Recently it has emerged that even the most famous of restaurants and household names cannot hide from the environmental health officer. A famous Birmingham restaurant has been tarnished with a zero rating after the local environmental agency inspection. A nil score is only given to restaurants that are a potential concern to the public and are in need of urgent improvements. It is likely that this score was due to a poor level of hygiene including food storage and cleanliness amongst other factors.
This set to have huge implications on the steakhouse and grill restaurant. Such low ratings really could prove disastrous to any business who is hit by such ratings. However, the popularity of the restaurant has little value to the health inspectors; who are far more concerned with the health and wellbeing of the public visiting the premises than the reputation of the business or its owner.
What will health inspectors look for?
As part of an environmental health inspection, the agency’s staff will look at a number of different elements. One of the biggest aspects will be the cleanliness of the facilities and equipment along with ensuring the correct cleaning chemicals are used. With the cleanliness of the premises comes the lookout for tell-tale signs of pests including rodents and roaches. Poorly stored ingredients including the likes of flour sacks being left on bare floors, could attract four legged creatures – making for a less than respectable score. Poor cleanliness is also a major cause of food contamination and bacterial infestation. Poorly cleaned equipment and appliances could lead to cross contamination – making for a nasty surprise for the unsuspecting customer.
What can food cold storage do?
Food cold storage units could help reduce the risk of bacterial contamination thanks to the additional storage space. Many cold stores offer specialist racking options to ensure foods are kept off of the floors and also allow for cooked foods to be stored above raw meats – or better still could allow separate units for raw and cooked produce. Food cold storage units including those supplied by CRS Mobile Cold Storage offer stainless steel interiors, making them extremely easy to clean and keep well maintained.
Getting it right and earning that window sticker circled with a 5 really could be the best advertisement for your catering business!
If your are looking to improve your premises health and hygiene with better food storage solutions and are considering buying or renting a food cold storage unit, please visit the website meat cold storage or vegetable cold storage section of our website. Alternatively if you would like to speak to a member of the team to discuss your storage needs and how food cold storage may help improve the environmental health of your business, please speak to a member of the team by calling the support line on 0818 929824.
