Health is wealth and you cannot take it lightly. With hectic schedules, we often end up ordering food from restaurants and cafes, but have you wondered how your meal is being prepared? Is the restaurant following safety measures to ensure that the food is safe for consumption? To understand how things work in the kitchens and to celebrate World Food Safety Day, we got in touch with a few of your favourite restaurants.
For the unversed, World Food Safety Day aims to encourage conversation and inspire action to deter and detect foodborne diseases. The theme of this year’s World Food Safety Day 2023 is ‘Food standards save lives.’
Ranjan Chopra, Founder Qla, Mehrauli, New Delhi, told us that they adhere to all the industry regulations and standards to guarantee food safety for our customers. He said, “To ensure this, we conduct regular health inspections of our premises by experienced certified professionals who check for potential hazards. Additionally, our kitchen staff undergoes intensive training on proper food handling techniques and uses only the highest quality ingredients in all our dishes.”
He added, “On top of food production and preparation, food safety measures are also applied during handling, storage, and transportation, for both incoming deliveries and products going out to customers. This includes storing food at the right temperature, cooking it to the correct level, and segregating raw and cooked foods. Herein, temperature control is an important part of the process. Furthermore, we label all our ingredients with clear expiration dates so kitchen staff can easily identify and replace outdated items.”
“Our kitchen staff is strictly instructed to wear gloves, hair nets, or caps at all times when handling food and ingredients. We consider personal grooming standards as an important factor in upholding the highest levels of cleanliness and professionalism.”
Rachel Goenka, Founder of The Sassy Spoon further explained, “At our restaurant, we are deeply committed to upholding the highest standards of food safety. We recognize the importance of providing our customers with not only delicious meals but also a safe and hygienic dining experience. To achieve this, we have implemented several stringent measures and protocols throughout our operations. First and foremost, we prioritize sourcing quality ingredients from trusted suppliers. We carefully select our vendors, ensuring they meet strict quality control standards and adhere to food safety regulations. This allows us to have better control over the ingredients used in our dishes, reducing the risk of contamination.”
“Furthermore, we prioritize regular equipment maintenance to ensure proper functioning and minimize any potential hazards. We keep a close eye on expiry dates and practice proper stock rotation to prevent the use of expired ingredients. We take customer feedback seriously and encourage open communication regarding any concerns related to food safety.”
Eesha Sukhi, Founder of The Blue Bop Cafe listed five practices that restaurants should adhere to:
1. Keep Clean
Before we enter the kitchen, it is vital to wash hands and ensure cleanliness and hygiene at all times while cooking.
2. Separate Raw & Cooked Food
It is a good idea to keep raw food in different containers vis-a-vis the cooked ones. This will prevent any risk of contamination for either of the two.
3. Cook thoroughly
Food must be cooked thoroughly and properly before being served, in order to kill any germs and enhance nutrition too.
4. Keep food at safe temperatures
Different kinds of foods must be stored differently, location and temperature-wise too. Make sure you follow these practices to ensure the safety of food.
5. Use safe water and safe raw materials
The cooking processes should spic and span, as should the raw ingredients and materials. Use safe water and raw materials at all times.
