Sanitation in restaurants and food service operations

Food safety is a core part of any foodservice and restaurant business. It is a health issue with life or death implications.

It has been reported that about 125 million meals per day are served in approximately 524,000 restaurants in United States. The United States Public Health Service has reported that about two thirds of all reported food poisoning result from meals served in restaurants.

In commercial kitchens, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention report food-borne illness caused by cross contamination and unsanitary condition strike nearly 76 million people and result in 9000 deaths per year.

Thus sanitation in restaurants requires considerable improvement, since it is known that nearly all food poisonings are avoidable.

Foodborne illness can be controlled when sanitation is properly implemented in all food operations. Common problems caused by poor sanitation are food spoilage through off-odor and flavor.

Kitchen sanitation and cleanliness must always of constant concern to both management and employees. 

The main reason for food poisoning is the poor attitude of some workers and the ignorance of others. Therefore it must be responsibility of the managers and owners of the restaurants to employ only those with healthy attitudes and to make sure that they have been properly educated.

People with unhealthy attitude must be removed from food handling responsibilities. The problem is aggravated by the fact that restaurants are visited by large numbers of people over short periods and by the fact that some of the customers are bound to have communicable disease.

Food safety is a big economic issue. The foodservice industry is essential to the economy and will continue to grow. A single incident of food poisoning can damage a restaurant image for years and cost the owners thousands of dollars in settlement or litigation cost.
Sanitation in restaurants and food service operations