Food Safety And Hygiene Tips For Commercial Kitchens In 2024

Food safety and hygiene will forever be a hot topic (pun intended) in the commercial catering industry — and with good reason.

Businesses that fail to comply with the UK’s stringent commercial kitchen regulations risk being fined or even having to close down altogether.

That’s why commercial kitchen operators need to know:

• How to maintain high standards of food safety and hygiene. 
• What changes are around the corner and how to prepare for them.

Crosbys Catering Supplies, part of our buying consortium, is perfectly placed to advise on the above. 

A family owned-business based in the North East of England, Crosbys provides both front-of-house and back-of-house products, and is a part of the IG Group. 

We spoke to Gareth David, Head of IG Cleaning and Hygiene Supplies, to discover how commercial kitchens can uphold the highest levels of food safety and hygiene.

In this article

• Overview of Crosbys
• Best products for maintaining food safety and hygiene
• Why food safety and hygiene are important
• Common food safety and hygiene challenges
• Food safety and hygiene best practices for commercial kitchens
• The future of food safety and hygiene

 

Can you please start by providing an overview of Crosbys Catering Supplies and its mission?

Crosbys was originally established in 1990 and was purchased in January 2024 by the IG Group. 

Our company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the parent company. This acquisition has given us bigger buying power, increased expertise, and access to many more products in the UK and from our import partners.

Crosbys strives to provide a one-stop shop to the caterer, from cups and saucers to full kitchen suites. 

We can tailor our vast product range to fit the caterer’s needs, drawing upon hundreds of years of experience across our board and our supplier base.

Being part of a family-owned parent company, we’ve maintained our ‘service-first’ culture. We consider ourselves not too small to help and not too big to care. 

We constantly train our team to provide both detailed and up-to-the-minute guidance for the caterer which covers all aspects of our product offering, from tableware to cleaning services. 

This approach means we appreciate the total customer spend and can be more flexible with our pricing.

 

Which back-of-house cleaning and hygiene products does Crosbys distribute, and how do these products help to maintain high standards of food safety and hygiene in commercial kitchens?

With Crosby’s now being part of IG Group, we have a large talent pool consisting of different hygiene specialists. They support, advise, and visit establishments to share their knowledge and expertise. 

Our vast product range encompasses everything from a cotton mop to a flat mop system and scrubber dryer. 

We also make sure the customer understands the importance of colour coding and segregation. It’s vital to segregate the mops and cloths that clean toilets and mops that clean kitchens. 

To maintain high standards and reduce injuries around slips and falls, training and advice is always provided by us or our manufacturing partners.

 

Why is food safety and hygiene so important for commercial kitchens, aside from the obvious reason which is to protect consumers and staff?

With the rise in food allergies and intolerances, cleanliness has never been more important. There’s an increasing need for businesses to enforce stringent hygiene practices across the board.

Preventing cross contamination not only ensures the health and wellbeing of customers, but it also protects catering businesses from serious potential legal and reputational damage.

 

What, in your view, are the most common food safety and hygiene challenges faced by commercial kitchens today, and how can they mitigate these challenges?

Maximising the overall health of a commercial kitchen, in spite of the ongoing risk of bacterial contamination, is still a massive challenge for catering professionals. 

This is why you need colour coded cleaning equipment that can be designated for specific areas of your premises. Colour coding for utensils, cloths and general cleaning products is key to maintaining a safe environment. 

If you need help in this area, reach out to us. We will discuss your needs and we can supply you not only the white goods but also a full program of colour coding and training, including charts which can be fitted on the walls.

 

What are the best practices when it comes to food safety and hygiene in commercial kitchens, particularly in respect of the 4 C’s?

Training and education is key to reduce and remove cross-contamination in commercial kitchens. It’s important to be mindful of the 4 C’s — cleaning, cooking, chilling, and cross-contamination.  

In relation to cleaning, I would concentrate on the following five areas:

1. Having a strong dilution control system throughout the kitchen. Ideally, you should have a water fed system installed, as this will ensure correct dilution rates every time.
2. Where possible, use a 2-stage clean system. Clean and degrease all surfaces, then sanitise using a BSEN 1276 sanitiser. This will kill most harmful strains of bacteria within 30 seconds. 
3. Floor cleaning is paramount, and cleaning throughout service is highly recommended.
4. Good dishwashing practices are required, such as cleaning the dishwasher using a good quality descaler. Doing this will mean wash elements are not scaled, wash jets are not blocked, and the machine can operate at the correct temperatures. The proper stacking of dishwasher baskets is also paramount to ensure a good strong clean, along with the correct thermal disinfection.
5. Daily and weekly canopy cleaning and degreasing will ensure not only cleanliness in the kitchen but also the prevention of potential fires. There are new systems in the marketplace where daily cleaning is controlled via specialised equipment.

By following these important steps, commercial kitchen operators are doing everything they can to make their working environment as safe as possible.

 

What do you see as the future of food safety and hygiene in the commercial catering equipment industry? Are there any emerging technologies or practices worth keeping an eye on? 

This is a really great question, as there are two major changes coming. 

One is the removal of the mop and bucket and the other is the introduction of small, focused scrubber dryers which provide speed, control, a fixed standard, and an instantly dry floor. 

These are being tested in Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) around the UK and across the pond, but this is only the start of the revolution. More automation is coming. 

If you have not yet watched The Founder, which documents the origins of McDonalds and stars Michael Keaton, it’s a great film which showcases how process and kitchen optimisation really started. 

On a related note, our latest cooking equipment includes the iVario Pro from Rational, which provides the caterer with a self-filling modern bratt pan. This product saves the kitchen team from carrying huge quantities of boiling liquid around the kitchen. With its integral water supply and hose, it can then easily be cleaned and readied for the next food preparation.

 

Many thanks to Gareth for his insights. 

 

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These statistics confirm our position as the UK’s premier catering equipment buying consortium and highlight the scale of opportunities available to you.

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