FOODSERVICE AND HEALTHCARE
In our hospitals, residential care, assisted living centers and nursing homes, every employee is part of the team taking care of the overall health of residents and patients. From the Chief of Staff to the person doing dishes in the kitchen, we all have the same goal; to give the best care possible to our charges. So you may wonder what dressing and acting professional in foodservice has to do with the overall wellbeing of those in our care?
I recently went through the Food Service Safety Certification program. Two organizations I volunteer with required this course through the Health Department to volunteer in their kitchens. Wow, what an eye opener that was. Don’t worry; this blog will not be about the really gross stuff they showed us slides of. (Ick, ick and double ick! It made me think twice about eating out and about some of the practices in my own kitchen.)
- Your hair. When working in food preparation or in serving food your hair should always be covered / contained. Here are three options we carry or you may opt for a hair net. Guys, this includes facial hair also!
https://www.uniformsandscrubs.com/five-star-chefwear/chef-s-hat.html
https://www.uniformsandscrubs.com/five-star-chefwear/baker-s-cap.html
- Apron. An apron will help to keep your shirt and pants clean. If you move from kitchen to service, it may not be a bad idea to have two aprons on hand. If one is soiled in the kitchen during food prep, you will have a fresh clean apron for when you serve the food. Believe it or not, the appearance of the server does effect the overall perception of the food quality. Never serve with a soiled or stained apron or shirt.
Did you know that food service personal are required to remove their apron when they go to the restroom? I know I said I wouldn’t get gross, but maybe just a little with this; when you flush, particles of whatever is in the bowl at the time, are sent into the air. These particles will stick to soft surfaces like clothing. Please leave the apron in the kitchen! https://www.uniformsandscrubs.com/five-star-chefwear/chef-s-bib-apron.html
- Cook shirts or chef coats are a great option for comfort and style for foodservice staff.
https://www.uniformsandscrubs.com/five-star-chefwear/snap-closure-cook-shirt.html
https://www.uniformsandscrubs.com/five-star-chefwear/short-sleeve-chef-jacket-103748.html
https://www.uniformsandscrubs.com/five-star-chefwear/executive-chef-coat.html
Like the apron, it is not a bad idea to have a spare on hand so you have a fresh clean coat for when you need to be seen by the public.
- Foot wear. No open toes in the kitchen please! If you ever watch the cooking shows you will see one shoe time and time again on the chefs. The Dansko Professional.
https://www.uniformsandscrubs.com/dansko/dansko-women-s-professional-black-box.html
The Walker shoe by Dansko is also a great option for a shoe with a slip-resistant outsole.
https://www.uniformsandscrubs.com/dansko-men-s-walker-black-smooth.html
- Dress at work. Back to what I mentioned in section two. Yucky stuff sticks to soft surfaces. Especially if you take public transportation to work, you are exposed to any variety of contamination. So what could be hitching a ride on your clothing into your kitchen?
There is so much more we could talk about in regards to foodservice safety. (I was in the class for four hours, just for the entry level kitchen volunteer.) But these few things I mention here have to do with the clothing aspect of food safety since that is a direct connection to what we work with here.
You can go to www.servsafe.com for your states on line Food Handler course.
Go to www.foodsafety.gov for more tips on food safety.
The people we are preparing and serving food to in the healthcare environment are folks who may already be more at risk of food borne illness. Let’s do our part, with the rest of the health care staff to treat the whole person. Tasty and nutritious meals; prepared in a safe and clean manner, is the beginning of good care.
