Commonsense rules for food safety and preservation

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It is very important that we have good hygiene standards and follow some basic, common-sense rules.

Food Safety Principles and Preservation

Clean Hands

We have a sink dedicated to washing hands. There is a dispenser of liquid soap next to the sink. If the tea-towel above the sink is dirty, replace it with a clean one from below the sink.

  • When starting your shift, or when your hands become dirty during your shift (e.g. you touch your face, hair, sneeze or eat) wash your hands with soap and dry them thoroughly on a paper towel or hand towel provided.
  • Do not touch stock with your hands: please use the tongs, scoops or disposable gloves provided to handle stock. If necessary, also remind customers to use the utensils provided and not their hands to access stock.


Rotate Stock

Rotating stock means putting new stock behind or under old stock so that the older stock sells first. This is important for making sure things don’t go stale or off or get bugs in them. With barrels this means emptying a barrel into another container, putting the new stock in, and putting the old stuff back on top. With cans and soymilk it means putting the new items behind the old.


Seal all barrels and containers properly

Sealing things properly is very important for keeping away creepy crawlies and for keeping things fresh. If you’ve ever had a pantry moth infestation, you’ll know how easy it is for the little buggers to get in even the tiniest of holes. So barrels need to be closed tightly and wiped down. Open bags need to be twisted or rolled till they’re airtight and fixed with tape or a rubber band. All plastic bags need to be stored in boxes which are in turn sealed with sticky tape (this may seem excessive, but you’d be surprised how cunning little rodent friends can be).


Keep things at least 5cm off the floor

Keep things off the floor - all food stock must be stored at least 2.5cm off the floor. This is a legal requirement.


Liquids

All the liquid containers have drip jars in order to keep the floor clean. These need to be washed weekly. When closing, it is a good idea to check the liquids to ensure that all taps are closed and all lids are on. We make up jars of honey and tahini in batches, as it can be quite messy for individuals to do it themselves.


Dried Fruit

Some of the more moist dried fruits (e.g. apricots) need to be checked regularly, especially in the heat, to make sure that they are not fermenting.


Peanuts and Peanut Butter

Because some people can be violently allergic to peanuts, we need to be very careful with them. There is a labelled scoop that gets used only for peanuts. It lives in the peanut barrel. Use this to fill up the peanut butter machine. To protect against pests, the peanut butter chute needs to be covered at the end of a day (use a plastic bag and a rubber band).