causing people to fall ill after eating your food. With about 5.4 million cases of food poisoning a year, it is only a matter of time before someone gets sick from your kitchen; unless you are willing to do all that it takes to prevent it from happening. By allowing a food safety expert to assist your staff, they can ensure that no one will get food poisoning from your kitchen. Wouldn’t you enjoy that piece of mind?
A food safety expert can also make your establishment a more profitable one. As people begin to talk about the wonderful experience they had dining in your restaurant, more guests will come in to try your menu for themselves. What pride you would feel knowing you were running a place people loved to come into then told their friends about it.
AGB is the only Australian company owned and operated by an apprentice Chef of the Year. Gavin Buckett is a food and safety expert and is making it his mission to teach restaurant owners and managers how to better protect their patrons and their businesses.
There are different food safety programs available to suit your individual needs. For example, they can have their auditors come to your establishment and provide weekly, monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, or annual audits depending on your desire. AGB can also provide your kitchen with management solutions such as; menu writing, cost control, equipment recommendations, event planning, sourcing suppliers, food preparation and handling training, product and recipe development, and allergen controls. In addition, AGB also has a food safety compliance system. It is a twelve-month course that only requires 10 minutes of your time each week. This program teaches you tips, techniques and new teachings, all of which will make your restaurant a success.
When your establishment is run properly; is clean, organised, and putting out delicious quality products, word spreads. When your restaurant is dirty, disorganised and putting out subpar products, word spreads. What do you want people to be saying about your kitchen?
The HACCP systems designed by AGB Solutions Pty Ltd are practical and easy to read and each program is specifically designed for each client’s business. As most clients are implementing HACCP for the first time, AGB Solutions have designed an 11 Point Checklist for HACCP Certification Success so that we can provide our Guarantee to your success. Click here to see what we include in our 11 point checklist.
If you operate a business in which food is a main staple, food safety should be at the top of your priority list. Not only do you have the legal requirements to keep your kitchen and food preparation areas in good, safe conditions. But you also have an obligation to your customers to keep the things they eat and go into their mouth, clean, safe, and of the highest quality.
Health departments and food safety departments outline all requirements; food safety procedures and kitchen procedures that must be followed by every establishment. What happens if you do not follow these requirements? Well, most importantly you run the risk of hurting your customers. All it takes is for one customer to have an illness or unsanitary problem with their food and your business could take a downfall.
When it comes to commercial kitchen food safety, there are requirements to meet in regards to food storage, food preparation, and safe food handling. These requirements are all geared towards preventing illnesses and diseases that could arise when food is improperly handled, cooked, and stored.
Some food safety requirements within Australia include:
Keeping foods that are deemed potentially hazardous at the correct temperature. In most cases, it is really straight-forward. If foods must be frozen, freeze them at temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius. The guidelines also dictate storage of food. Not only should it be stored at the correct temperature, but it should also be stored to provide protection from any contamination and within conditions that will have no affect on the food in terms of suitability and safety.
There are also regulations that dictate how to reheat food. Foods that are deemed potentially hazardous should be reheated quickly. The foods should be heated to at least 60 degrees Celsius and done so at a rapid pace.
If you are displaying food, you should make sure that you are using different serving utensils for each type of food. Cross food contamination is perhaps the easiest of all contamination processes so it should be carefully guarded against.
With the number of laws and regulations provided in regards to food safety, it can be easy to forget or overlook. However, you need to remember that all it takes is just one bad review or a customer to have a negative experience to ruin the reputation of your business. Therefore, it is a good idea to seek advice from a reputable food safety business in order to help you keep your kitchen safe and your equipment in meeting legal standards.
Gavin can be contacted at gavin@agbsolutions.com.au or through his website at www.australianfoodsafety.com.au.
If you are a restaurant professional in Melbourne, whether your restaurant is large or small, you need to make sure that proper sanitation and health concerns are one of your top priorities.
There is a good chance that you know of, or have even been to a restaurant that has suffered from health code issues. The repercussions of this can be immense. The most obvious and potentially devastating sign of poor food hygiene is sick customers. This of course is an unpleasant situation for customers and in the best case scenario, they will simply never return to your restaurant again. In the worst case scenario, they will sue!
Recovering from the loss of reputation that results from poor food safety can be nigh on impossible. Because of this it makes much more sense to protect yourself and your customers by ensuring that your food safety standards are high to begin with.
When you are looking at the maintenance of good food hygiene, you will find that at the most basic level, it is a matter of cleanliness. All of the handling and storage areas should be kept clean and anyone handling the food must be aware of what they are doing and take the proper precautions.
Food should be thoroughly cooked, and whether being stored or served, should be at an appropriate temperature to prevent the multiplication of bacteria.
Cross contamination, especially with regard to meat, is also something that requires constant vigilance. Meat should always be stored in such a way that accidental drippings will not contaminate other foods.
