Restaurant food safety is paramount in the hospitality industry, and preventing cross-contamination is always a top priority for responsible business owners. Cross-contamination of food happens when a potentially harmful contaminant or allergenic ingredient is, without a diner's knowledge, included in a meal's preparation. This could mean potentially serious consequences for whoever eats it, as well as the restaurant that served it.
As a restaurant owner, it's vital to thoroughly understand all the ways cross-contamination has the potential to occur, so that you and your staff adhere to rigorous food safety protocols and precautions to protect your guests, reputation, and legal liability.
What is cross-contamination?
Cross-contamination of foods happens whenever a substance from one food item or ingredient is accidentally transferred to another, posing a possible danger to whoever consumes it. There are two main forms of contaminants.
Allergens
Allergens are foods or ingredients that cause some people to have adverse health reactions, which can range from mild to life-threatening. Common allergies include nuts, dairy, and gluten — which poses challenges for restaurants, because these are very common ingredients in many meals and food items. Cross-contamination includes cookware items as well — for example, fish might be fried in a pan that previously held peanut oil, and is then served to a patron with a peanut allergy.
Pathogens
This category of contaminant includes biological hazards like bacteria or parasites. Pathogens commonly originate in raw meat, eggs, poultry, fish, seafood, unwashed produce, and unpasteurized milk products. Since many pathogens are microscopic — including infamous food poisoning culprits such as E. coli, salmonella, listeria, and campylobacter — without proper food storage and hygienic practices, they can remain undetected on countertops and cutting boards and be transferred from one food item to another.
Food safety management
The most common causes of cross-contamination involve poor kitchen hygiene — and food handling guidelines are the solution. Restaurants must establish and enforce protocols for staff, including washing hands, properly cleaning and sanitizing cookware and appliances, wiping down surfaces, and preserving ingredients properly. Here are some basic safety protocols for safe kitchen practices.
Washing utensils and surfaces
Constant handwashing is a must. Train staff to rinse their hands with hot water and soap after they have touched anything that's not a part of the meal they're preparing — whether it's their face, the garbage bin, a door handle, or a different ingredient. It's an inescapable part of the business for cooks and servers to feel time pressure to provide great service, so it's up to business owners to reassure team members that being hygienic is even more important than being fast.
Appliances and workspaces require constant sanitation. Liquid from raw meat, poultry, fish, and seafood is a health hazard, and simply wiping it up with a paper towel won't get rid of germs. Disinfecting surfaces on a routine basis is non-negotiable. Since designated defrosting sinks are a luxury many kitchens can't afford, it's important to periodically clean sinks thoroughly, and then disinfect the area in case of contaminated liquid splashes.
You'll never know for sure from a mere visual inspection if food has become cross-contaminated with pathogens such as bacteria, so the best way to reduce risk is to never undercook foods and scrupulously follow all these food safety tips and local health regulations.
Storing foods
There are important best practices to teach your staff when it comes to storing ingredients. Cooked foods should never be left out at room temperature for more than two hours, and when they are ready to put away, containers should be labeled, dated, and initialed by the staff member who does so.
Refrigerators should be checked regularly to ensure they are at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder to prevent bacteria from growing, and higher-risk food items need to be stored lower to the ground to protect against possible dripping. Placing these foods on lower shelves is also a best practice for your freezer, in case power goes out.
Communicating with customers
When you consider the type of cuisine you serve, are there any allergens that you simply cannot guard against in good faith? If so, make that information readily available to your guests on menus and signage, and train your servers to mention it.
Your front-of-house team should know to always check with customers about allergies, and your menu should remind diners to alert servers or managers if they have any dietary restrictions or sensitivities. Consider having a booklet on hand that lists the ingredients that go into your different dishes, so guests can check for themselves. Make sure servers know to flag allergy alerts to the back-of-house team, and when they bring the guest their meal, repeat their allergies back to them to be certain the right dish is going to the right person.
Prevent cross-contamination with delivery orders
Any type of spoilage can increase the risk of food poisoning, which is why it's prudent to use tools such as heating lamps or hot trays to keep dishes at the right temperature while they await pickup. And if meals or food items have drastically different ideal storage temperatures, make sure to package them separately.
Insulated containers can also help preserve food quality and integrity as meals are transported to a destination. They also protect against cross-contamination by keeping dishes isolated while they're being delivered. Make sure your restaurant's containers are leak-proof and spill-proof, and evaluate different packaging options rigorously before placing a mass order.
Finally, label dishes diligently, and dedicate sections in your front-of-house and back-of-house areas for takeout and delivery orders so that food doesn't get misplaced. Having an online ordering solution that integrates with your POS system, and helps your teams stay aligned, is invaluable.
As a restaurant owner, eliminating the risk of cross-contamination is always a top priority — but that doesn't mean it needs to be a source of stress. Learn more about how DoorDash Marketplace can help your restaurant run as smoothly as possible, so you can focus on delivering hospitality to your guests.
