Food safety in restaurants begins in the kitchens, and every restaurant owner must remember that he is responsible for the health of his customers.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets guidelines for restaurants to prepare and store food whether a small or large establishment.

These guidelines address every aspect of the kitchen from staffing to the handling and storage of food, water, and waste.

Learn with us about the most important of these guidelines:

First: Keep the preparation areas clean

Make sure you have a designated food preparation station where you keep dishes and cutlery that you constantly sanitize and clean.

Because neglecting the preparation area in the kitchen could be a cause of contamination and cause illness or poisoning for customers.

 Second: Sterilize surfaces

Sterilizing surfaces means performing a comprehensive cleaning and sterilization of everything in the restaurant as follows:

1- Sterilize dining tables and surfaces where you prepare food

2- Use a clean cloth

3- Use a broad-acting disinfectant

4- Leave the disinfectant on the surfaces for the specified time depending on the product you are using

5- Clean your fresh produce with clean water

6- Empty trash cans frequently

 7- Refill empty tissue paper rolls or soap dispensers.

Third: After the end of the day

1- Sweep the kitchen floors, pantries and large refrigerators

2- Wipe the floors (use a strong degreaser to scrub away major grease spills)

3- Clean the washing stations

4- Wipe spills and stains from the walls

5- Wash and sanitize all work surfaces and preparation area surfaces

6- Clean all cooking utensils, grills and stoves

 7- Wash kitchen rags and linens in the washing machine (separately from uniforms)