An extremely important aspect of good food hygiene in the kitchen is the idea that anyone who handles food in your kitchen should be well trained and aware of the safety procedures in place. Before and after handling food, they should wash their hands with warm water and liquid soap, and after washing, they should make sure that they dry their hands on a towel intended for that purpose. Hand washing is the core of good hygiene in the kitchen and it should be undertaken after going to the toilet, handling money, breaks, and after sneezing or blowing your nose.
Even with a good understanding of food safety, it is important to be aware of the fact that there is a lot to be said for consulting an expert. You and your staff have a lot going on, and in many ways, it can be difficult to look objectively at a familiar situation and make sure that everything is being done right. However these small details that get overlooked can become a big issue and potentially devastate a business! It is here that professional services that will assess your safety procedures and suggest improvements come into play. You can use these services to reduce the chance of a food poisoning outbreak. In a place like Melbourne where news travels fast, you can bet that this is something that you will be glad you invested in!
Gavin can be contacted at gavin@agbsolutions.com.au or through his website at www.agbsolutions.com.au.
If you are someone who is in charge of one, or several kitchens in the bustling city of Melbourne, you already know that the sanitation and health of both your workers and your customers needs to be one of your highest priorities.
There are many things to keep in mind when you are looking at making sure that your kitchen meets the food safety standards standards that have been set by the health code, but the truth of the matter is that for even the most conscientious of kitchens, it can be easy to get sloppy.
When you are looking at the sanitation of your kitchen and the good health practices of your staff, there are many things that are at stake. The goal of many restaurateurs is to ensure that customers have an enjoyable experience and that they associate the restaurant with good times. This is much harder to do if they get sick.
There is also the fact that if you are careless with your sanitation you can, and most likely will run into legal difficulties. There are many things that you can do to help leave legal matters out of your life, and taking care of your health issues is one of them. Also keep in mind that it doesn’t take much to ruin the reputation of even an established restaurant.
There are some very basic things that can be done to reduce the chances of a food poisoning outbreak at your restaurant. First, make certain that your staff are educated on matters of food safety. Verify that they are aware that spoiled food does not necessarily look or smell different from food that is good, and let them know that food must be kept hot or very cold in order to make sure that bacterium doesn’t grow on it.
Remember that all food should always be covered and that raw and cooked foods should always be kept separate. Take some time to make sure that food is not defrosted in the open air and that hands are washed before and after handling food.
Also take care that the various hot and cold places in your kitchen meet the requirements of the local legislation, and always store meats on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator in order to keep juices from dripping down onto other foods. These are the basics for a commercial kitchen, but remember that as a general rule, the busier the kitchen, the more stringent food safety procedures need to be.
Amidst the calamity that dinner time can bring to commercial kitchens it can be exhausting to keep even the simplest orders in mind, let alone adhering to proper food safety procedures. However the reputation of your restaurant depends on these procedures so it is vital that you take no chances. The more streamlined your procedures are the more likely they are to be followed by your staff. Consultation with a food safety expert is often a worthwhile exercise. These people can evaluate your current procedures and suggest any improvements to strengthen your restaurant’s ability to produce safe, quality food.
Gavin can be contacted at gavin@agbsolutions.com.au or through his website at www.australianfoodsafety.com.au.
Recently, Food Processing News did a write up about me - Gavin Buckett, in their Spring 2008 edition. While I generally avoid the limelight, I thought I might share the story with you, my devoted blog readers.
Here goes:
Gavin Buckett completed the Diploma of Food Technology in 2002 and the Diploma of Confectionery Manufacturing in 2003.
Gavin found a passion for food through a part time job while studying Accounting in 1989 and has been involved in the food industry ever since. Fifteen years cooking included winning the Blue Flame Award for Victorian Apprentice of the Year and the Daryl Cox Memorial Trophy. Work also included stints in Singapore and Malaysia.
In 2003, while still cooking, Gavin gained tertiary qualifications in Food Technology and Confectionery Manufacturing at William Angliss Institute.
Gavin is a registered food safety auditor and food safety trainer and specialises in the preparation of HACCP certified food management systems and food allergen management solutions.
“I went to William Angliss Institute for a couple of years studying Food Technology and Confectionery Manufacturing. At the graduation dinner for the course, I was talking to the course coordinator and he gave me the contact details of someone who he said I should call. So I rang her up and introduced myself. She had a client who needed help achieving HACCP accreditation and had too much work on. We developed a relationship and I began to take on her overflow work.” That’s how I started my business in 2003 – totally by accident! I made one phone call and all of a sudden I needed an ABN.”
“I started AGB Solutions Pty Ltd with my wife, Angela in 2005. We are a specialist provider of Food Safety Solutions and Quality Assurance Services to all areas of the food industry including food and beverage manufacturers, distributors, restaurants, caterers, hospitals and aged care facilities to name just a few.”
Future plans for AGB Solutions include working closely with the DHS on the allergen training project, preparation of web based manuals for commercial and domestic clients, an increased range of specialised food safety products and regular food safety based workshops.
Gavin can be contacted at gavin@agbsolutions.com.au or through his website at www.australianfoodsafety.com.au.
