Foodborne bacteria can lead to significant health problems, particularly for businesses in the hospitality industry where food is served. In such an industry, the transmission of foodborne bacteria can result in substantial reputational damage and financial consequences, including fines and potential legal action.
To prevent foodborne bacteria issues, the focus should be on ensuring that surfaces are regularly disinfected and that food is properly managed and stored. Here are some tips to battle foodborne bacteria in your business:
Clean and Manual Sanitisation
All surfaces that might either directly or indirectly come into contact with food should be regularly cleaned and disinfected. This includes food preparation surfaces, cutting boards, utensils, and all crockery and cutlery. All of these should be thoroughly washed in hot, soapy water after each use.
In addition, it’s wise to use cutting boards exclusively for meat. Using separate boards for cutting non-meat products can help prevent cross-contamination from occurring.
Aside from basic cleaning protocols, all working surfaces, such as countertops, should also be regularly disinfected. Other high-touch areas, such as refrigerator handles, taps, and kitchen appliance buttons, should be sanitised.
At Enviro-Safe, we supply alcohol-based sanitiser formulas that can be applied to all surfaces. This ensures that all bacteria are eliminated. In addition to providing liquid sanitisers, we supply convenient sanitising wipes. Both of these solutions are capable of killing up to 99.99% of germs in seconds.
Surface sanitisation should be a daily habit in your kitchen. It is also crucial to sanitise your hands regularly when working with food.
Volume Disinfectants
While cleaning and sanitising all surfaces manually is important, volume disinfection treatments can also be extremely useful and should also be carried out periodically. This method of sanitisation can reach places that either you didn’t think of or couldn’t reach.
Enviro-Safe’s effective antimicrobial sanitation fogging treatment effectively kills off a wide range of contaminants, both surface-based and airborne. It is highly effective at eliminating various pathogens, ranging from bacteria to fungi, spores, viruses, mites, and more.
The antimicrobial sanitation compound that we use is called Virocid from CID VirocidR and is based on quaternary ammonium isopropanol and glutaraldehyde. It is capable of getting rid of harmful foodborne pathogens, including Toxoplasma gondii, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter, and E. coli O157:H7, among others.
By periodically using our disinfection volume fogging service and products, you can rest assured that food-borne bacteria are given no room to thrive and will be stopped dead in their tracks.
Additional Measures
Managing and storing food correctly is essential. Ensure your refrigerator operates at a temperature between 1 °C and 4 °C to slow down bacterial growth. Always store raw meat in sealed containers, either in the refrigerator or in the freezer. Store other refrigerated foods separately in their own containers to prevent cross-contamination. Non-refrigerated foods should be stored in a cool, dry place and regularly checked for shelf life.
Always thoroughly cook food, especially meats and poultry, using a food thermometer to check internal temperatures. If anything seems slimy, off-coloured or smelly, it’s best to throw it out rather than take a chance with it.
Enviro-Safe provides volume disinfection fogging treatments and a range of sanitisation products to ensure foodborne bacteria do not pose a risk to you, your staff, or your customers. Contact us today to learn more.
