FOOD HYGIENE FOR CATERERS

Food Hygiene for Caterers; European Community's Directives

Problem & Thesis Statement

“Steps to be taken by caterers after the European Community's Directives”

Caterers must now apply the principles of hazard analysis to their own business. This involves making an assessment of activities to identify steps which are critical to ensuring food safety and ensure that adequate safety procedures are identified, implemented and reviewed. Food hygiene training and instruction for all staff handling food is a new legal requirement. Managers will have to ensure that food handlers engaged in the food business are supervised, instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work activity.

The EC directive and the new regulations do not lay down detailed and prescriptive rules. Instead, they refer to action which is appropriate and necessary. The EC directive and the regulations have promoted the development of industry guides for the interpretation and application of the regulations. The Joint Hospitality Industries Congress (JHIC), which represents all sectors of the catering industry, produced the UK catering Industry Guide for the industry, after extensive consultation. The Industry Guide, which gives advice on every provision of the regulations, was produced by a working party which included observers from the Department of Health and the Local Authorities coordinating Body on Food and Trading Standards (LACOTS). It has been recognized by the Government and has been sent to the European Commission. The guide may be used with confidence by food businesses as a practical guide to compliance with the relevant regulations. Enforcement officers of the new regulations are required to give it due consideration.

Introduction to the business

Caterers handle everything from birthday parties for children, to breakfast in bed and intimate candlelight dinners for two, to company dinner parties for 50 and wedding receptions involving the thousand or more guests. This kind of entrepreneurial business is definitely growing and becoming more popular with people of all income levels. An imaginative caterer in the large metropolitan area can easily gross $150,000 per year, while the small part-time caterer in the small town can count on at least $10,000 to $15,000 per year. One small, but very ambitious caterer is reported to have grossed $250,000 after only 2-years in business!

You don't need special education or training to become the successful caterer. You do need an affinity for people and the kind of intuition as to what people enjoy in different environmental settings.

Food hygiene training

The Industry Guide defines a food handler as: Any person involved in a food business that handles or prepares food whether open (unwrapped) or packaged. The Department of Health defines those who will be affected by the regulations as: anyone who handles food, or whose actions could affect its safety. The regulations state that: The proprietor of a food business shall ensure that food handlers engaged in the food business are supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work activity.

Hygiene awareness

Managers will need to ensure that staff receives adequate instruction on any control or monitoring ...