estaurants have a natural challenge that just comes with the territory: cleanliness and food safety. It seems not a day goes by without another horror story in the news about contaminated food products. Restaurants get routinely shut down by the Health Department. Even if things don’t get that bad for your business, all it takes is for a delivery person to see a puddle of muck on the floor in your kitchen for a bad word-of-mouth campaign to start circulating about your establishment. The media reports cases of food poisoning on a daily basis in spite of the fact that the fast food business is flourishing.It seems fast food has become the American way and the public will go blindly forth ordering with the expectation that the food has been prepared in sanitary conditions. From bug problems to breeding bacteria, fast food restaurants especially have countless issues behind their counters. The rules are put into place and enforced by management, inspectors, the Food and Drug Administration, and so forth, are there as the minimum defense, and just the beginning. If you are the manager, awareness on your part isn’t enough; you have to be vigilant in ensuring that every employee knows and follows the rules to the letter.

One of the most common causes of food poisoning is bacteria transfer, which is due to food not being properly cooked or kept at the proper temperature. With such a demand for fast food, it is often all too easy for the employees to compromise their duties for the sake of saving time, and before they know it, they’ve served a meal that carries a nasty risk of food poisoning. The rules should be followed every time, not some of the time, as is unfortunately sometimes the case.

It is up to the management to see that the employees are properly doing their job, and, of course, effective management makes all of the difference in this endeavor. Close supervision is a necessity to help ensure that the work is being performed properly. Employees must care about their job and in return feel valued so that they will be more willing to perform their responsibilities correctly. Too often, factors like low pay, long hours, and little recognition makes employees more likely to burn out and do less than what is expected of them. Also, improper training of staff leads to improper fulfillment of job duties.

Unclean areas like counters or tables where food has been prepared can also spread bacteria and cause food poisoning. That is why it is important for employees to clean up after themselves and make sure that their work space is kept fastidiously clean. Also, food containers that haven’t been properly washed and stock that hasn’t been properly rotated are havens for bacteria.

Employees who don’t wash their hands before returning to their work station can unknowingly spread bacteria and other diseases. That is why it is of the utmost importance that employees wash their hands and also why every fast food restaurant should have at least one sink designated for hand washing only, with properly posted instructions, and including the necessary soap, paper towels. Wearing gloves when in contact with food helps as added protection, but even gloves can touch unclean surfaces just like hands can, so they need to be changed after coming into contact with unsanitary surfaces and items.

Even pests can present a challenge to cleanliness in fast food working environments, so it is important that restaurants are regularly inspected and treated for pests. No one wants an unwelcome visitor in their food, but it does happen more than we’d like to think. If an employee witnesses any pest making contact with the food, the entire amount of food in the container should be discarded.

Hair nets are a good idea for keeping stray hairs and dander out of food. Hats are more often the rule, but less effective in preventing hairs and dander from getting into the food. Wearing long hair tied back in a ponytail or braid is a must. And while we’re at it, today’s generation does need to be made aware that the extreme fashion statements are out of place in a professional kitchen. There are many work environments where dreadlocks, mohawks, and afros present no problem, but the kitchen is not one of them.

A fast food kitchen is set up to be convenient, but not always easy to clean. Every establishment should go above and beyond the norm to ensure that food is properly handled. Customers, before ordering their next meal at your restaurant, are these days taking a close look at the employees and the environment if they can. They may not be able to spot what goes on behind the scenes, but they trust their instincts for what they are able to observe.

This is one more reason why it’s better not to understaff. Ensure that your expectations of your employees are reasonable, and hold regular training programs. Even taking a few hours out of a day between meal times to conduct a food safety drill, involving the whole team, will go a long way to promoting healthy practices in your kitchen. Dropping in for a spot check every now and then will also be effective. To prevent your employees from resenting your surprise inspection, show up ready to help out for an hour or so during the shift. You will have an opportunity to set a good example, as well as boost morale by showing the staff that you can work beside them as equals.

Freelance writer for over eleven years.

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The FDA estimates the average American eats

4.7 pounds of trans-fats each year!

The two primary reasons why doctors caution against eating fried foods are:

1. Since saturated fats are impossible to process, they clog the liver and arteries (early on causing GI issues, and over time immune disorders/diseases).

2. High heat destroys any nutritional value the food might have started with; High heat also chemically changes trans-fat oils into potential carcinogens.

Fast Food restaurants are in business to make a profit. Instead of replacing spent oil with fresh oil, they simply top off the fryers with fresh oil.

If you like fried foods that much, eat them at home, where you control the quality of the oil (coconut is very good), as well the cooking time and temperature. CAUTION: Do not reuse the spent oil!

