Abstract
Transmission of hazardous materials could be aggravated by inappropriate handling and storage practices. This results in cross-contamination to foodstuff or cooking utensils. The introduced hazards in the food supply chain might lead to client and reputation loss. The implementation of food safety is necessary to secure safety concerns. All employees should take initiative to be aware and have good attitudes regarding proper hygiene and sanitary practices to assure their product integrity and safety for human consumption. Therefore, this chapter delivered the appropriate and standard food safety protocols to all individuals involved in food storage, preparation, and serving. The scope was structured into (1) identification of hazardous ingredients, (2) purchasing and receiving raw materials, (3) transporting and storage, (4) cooking and reheating, (5) food serving and displaying, (6) leftover storage, and (7) cleaning and sanitation.
TopIntroduction
Food consumption is reflected as a biological need in fulfilling hunger and gaining nutrients. In this modernization and urbanization society, outside catering outlets are mushrooming around the globe due to the limited time required to cook at home and more choices provided in outdoor catering outlets (Souza et al., 2018). However, unhygienic food served to provide the ideal conditions for microbial proliferation and the occurrence of foodborne diseases due to unhygienic food preparation practices (Faridah et al., 2016; Insfran-Rivarola et al., 2020). Foodborne illness imposes a global public health threat due to food quality, economic, and reputation loss of countries. Approximately 2.2 million people died annually due to foodborne or waterborne illnesses (Ncube et al., 2020).
Instead of food safety and public health risk, people are generally more concerned with the service provided, price setting, menu choices (Harris et al., 2018). Unlike home-cooked food, one little mistake did by food handlers can cause a chaotic consequence. Therefore, clientele perception of food safety is crucial to provide consumers with a ‘safer’ meal. Restaurant owners are responsible to take regulatory initiatives to implement and practice international food safety interventions such as ISO 22000 routinely: 2018, Good Manufacturing practices (GMP), Hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP), and WHO food safety strategic plan (2013 to 2022) and motivate their subordinates to comply it (Ncube et al., 2020). Table 1 describes categories of restaurant and their respective complement of food safety practices. Bear in mind that high commitment to hygiene practices did not represent high effectiveness in preventing foodborne illness (Mjoka & Selepe 2018). Therefore, impactful food safety training is necessary to be delivered in worldwide restaurants.
Table 1.
Different categories of restaurants establishments and their respective complement level in food safety practices
Restaurant Categories
(Provided with examples) | Key Characteristics of Restaurantsa | General Complement of Food Safety Practices |
Full service
(Fine dining and casual dining) | • Customers are known as guests. Guests will be provided wide options of food types from the menu
• Guests are often served by waiters once they sit down and until they leave
• Guests will dine in those particular restaurants and seldom practice takeaway
• Takeaway or delivery orders are seldom been practiced | Foods are mostly prepared under hygienic conditions. Most of the food handler staff are educated, well trained, and aware of knowledge regarding food safety and kitchen hygiene (Darko et al., 2015). |
Quick service
(Fast food settings) | • Fast services provided, long operation hours, low food price, convenient location drive-through service, fast, and efficient customer services
• Food formula preparation is always standardized | Most of the employees under are provided with formal hygiene training. Food prepared is considered hygiene and safe to consume (Elobeid et al., 2019). |
Quick casual
(Pub, café, normal dining restaurants, and street vendors or hawkers) | • A category locates between quick service and full-service restaurant
• Dining price will normally be lower than full-service restaurants
• Accentuate high food quality but at a reasonable and affordable price
• Food only prepared once received customer order
• Different restaurants will have their signature or innovative dishes | Food handlers might uneducated, untrained, or unaware of food safety knowledge and hygiene practices. The risk of hazard exposure is very high (Khairuzzaman et al., 2014; Olu-Taiwo et al., 2021). |
Superscript a = key characteristics of each category are adapted from Chua et al. (2020)
Key Terms in this Chapter
Two-Hour Rule: The time frame provided to display any perishable items that are left without cold or hot holding on the buffet counter under room temperature conditions. After 2 hours, the perishable ingredients need to be discarded.
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP): HACCP is an international food safety management system that emphasizing on the food safety by analyzing and monitoring the physical, chemical, and biological hazards from raw ingredients production, food purchasing, and handling until to the finalized product manufacturing, distribution, and human consumption.
Cross-Contamination: The transferring of any microorganisms or foreign substances from one medium to another medium. The foreign substances are including food allergens, microbial toxins, chemicals, and microbial cells.
Food Code: The Food Code is a model that representing the best advice from FDA for a consistent set of provisions addressing the safety and protection of food sold in retail and in foodservice. Besides, it is a systematized basic standard to protect public health relating to food, beverages, raw materials, utensils, and equipment use and domestic consumption. At last, it will ensure all the foods to be safe prepared, without unadulterated and accurately served to consumers
Partially Cooked Food: The food has been cooked in halfway without entirely cooked. It will be cooked again later on before serving to the guest.
Perishable Food: Perishable food refers to any edible food or raw ingredients that are highly susceptible to food spoilage and become unfit for human consumptions. They usually have a shorter shelf life and most probably need to store in a chilling or freezing environment to prolong their storage shelf life.
Ready-to-Eat (RTE): The RTE food can be directly consumed without the need to further cooking or reheat. It can be directly serving to consumers. The examples of RTE food consist of sandwiches, cheese, and smoked fish. Some of the RTE food can even be served cold in advance such as sashimi and sushi.
Primary Shelf Life: The time elapsed between the manufacture and packaging of a product and the point at which the product first becomes unacceptable under specified environmental parameters.
Internal Food Temperature: The core temperature inside the central part of the cooked food. The internal food temperature can be obtained using the temperature probe by inserting it into the central part of food.
Food Danger Zone: The temperature range allows the foodborne bacteria to grow faster from 5 to 60°C and doubling the bacterial population as more quickly as 20 minutes.
Secondary Shelf Life: The period when the original food packaging or containers had opened by consumers and lead to a sudden sharp acceleration of alteration in the product quality.