COMARK are here for the Food & Hospitality Sectors

For over a year now, restaurants, cafes and other food service facilities have been largely closed to the public, as part of the effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Whilst some establishments have been able to adapt by offering a takeaway and/or delivery service, most have simply had to wait for local or national lockdown measures to be lifted, to resume business.

As we start to see the easing of some restrictions, eateries are once again preparing to re-open, albeit with new measures in place. Reduced seating capacity, social distancing and customer check-in measures will all form part of the ‘new normal’, where public health is paramount.

On top of catering for their customers, those in the food industry will need to keep abreast of any changes to local guidelines and adjust their business practices, hygiene protocols and safety best practices accordingly, whilst continuing to maintain strict food safety standards.

Keeping Food Safety at the heart of it all!

The COVID-19 pandemic may have placed greater emphasis on the safety of the environments in which food is served, but it is food safety itself that continues to sit at the heart of catering and food service best practice.

Food safety management systems will need to be updated to reflect any new procedures that have been put in place and any new staff will need to be trained to the minimum level required by local food hygiene standards.

Before re-opening to the public, it is recommended that some basic checks are carried out.

Cleaning Checks

  • Deep clean the entire premises, especially after a prolonged period of closure
  • Thoroughly clean all equipment before restocking with foodstuffs
  • Run an empty hot cycle on dishwashers before use and check the temperature
  • Flush through taps and any other water-based equipment
  • Consider Legionella and take appropriate action to reduce risks

Equipment Checks

  • Ensure refrigerators and freezers have reached the required temperature before re-use
  • Ensure all hot-holding and cold-holding equipment is functioning properly
  • Ensure ovens, grills and cooking surfaces are working properly
  • Check probe thermometers are all working correctly and have been re-calibrated

Product Checks

  • Check for any signs of temperature deviation that make foods unsafe
  • Remove and refresh any ice left in machines and dispensers
  • Check the use-by and best before dates of existing inventory
  • Ensure food has been properly stored in line with the manufacturer’s guidance

Consider Technology

If manual temperature checks form part of the daily routine, then consider how automation might save both time and labour, whilst increasing accuracy and reducing risk.

With the additional processes required as part of COVID-19 compliance, such as increased cleaning routines and other safeguarding measures, now is a great time to look at whether a static monitoring system is worth investing in, especially with the long-term effects of the pandemic set to continue.

Devices can monitor, measure and record a wide range of standard environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, pressure and gases and in some cases also record door events which can also have a critical impact.

Static monitoring systems are generally designed to help you to stay compliant with the latest regulations without the stress associated with manual record-keeping and audit processes. They offer robust data storage to ensure that complete records are not only error-free, but also maintained in accordance with any regulatory requirements applicable to your industry.

  • Static Monitoring Systems can be quick and easy to implement
  • They can generally be scaled from a single device to whole systems
  • They store all your historical records and provide data for audit trails
  • Multiple sites can be monitored from a single platform

Solutions

COMARK's mission is to provide quality, trusted and reliable measurement and monitoring products to professionals seeking solutions to protect perishable goods and future developing needs.

PASS Ltd is an authorised COMARK distributor and provides solutions for your temperature and environmental monitoring needs. If you would like any help or advice, please call the PASS Sales team on 01642 626 140 or alternatively take a look at the links below.

COMARK Wireless Temperature Monitoring Systems
COMARK Data Loggers
COMARK Food and Catering Thermometers