Coolroom Temperature Control: Sanitation Requirements for Food in Restaurants
26 February 2019The sanitation systems used in restaurants are arguably more important than any other eatery feature. Coolroom designers are fully aware of that fact. All things considered, the food processed by an eatery must be safe to consume. Now, to regulate food safety, there are pages and pages of hygiene-centric text on the subject. Being conversant in coolroom tech, though, we’re tackling the matter from a more machine-oriented perspective.
The Food Safety Mandate
The kitchen manager has marked out the storage areas and separated them from the food-processing rooms. Everything is safely segregated. The chance of cross-contamination is low. Even the dry food is safely boxed and stored in a sealed pantry. It’s dry here, and the temperature never rises above 15°C. Next, the coolroom installer initiates a food storage program. The goal now is to stop the food from deteriorating. Freshness is a concern, of course, but it’s a secondary concern when compared to spoilage issues. Used as an umbrella term, spoiled perishables can lead to food poisoning. That’s because bacterial growths are multiplying as the food warms. They cannot be allowed to flourish. Among the possible threats, salmonella and E.Coli can endanger lives.
Temperature Control Safety
The thermostats in a coolroom or freezer are set at suitably low temperatures. Easy enough to figure out, the temperature in a freezer shouldn’t rise above 0°C. Icy deposits and frost patches have formed. Bacteria and parasites become inactive at this frosty mercury level. Taken even lower, those tiny microorganisms quickly perish. For refrigerated food, where fluids cool but do not freeze, soft animal tissues and produce are kept at or around 4°C. Meanwhile, the kitchen crew keep things clean. Approved sanitation chemicals and hot soapy water are the tools of their trade. After the cooking is done, the mops and buckets come out. Vermin traps are laid, sanitation inspections are put into effect, and damp patches are logged. The refrigerators and freezers are incorporated into this program. Think of the thermostats, which are monitored daily. Beyond this measure, alarms are connected to back-up temperature sensors while periodic energy audits correct less obvious energy consumption issues.
And energy losses are important. A hurting bottom-line can quickly put a new restaurant out of business, after all. Even so, human health is infinitely more important than any bottom-line. The above measures may seem like annoying chores at times, but they save lives. To keep diners freshness-happy, a sanitation program is a nice convenience. To save lives from spoiled food and potential food poisoning incidents, that sanitation program becomes absolutely essential.
Mark Connelly
C&M Coolroom Services
E-mail: markconnelly@cmcoolrooms.com.au
Mobile: 0412 536 315
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