A guide to monitoring food safety, sanitation and hygiene

In the fast-paced world of hospitality, maintaining food safety, sanitation, and hygiene standards can be challenging. It’s important your processes go beyond a paper checklist. In this guide to monitoring food safety, we’ll discuss the essentials of an efficient digital system, how to increase accountability in the workplace, and ways to easily implement a daily routine for your business.

The importance of monitoring cleanliness

Having a clean kitchen is a must-have for any venue looking to remain open long-term. Sustaining a clean environment helps minimize health risks, enhances the overall dining experience, and fosters a positive reputation.

All team members should be committed to upholding a safe and sanitary space. But how do you ensure your team maintains high standards of cleanliness day in and day out? Create a system and processes that foster accountability.

How to increase accountability in the workplace

Increasing workplace accountability is a key factor in keeping a hospitality venue clean day and night.

Create hygiene standards every team member must meet throughout the shift. Equally important, detail why these standards are important and the ramifications if they are not upheld. By establishing this, each team member is then aware and accountable for their actions.

If you’re uncertain how to create this ownership, we have a few tips: 

• Implement clear cleaning tasks and benchmarks each team member is responsible for. 
• Conduct regular training and seek feedback from your team on what works well and what doesn’t. 
• Acknowledge when a team member has done a task well or areas for improvement. 

When everyone understands what is required within their role, accountability increases – this improves the hygiene and sanitation standards and fosters a sense of shared responsibility among your team.

Hygiene monitoring systems

In hospitality, a hygiene monitoring system ensures things are consistently kept clean and safe. The goal is to create a safe and healthy environment for guests and to meet health and safety regulations. To create an effective system, several steps or stages must be addressed, including:

• Assign required daily tasks to team members. This includes:
  • regular surface cleaning
  • monitoring sanitation procedures, such as hand washing
  • ensuring proper waste disposal.
• Provide regular training for team members.
• Review improvements to the strategy.
  • Be sure to consider factors like peak hours. Discuss with your team where and when a step may falter, like work surface sanitation, during busy times throughout the day and discuss ways to improve this.
• Address specific cleanliness needs, like consistently cleaning equipment to prevent cross-contamination.

This system may also be able to use sensors and apps to help with inspections and ensure hygiene rules are followed.

Sanitation recording

Sanitation recording involves documenting cleaning and sanitation activities within your establishment. It can document your dedication to cleanliness, serve as a valuable tool during inspections, and lay the groundwork for continuous improvement.

Design a comprehensive compliance checklist

Craft a detailed compliance checklist template that includes all aspects of sanitation, from cleaning surfaces to sterilizing equipment. Tailor it to align with industry regulations and your venue’s specific needs.

For example, if you’re handling raw eggs or fish, ensure you have established food handling standards, allergen management and quality refrigeration to prevent patrons from falling ill.

Ensure regular and consistent documentation

Once you establish a compliance or cleaning checklist, create a daily routine for your team members to document their activities. This will support compliance, maintain quality standards, manage risks, ensure accountability, drive continuous improvement, and ultimately lead to heightened customer satisfaction.

Leverage technology for efficiency

Explore digital solutions, such as Operandio’s compliance checklist templates, to streamline the recording process. This enhances accuracy and provides a centralized platform for efficient management.

Best practices for monitoring food safety, sanitation and hygiene

Use a cleaning checklist template

A cleaning checklist template is a comprehensive document that lists specific cleaning tasks and schedules designed for your venue’s unique needs. It can provide a clear roadmap for your team. 

You can tailor it to match your hospitality space’s layout, size, and specific requirements. This ensures it addresses the unique challenges of your venue. 

Conventional checklists using notepads, pens and papers have their benefits, but how do you monitor their use every day across multiple venues? Operandio’s digital checklists provide a user-friendly platform to create, customize, and manage your cleaning checklist. And you can capture and monitor information across many locations all in one spot. 

Implement a daily cleaning checklist for your venue

Once you have created the cleaning checklist template, adjust it to meet your venue’s daily needs. Not everything in your venue, such as the windows or storage areas, will need to be cleaned daily.  

Some areas in the venue you should cover in your daily checklist include:

• Restrooms
• Dining area – chairs and tables
• Kitchen countertops, cooking equipment, and prep areas
• High-touch surfaces – door knobs, light switches, and handrails
• Rubbish removal.

Future trends and innovation

The hospitality industry is poised for huge shifts in hygiene practices with a continued focus on cleanliness within venues. Incorporating cutting-edge technologies for automated sanitation, such as touchless equipment and real-time monitoring could help align your business with the future of hygiene management. Additionally, prioritising sustainability by adopting eco-friendly practices contributes to a cleaner environment.

A holistic approach to cleanliness with Operandio

As you look to maintain a safe and hygienic environment, Operandio can help ease the burden. Our tools can integrate with your practices, enhancing efficiency and accountability. Discover how our innovative solutions can transform by booking a free demo with Operandio today.