September is National Food Safety Education Month, which gives operators, managers, and staff a chance to look over the best ways to keep food safe in commercial foodservice kitchens.
As Florida foodservice professionals might expect, refrigeration plays a crucial role in successfully mitigating food safety issues. If refrigeration doesn't work properly, food waste increases, with the potential for health risks, customer dissatisfaction, and money loss.
Here are some important tips every food business should follow to prevent food spoilage and food waste and to meet food safety rules.
Why Refrigeration Matters for Commercial Food Safety
Refrigeration plays a crucial role in safe food handling in any commercial kitchen. Harmful bacteria grow fast between 41°F and 135°F, known as the "food danger zone." Good refrigeration keeps food out of this range, slowing down bacteria growth and keeping food fresh longer. Even more important, reliable and dependable refrigeration can provide these benefits without the headaches associated with downtime.
Here are a few tips to consider with commercial refrigeration and food safety:
Tip: Keep Refrigeration Temps Just Right
One of the easiest yet most useful ways to keep food safe involves maintaining the right temperature in refrigerators. Commercial fridges should keep food at 40°F (4°C) or colder, and freezers need to stay at 0°F (-18°C) or below.
To prevent food from going bad or bacteria from growing, you need to check and adjust your fridge and freezer temperatures, often following industry rules. A digital thermometer can help monitor temperatures, allowing staff to correct issues before they worsen. Temperatures should be checked several times a day to fix any errors immediately.
Tip: Use Thermo-Kool's Remote Monitoring System
Today's tech offers a great way to monitor cooling systems around the clock. Thermo-Kool's remote monitoring system is an automated tool for real-time tracking conditions in walk-in coolers. This setup sends quick alerts when temperatures go beyond safe limits, letting you step in quickly to stop food from going bad or getting contaminated. These systems cut down the chance of food safety issues and help save power by making sure cooling units run well.
Tip: Add Bluezone Units to Keep Food Fresher
Food waste is a major concern in the United States. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that up to 40% of food in the country is wasted. Not only is this bad for the environment but also impacts the bottom line of foodservice businesses. That’s because food that spoils and gets thrown out is money that can’t be recouped in sales, and additional ingredients must be purchased.
The solution? Adding Bluezone® by UV Food Preservation Systems to walk-ins. Designed to keep refrigerated
items fresher for longer periods, the system uses ultraviolet light to kill contaminants. And by eliminating 99.9% of mold, bacteria, odors, and ethylene gas, Bluezone reduces spoilage, which saves operators money and keeps customers safe.
Tip: Choose Reliable Refrigeration Equipment
Purchasing the best refrigeration from reliable companies is the first step in keeping ingredients safe.
For reach-in refrigeration and freezers, under counter units, bar refrigerated cabinets, and refrigerated prep tables, Arctic Air can help commercial kitchens keep things cool. Since 1995, Arctic Air has produced quality refrigeration, providing reliable service and easy maintenance.
Need more space than a reach-in unit? Thermo-Kool has walk-in refrigerators and walk-in freezers for every foodservice business. Built to last and customizable with only a 4-week lead time means always having the refrigeration needed. And when it’s time to cool food down, blast chillers and shock freezers from Thermo-Kool will help keep food out of the danger zone, while helping save on labor.
As important as refrigeration in the ice that’s used in foodservice. Designed for convenience and performance, Follett ice makers not only allow operators to configure machines to suit specific needs, they
also are built with food safety in mind. And they also make some of the most popular ice cube shapes! Perfect for a variety of settings, Follet keeps drinks and food at temperature and ready to serve.
Keeping items used in foodservice cool can help protect customers and businesses. With some staff training and great equipment, it’s easier than ever to help commercial kitchens meet food safety standards without giving up on performance.
See how the right style and shape of ice can transform your foodservice business:
