Would you eat at a restaurant that you thought may be neglecting its cleaning and hygiene processes? Hotel F&B magazine asks.

One of the most important practices of any F&B venue is the cleaning regime. We all know that bad news travels fast, so it is imperative that restaurants take the right precautions to make sure their service is up to the hygiene standards expected.

DC's Bob Wood explains that "in its simplest form, a good cleaning regime helps hotel catering operators to obey the law, reduce the potentially lethal risk of food poisoning among their customers and protect their reputation".

"Cross-contamination, when bacteria are spread between food, surfaces or equipment, is one of the most common causes of food poisoning" he explains. "Controlling harmful bacteria such as E. coli, campylobacter and salmonella, which can cause serious illness and even death, should be paramount to any catering business."

"The Food Standards Authority advises that heat is the most effective way to kill bacteria and recommends heat disinfection of equipment by methods such as using a commercial dishwasher as being the best way to reduce the risk of cross-contamination", says Wood.

Wood argues that it's not just the manual (cleaning) processes that need to be maintained, with cleaning equipment such as warewashers needing as much care and attention to make sure they do their jobs properly.

Read full article in Hotel F&B May 2016 issue ...