Eventually though, all restaurant fry oil (and fry grease) gets dumped and replaced. Ever wonder what becomes of it?

The law requires all restaurants to have grease traps. The more fried food cooked, the faster the grease traps fill up. Grease removal service is big business. But what do the Grease Haulers do with it?

They “Recycle it”! Grease Haulers make even more money “recycling” the grease from these traps. What could this rancid, carcinogenic, artery and liver clogging goop possibly be used for- an alternative bio-fuel perhaps? No, not exactly.

Here’s a trick question: What could possibly be worse than ingesting 4.7 pounds of high temperature trans-fat oils per year?

So what is the connection to your pets?

A dirty little secret of the dry pet food industry is that they buy the spent oil! Why? Hint- it’s not to power their generators!

The competition for the pet food dollar is fierce. Each company is outdoing the next with ever more eye-catching packaging. If you have a working knowledge of nutrition, you will be appalled at what is inside the bags.

Dry pet food is extruded under high heat and pressure, destroying any nutritional value it might have started with. And, if that’s not bad enough, the so-called vitamins and minerals they include are the poorest quality, least beneficial, yet they meet the legal requirements to be included as ingredients.

Alas, if their multi-billion dollar advertising budgets were spent on the contents, dogs would be a lot healthier. Buyers beware!

Did you ever wonder what the oily residue was that gets all over your hand if you don’t use a scoop to get the dry food from bag to bowl? Recycled grease and fry oil are actually sprayed on –to give this otherwise tasteless, nutritionless bulk some “flavor”!

If you’re wondering why the FDA hasn’t stepped in, the fact is most of the human dry foods on grocery store shelves are as bad. It seems that the FDA is a feel good government agency that lobbyists steam-roll over.

Don’t think for a minute that canned foods are much better; they’re not! The sickest feed lot animals, those that do not sneak by the meat and poultry inspectors, are sold to dog food manufacturers.

Food digestion is a time sensitive process; too long, or too short leads to health issues. Meals that lack nutritional value are difficult to process. There’s a big difference in an occasional fast-food meal versus a steady diet of fast foods. Over time, a steady fast-food diet leads to health problems.

The movie “Super Size Me” is well worth renting. Your health, and that of your pets, may depend on you watching it.

“Fully 90% of all disease is caused by an unhealthy intestinal system” Royal Society of Medicine Great Britain

It is no coincidence that today, tens-of-millions pets are dealing with the same diseases that we are! During the last 40 years, a frequent diet for people on the run has become fast food. This “gulp and go” convenience has been passed on to their pets.

Early warning signs include skin disorders, gas, bloat, abnormal bowel movements. Over time, more advanced GI and immune disorders/diseases develop.

At least 5 generations of domestic pets have been raised from weaning to the grave on dry foods. Each generation is genetically weaker. Today, many breeds are born with severely compromised GI and immune systems. Failure to thrive, hip displasya, and cancer are but a few examples of compromised immune systems in German Shepherds.

The good news: Most diseases can be reversed (or prevented), especially in pets. Why pets more than us? Well, unless you give them junk food treats (pet or human), once you improve their diet, they can’t cheat. Recovery signs follow quickly as vital GI and immune defense systems are reestablished.

You Can Domesticate your pet, But Not It’s Diet!

To know what the best diet is for your pets, you only have to observe their wild relatives.

Feral animals instinctively supplement their fresh kill diet by eating grass and dirt for the microflora and soil based microorganisms (SBOs) that are essential digestive aids.

Pesticides, insecticides, chemical run off, and chlorinated lawn water have effectively killed SBOs. Today, these essential digestive aids are grown in environmentally controlled laboratories.

Drinking water is often overlooked as a health risk. Obviously, you don’t want your dog to drink from a puddle, but municipal water contains large quantities of Chlorine, to kill a growing list of pathogens. If your dog drinks enough of it, it will kill the good bacteria he needs!

By the way, antibiotics are indiscriminate killers; they kill off the essential food processing bacteria, as well as the ones causing GI issues. Most of time, all your pet needs is a few extra doses of SBOs to overcome a GI problem. An added bonus is that SBO administration does not require withholding food or water!

If you want to make sure your pet stays healthy, introduce a more natural diet.

No matter what you feed your pets, if you supplement each meal with essential digestive enzymes, vital oils, and SBOs you will soon have a healthier, happier, more mentally alert and physically stronger pet.

If your pet is not responding to improved diet and supplement, chances are the intestinal wall is inflamed. The intestinal wall is your pet’s lifeline. This is where nutrients are absorbed into the body, AND, where waste products are dumped into the intestines for elimination.

