No restaurant owner would ever knowingly allow the chefs in their restaurants to not wash their hands after using the restroom or to use the same cutting board for meats and vegetables. These are enormous health hazards and are against food safety laws! The fact of the matter is, food safety is put into place to protect people from getting sick from foodborne illnesses such as salmonella and e. coli poisoning.
But sometimes, the areas of the kitchen that are the most often overlooked are the ones that can be very deadly. Take for example the ice machine/ice maker. Did you know that there can be bacteria, yeast, fungus, salmonella or e. coli lurking inside the machine? Your very own customers are consuming the ice coming from these machines!
When was the last time you properly cleaned your ice machine? Take the test; put on a white glove and rub your fingers near ice dispenser. If you see slimy off-colored (e.g. pink) film or residue, your ice machine is likely contaminated with some kind of harmful bacteria! Yes, dirty ice machines can make your guests sick!
So how do you make sure your ice machine is health-law compliant and safe for your customers? It’s easy– have your machine regularly cleaned by service professionals. Also, if your employees are serving ice to guests, make sure their bare hands are not in contact with the ice (never ever allow them to touch ice with their bare hands!).
How is the ice stored? Is it left in a bucket uncovered lying anywhere in the kitchen? This is a health hazard! Ice must be stored separately and contained properly!
If you have a soda fountain machine, you can purchase one that has a built-in ice machine which allows for contact-less ice making. Of course, there are also automatic cleaning systems that you can invest in which pair with specific ice machines.
If you want to learn more about how to keep your restaurant kitchen up to health code, contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants to learn more.