Every responsible restaurant owner lives in fear of their customers coming up with food poisoning. Depending on the cause, it can mean serious and even ongoing health problems. Just as bad for the restaurant, it can mean that you get closed down or suffer a PR disaster.
The simplest way you can avoid these
problems is if you ensure that your restaurant always meets the local health
codes. If you want to get ahead of the game, keep reading for some tips on
maintaining health code compliance.
Health
Codes Vary
The first thing you must remember is
that health codes vary. While the U.S. Food Code forms the basis for most regulations,
it's not adopted in exactly the same way in every location. It is, however, an
excellent starting point for new restauranteurs.
If you meet those basic
recommendations, odds are good that you'll end up in the right neighborhood in
terms of local food safety regulations.
You should, however, contact your
local or state health department for specific guidance on their version of the
health code.
Ask
for Copies of the Inspection Form
The inspection form itself will tell
you exactly what inspectors will look for when they roll through your
restaurant looking for problems. You can think of it as a cheat sheet version
of a health code compliance guide. While forms will reflect the local regs,
there are some things that turn up on most forms, such as:
- Storage methods
- Storage Temperatures
- Labeling
- Heating to accepted guidelines
- Equipment condition/cleanliness
- Overall hygiene
Assuming you tick all of those boxes
on a day-to-day basis, you should get through inspections and meet your health
code responsibilities.
Safety
Training
Every business must do some basic
safety training, but restaurants must take that training a big step further. In
addition to basic safety training, you must also cover food safety training.
Some common elements of food safety training include:
- Avoiding cross-contamination
- Surface sanitization
- Proper handwashing
While much of this is now common
practice everywhere courtesy of Covid, you can never reinforce food safety
rules too much.
Overall
Hygiene
You can also take some steps that
will help improve overall hygiene in your restaurant. Automatic soap
dispensers, such as those offered by Prestige Washrooms, help avoid contact transmission of bacteria and viruses in
bathrooms and kitchens.
Robust sanitization of public
surfaces such as countertops and tables throughout the day is another answer
for how to comply to health codes.
Health
Codes and You
Health codes for restaurants all aim
at a similar goal. They help you provide safe food in a safe environment for
your customers.
Unfortunately, those codes are not
universal in all locations. That means you must take steps to ensure that you know
the local requirements. You can do that by contacting your state or local
health department and by asking for copies of the inspection forms.
You can also help ensure you meet
standards with solid food safety training and overall hygiene in the restaurant.
Looking for more management tips?
Check out the posts in our Business section.
