Keeping food safe as it flows through an organization, from Delivery to Service, is a challenge for all hospitality managers. If you are employed by a company that has a established food safety program, you will not have to figure out standard procedures because it will be given to you under the company's operational manual. For most small business owners, you have to implement a program based on training, guidelines, regulations, and current practices. One important element of an effective food safety program is prevention. In order to prevent food from becoming contaminated it is important to understand the leading causes in How Food Can Become Unsafe. Pictured below is a chart published by the NRA Education Foundation that illustrates four (4) of the leading causes of food becoming unsafe:

     In the next couple of post I will address how a business owners/managers can support prevention of each one of these causes by supportive equipment and/or technologies. Let now focus on:

TIME AND TEMPERATURE ABUSE

Keeping food out of the "Temperature Danger Zone" is key to prevention of food contamination as a result of Time and Temperature Abuse. This means that all cold foods should be held at a temperature below 41 degrees or hot foods should be held at a temperature of above 135 degrees. If food is to be cooled then it is imperative that hot foods are chilled down rapidly to 36 degrees within 6 hours over two-stages. Having the right equipment and procedures in place can greatly enhance the reduction of risk in holding and cooling. A great piece of equipment that has many functionalities in food production is the - 

Blast Chiller.  

Hobart/Traulsen is a leading commercial kitchen equipment manufacturer

check out their website for Blast Chiller

http://www.traulsen.com/products/blast-chillers/blast-chillers/

Here is another example of how Blast Chillers can enhance kitchen/production operations:

ELECTROLUX AIR-O-CHILL