Well it’s official. Covid-19, more commonly known as the Corona Virus, has been officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation and the world is quickly moving towards lockdown. Tourist numbers have already been heavily restricted and people are feeling anxious about going to crowded places. A number of businesses are already experiencing the impact of this with a downturn in trade.
As a food business owner you have the power and the responsibility to protect your staff, your customers and your business.
Make your customers feel safe and secure without contributing to the fear and hysteria.
The key to making your customers feel safe and secure without scaring people is by reviewing and strengthening two areas of your Food Control Plan:
- Your cleaning and sanitising programme
- Your personal hygiene policy
Cleaning and Sanitising
The single best way to protect against the Corona Virus is by reviewing and strengthening your cleaning and sanitising program. The first step is to ensure all your staff are following a two stage process for cleaning.
The two stages are:
- Cleaning: this removes the grease, dirt and food residue but it does not kill all the germs. Cleaning should be done with detergent and hot water. In order for it to be effective the water should be at least 60° Don’t forget to rinse the detergent off afterwards.
- Sanitise: Sanitising kills the bacteria and viruses. You need to use a product that specifically states that it sanitises.
Wiping down a surface is not enough.
When reviewing this with your staff remind everyone to:
- Use different cloths. One for the cleaning and a separate one for sanitising.
- Check the manufacturers instructions for the sanitiser – do you have the correct ratio of chemical to water? If not it may not work properly.
- Change the cloths more regularly than usual.
- Clean and sanitise more frequently. Do you usually wait til the end of the day? We suggest doing it several times a day on and around areas touched frequently.
- Use the right cloth for the job. A different cloth for the different jobs and areas. Using different coloured cloths helps with this
On FCP Log? Click here to see our video on how to edit your cleaning plan.
It is easy to remember to clean and sanitise the most obvious areas such as tables and benches but this is a good opportunity to remind everyone of those less obvious places that are often touched by many hands.
Those ‘too often forgotten’ places:
- Door handles
- Fridge/freezer/chiller door handles
- Coffee machine handles
- The backs of chairs (especially the bit people hold to pull the chair in and out)
- Hand dryers in bathrooms
- The cash register/eftpos machine
- Tablets and computers used for record keeping
Don’t forget to dry the surface!
Water is the friend of bacteria and viruses. Leaving pools of water, even very small ones, will increase the spread so keep everything dry. Double check the hard to reach places such as under the coffee maker or in the seals of the fridge of any left over droplets.
Personal Hygiene
The human body can provide places for many disease-causing germs and parasites to grow and multiply, including the Corona Virus. You cannot control how people look after themselves in their own homes but that does not mean you have no defence. Review and strengthen your personal hygiene policies and teams training to make sure you, your staff and your customers are well looked after while onsite.
The 20/20 Handwashing Rule
This is a perfect opportunity to remind all of your staff what the correct handwashing technique is.
The biggest mistake people make is simply not spending enough time cleaning and drying their hands. It is not the temperature of the water that matters, it is using soap and following the 20/20 rule as outlined in your Food Control Plan.
Frequency is everything!
When handling food you should wash your hands immediately after:
- Starting work
- Handling raw meat
- Putting out rubbish
- Using chemicals
- Coughing or sneezing
- Touching your hair
- Touching your face
- Handling cash or payment cards
- Smoking
Gloves
Gloves are no better at protecting us and others against the Corona Virus than washing our hands regularly is. But if you do choose to use gloves remember to change them regularly.
Having one pair of gloves on all day is going to be of little protection. You need to change your gloves at least as often as you should wash your hands.
One great idea we saw in a restaurant just this week was the team serving plates to tables without gloves (but with freshly washed hands) then returning to clear the used plates and cutlery with a fresh pair of gloves. This has the benefit of not spreading any potential bugs from a dined customer to the plates of the next customer to be served.
Don’t forget about your customers
The goal here is to make your customers aware that you are actively engaged in keeping them safe. This will go a long way towards sending out the message that you are a safe place to visit and gather. Some ideas for keeping your customers safe are:
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Hand Sanitiser for all: Have hand sanitiser available for everyone. Place some in a variety of places throughout your establishment;
- Counter
- Tables
- Self service areas
- Bathrooms
- By doorways
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Think about table spacing: The World Health Organisation is advising people to stay home and don’t go to events or crowded places. This is not good for hospitality businesses. If you are able to increase the space between your tables this could help people feel safer and reduce the risk of customer to customer transmission.
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Keep your customers informed: Let your customers know you are working hard to keep them safe. We are seeing a number of businesses put up signs informing their customers of the steps they are taking to protect them. Sky City, a NZ Company with dozens of food establishments across New Zealand and Australia, were particularly effective with their approach by sending out emails to their contacts explaining what steps they are taking:
The Corona Virus is here, we cannot avoid that reality. However, if we work together, stay calm and remember the basics we can avoid the virus from stopping our flourishing hospitality industry from failing.
If you would like to discuss how to get yourself and your staff Food Safety and Hygiene Certificates as a part of your staff training programme please flick me a message on anna@foodcontrolplans.co.nz or give us a call at 0800 FOR FCP.
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