If the intestinal wall becomes inflamed, this vital nutrient/waste exchange cannot take place. When that happens, your pet is not getting the nutrition it is desperate for, waste products are building up and recycling throughout its’ body, making them sicker. Natural anti-inflammatories need to be administered before the benefits of any medication, or diet changes will have a positive effect.

Nutritious food, clean water, and essential supplements are vital to maintaining and restoring your pets optimum health and vitality.

The author of this article is Robert Hart, the co-founder of Vitality Science, Inc., a company that formulates scientifically proven, all natural supplements to restore and maintain pet health- for cats, dogs, kittens and puppies.

Robert Hart has articles published in Fido Friendly Magazine, The Pet Professor, an on-line pet portal, Ani-Med, and pet newsletters.

At first some councils refused requests, fearing either legal action by angry restaurateurs, or that their relationships with businesses would be damaged. The Information Commissioner, a government watchdog, made a ruling in late 2005 which means that all councils should now respond to requests. There is no charge for requests on a small scale, but if you ask for reports on every restaurant in your town, expect to be advised that there will be a substantial charge!

But lets face it, who wants all the hassle of making a formal written request anyway, especially if it might trigger a charge? There is an easier way, as many councils are now publishing summary versions of inspection reports on the web. At the moment the numbers are growing rapidly, and include some large councils such as Birmingham, Bristol and now London and seaside resorts such as Weymouth and Great Yarmouth.

Most councils use symbols such as stars to give ratings, with the most common ratings being based on stars, usually five in number. A word of warning though! The councils use slightly different scoring systems, so check what they mean on each site. Generally the more stars or other symbols the better. A low number of symbols may mean the premises had some poor hygiene at the last inspection, so on a five star based scheme look for at least three stars. Of course, the rating is based on a single inspection on a particular day, so things may have changed since the last inspection, for good or worse.

It’s not just restaurants you can check out. The hygiene standards of school kitchens, day nurseries, hospitals, flight catering, and your local takeaway are just a few clicks away. One of the easiest way to find out which councils are publishing is to go to www.hygienewatch.co.uk where they are all listed.

So before you book a table next time, or head out for a takeaway, check out the latest hygiene report on-line.

This article was written by Stewart Brock, who has over twenty-five years experience as an environmental health practitioner, specialising in food safety and occupational health & safety, and has recently completed a Master’s degree in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He can be contacted via http://www.hygienewatch.co.uk

This means to say, cleanliness does prove, next to Godliness. Keep your restaurant clean and each object in it to make sure that you maintain a healthy and conducive environment both for your staff and customers. Add to this also, the impression that you will be imposing to your regular customers and even the new diners.

Maintaining a clean restaurant and surrounding is a lot of hard work but you can do more than what is expected if you properly orient your staff. From day one of employment, emphasize how important it is for them to keep everything in their path clean. This includes the area from the kitchen to the counter and the tables of each customer. To maintain the customers’ area spic-and-span, always start the day before opening the restaurant by cleaning the floor up to the ceiling. The doors, windows, fans, tables, screens and even the walls should all be checked for any necessary repair. All should be functional to the convenience both of the customers and employees.

Dust and grease are also the top culprits for causing you a dirty establishment. The kitchen tools such as the oven, stove, chopping boards, knives, cutters, can openers and many others are always exposed directly to dirt since these are the tools and this is the area of the restaurant exposed to all germs coming from different produce, cans and containers. If you want to serve clean and good food, keep your kitchen an ideal place for your food storage. When you earn the credit for doing so, share it with your staff.

Shareen Aguilar is a writer for Restaurant Business which has information about restaurant management and restaurant operation techniques.

I know what you may be thinking… it all depends on how much business they have. I have been a commercial carpet cleaner for fourteen years, and believe me I know.

THEY DON’T CLEAN ENOUGH.

Let’s compare your house against restaurants, easy enough. The carpet manufacturers say you should clean your carpet in your house every six months for your health. Wow! I bet that was a shocker. Ok, that gives us a number to work with. Say you have four people living in your home that leave and come back five times a day. That equals twenty people a day entering your doorway. Now times that by thirty (now I’m testing your math skills). That equals six hundred people walking through you door a month. That is three thousand six hundred people in six months walking in your door.

Now let’s compare this to a restaurant, say a buffet, I know you have been to one of these. They have an average of four thousand guests a week. Now, we will do the math, which comes to about five hundred seventy two people a day. This leads me to believe that restaurants should clean their carpet every week, and not the standard once a month. That is right, most restaurants clean ONCE A MONTH for your health. Keep that in mind the next time you eat at your favorite restaurant.

Brian Ward author of information articles, on health topics, and helpful articles for all people. Visit his website at http://www.carpetcleaninghelp.com